Long, long ago in a faraway
land called Vasra, there lived a giant. His name was Garagntus. He was the only
giant left and he was very lonely. He lived in a house in the mountains since
the beginning of time.
Gargantus was a fierce-looking
giant but he was really very gentle. He had never hurt or harmed anyone. He
loved being with people but the villagers who lived at the foot of the mountain
did not know it then. They were scared of him! The last time he went down from
his mountain house was a hundred years ago.
He walked through the nearby
village, wanting to make friends with the people. That was a big mistake! His
footsteps made the ground shake. The people ran screaming to their homes. Doors
were slammed shut! Windows were closed in a rush!
He saw some of them peep
through their windows and tried to greet then. That was a bigger mistake! His
voice rumbled like thunder through the village. Little children shrieked and
trembled with fear.
This made Gargantus sad
because he loved little children. He did not want to frighten them but they
thought he came to eat them. He felt very bad that he failed to make friends
with the villagers. He decided never to disturb the again.
Gargantus made each of his
lonely day delightful by looking down on the village for a long, long time. He
watched the farmers plow their land and grow the food for their families. They
worked from sunrise to sunset, but the land did not give them enough food to
feed themselves. Gargantus felt sorry for them, especially the children. The
children sometimes went to bed with hungry stomachs during the hot summer
nights.
Gargantus thought of ways to
help them. He knew of other lands that could grow more food. They were far from
the village but he could reach them with just
sixty giant steps. He could bring the farmers there by putting them in
his fruit basket. He could carry them because he was strong. These thoughts
pleased Gargantus very much. But how could he offer his help if the people were
afraid of him? They wouldn't listen to a giant.
Gargantus thought,
"Someone who is as big as the men would not scare them. Who could tell
them about my plans?" Suddenly a wonderful thought came to him. He only
knew of one person who was not terrified of him.
"The wizard!" he exclaimed, "I will ask
the wizard for help."
Gargantus was not sure if the
wizard would do it. The wizard had never helped anyone since he hated people.
For that reason, he chose to live far away from the village. Although he had
not hurt anyone with his magic spell, he would not hesitate to cast spell upon
the person who went near his place. He would always cry out loud, "Stay
away from me, and my magic will not fall on you!" He spent his time mixing
magic potions and reading magical books.
Gargantus wasn't worried about
the wizard's magical power. Magic spells had no effect on giants.
"I will talk to him right
away," Gargantus eagerly said. He reached the wizard's place with just
thirty giant steps.
At once, the old wizard
appeared in his long black robe, black pointed hat, and black shoes. His long
white shaggy beard seemed to be heavier than his skinny body. He had
mean-looking eyes.
The wizard angrily said,
"I don't want people here, especially giants." He pointed a wrinkled
finger at Gargantus and started to cast spell on him.
"You'll just waste your power," answered
Gargantus. "You did not even change my size twenty years ago," he
laughed.
The wizard dropped his finger
in a flash. He remembered what happened twenty years ago. He tried to turn
Gargantus into a goat but to his
surprise his magic did not work. He shouted other magical words to turn the
giant into a lizard... or a spider... or even a dwarf, but not one of his
spells changed Gargantus.
The wizard asked wickedly,
"What brings you here?"
"I've come to ask for
help," answered Gargantus.
"I help no one," the
wizard shrieked.
"You can if you want
to," said Gargantus. "I thick you can be a good wizard."
"Well, we'll just see
about that!" the wizard laughed, a terrible laugh. "Now, what could
be so important that a big fellow like you needs a little fellow like me?"
"The people who live in
the village are in need of help. I want to help them but they are afraid of
me," explained the Gargantus. "Please talk to them and tell them that
I know a place where they can grow food for their families," he begged.
"Do you ask me to help
those people without any reward?" the old wizard asked disbelief.
"Yes," Gargantus
said. "I ask you to help them without asking in return because that's the
proper thing to do." He thought for a while and said, "If you want, I
can give you part of my land to thank you for your help."
"Very well then,"
the wizard agreed, "take me to the village."
Gargantus asked the wizard to sit on his shoulder. They
stopped at the foot of the mountain.
"Why did we stop?"
asked the wizard.
"I'll wait for you here. You know that they're
scared of me," answered Gargantus. "And... I have one more
request."
"What is it now?"
the wizard asked impatiently.
Gargantus looked closely at the wizard. "Can you
change your clothes? They might think that you are a cruel wizard. They will
stay away from you," he said.
"But I am cruel"
I've been wearing this all my life!" shouted the wizard.
"Then, just change your black clothes into white.
You only have to wave your magic wand," begged Gargantus.
"And look like a
fairy?" That's foolish!" exclaimed the wizard.
Gargantus knew that the wizard had wanted his land since
the beginning of time. "I will give you half of my land," he offered.
The wizard just nodded. He
tried not to look happy but he really was overjoyed with the giant's offer. At
once, his magic wand appeared. It sprinkled the wizard with white magic dust.
Black turned to white. He was now ready to talk to the villagers.
The people were surprised to
see the wizard but they were not afraid of him. He told them that Gargantus was
a friendly giant. He told them about Gargantus' plans.
Within a short time, news
spread all over the village. The people welcomed Gargantus. Everyone wanted to
be his friend. They now trusted him. Little children gathered around him. They
wanted to play with him. Gargantus was very pleased!
The little children thought
that the wizard was an angel since he was all white. They smiled at him. They
started to hold and hug him. He stood still but was surprised that he liked
what they were doing. He began to laugh and play with the children. Gargantus
was right! He could be a good wizard, too.
And the once lonely giant had
never been so happy in his life! He gained what he wanted most in the world...
friends.
