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Tiny the Giant, I AM A GIANT
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Tiny the Giant
I AM A GIANT
by Dom Conlon
Tiny the Giant stood and shook his fists at the world.
“I AM A GIANT,” he roared.
He sounded like a giant.
He felt like a giant.
But he measured his shadow, just to be sure.
He measured his shadow when the sun was low and the world was waking up.
He began at the toes…
And he raced to his hat…
But he ran out of breath before he measured it all and his shadow ran on ahead.
“I AM A GIANT,” he roared.
And he went to tell the world.
Tiny the Giant walked to the Mountains who were rumbling and rambling about all sorts of things.
They towered, they loomed, they rubbed shoulders with clouds and Tiny the Giant felt… small.
But Tiny was a giant – he knew it, he did – so he jumped up and down on the ground.
“I AM A GIANT,” he roared.
And the Mountains echoed his words.
High above and all around, when the echoes had died down, the magnificent Mountains with their hats of snow and their feet of grass bellowed “YOU DON’T LOOK LIKE A GIANT TO US.”
So Tiny the Giant walked on.
Tiny the Giant walked to the Trees who were chittering and twittering about all sorts of things.
With fingers so long they poked holes in the sky they made Tiny the Giant feel… small.
But Tiny was a giant – he knew it, he did – so he jumped up and down on the ground.
“I AM A GIANT,” he roared.
And the Trees whispered his words.
High above and all around, when the whispers had died down, the tall Trees with their emerald buttons and ebony eyes laughed at Tiny.
“YOU DON’T LOOK LIKE A GIANT TO US.”
So Tiny the Giant walked on.
Tiny the Giant walked to the Wind who was wailing and howling about all sorts of things.
Whoosh, blew the Wind as it weaved through the trees and the mountains and grass. Whoosh, blew the Wind as it danced in and out of the clouds, making Tiny the Giant feel… small.
But Tiny was a giant – he knew it, he did – so he jumped up and down on the ground.
“I AM A GIANT,” he roared.
And the Wind?
Well high above and all around, the wild Wind didn’t die down.
High above and all around the Wind wheezed, “YOU DON’T LOOK LIKE A GIANT TO ME.”
So Tiny the Giant walked on.
But the Wind followed Tiny and whispered and whispered, “you don’t look like a giant to me.”
And Tiny the Giant felt… small.
In his ear and up his nose, through his hair and round his clothes, the Wind followed Tiny.
It teased him and taunted him and Tiny soon forgot about being a giant.
In the day and through the day Tiny and his shadow walked on.
But the Wind followed after and Tiny heard laughter, “YOU DON’T LOOK LIKE A GIANT TO ME.”
And Tiny the Giant walked on.
He walked until he could walk no more.
He walked until he could hear the Wind no more.
He walked until the sun was low and he walked until the day was done.
And when all he could see was the Sun in the Sea…
He stopped.
And with a tear in his eye, Tiny the Giant stood and shook his fists at the Sea.
“I AM A GIANT,” he roared.
And high above and all around, the swirling whirling Sea smiled.
“Yessssss…. You look like a giant to me.”
And Tiny the Giant shook his fists at the Sea and…
…Tiny the Giant stopped and said, “I do?”
And the Sea said, “Yes.”
And Tiny the Giant said, “But the Mountains and the Trees and the Wind said I don’t.”
And the Sea said, “Well turn around and look around.”
So Tiny the Giant did just that…
…and he saw what the Sea said he’d see.
He saw miniature Mountains in a mound in the mud, miles and miles away.
He saw tiny Trees on a line in the land, far and far away.
He saw the whispering Wind looking weary and weak, a long long way away.
And…
Tiny the Giant saw a long dark shadow stretching far from his feet.
It was bigger than the Mountains.
It was bigger than the Trees.
It was bigger than the Wind by far.
So Tiny the Giant shook his fists once more.
“I AM A GIANT,”
(he roared.)
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Did you enjoy the story? You can buy it in a beautiful paperback edition now. Illustrated throughout by Nicola Anderson.
Illustration courtesy of, and copyright, Nicola Anderson. Follow her on Twitter.