My son from time to time asks me to tell him a story. I will ask him what the story should be about, who should be in it, and what should happen to them. On one occassion he said to me “A giant tickling a person. And the giant lays down and the person has to climb over him without touching his eye.” And below is the story that I told him as it has evolved over several nights:
One day in a time where people still walked everywhere there was a traveling Minstrel. This musician played his guitar as he followed the roads set in the earth by all of the feet that had gone before him. He played and he sang aloud to animals, any travelers that would hear, and if nothing else into the air for his own joy.
One day as the minstrel traveled and played he looked off in the distance and saw a giant leaning against a hill, taking a mid day rest. He saw this towering figure as another member of his audience and lifted his voice on the wind so that it might carry all the way to the giant’s ears. As he performed his song he kept his feet moving and his eyes on the giant. Soon the giant began to nod and move his head.
The giant was so far away that he heard the song a little bit late and so his movements didn’t match the minstrels fingers on the strings of the guitar. Though, as the day drew on and the minstrel came closer to the giant their movements came closer together. But then the giant stopped nodding along and took a big yawn and stretch, standing up straight, and then laying down out of site of the minstrel. The minstrel continued to play but slowed his song to a lullaby to help the giant in his nap.
The minstrel continued to play without rest and followed the road even as the sun started to approach the horizon and the shadows of the trees stretched across the road. Soon the road reached the hills and as he walked up and down their slopes he quickly found the giant with his head between two hills right across the road!
“Oh no!” The Minstrel thought, and began to look for how he would get by the giant without disturbing him. He plucked at his guitar steady and slow as he looked and saw the river to near to the giant’s head for him to go around that way. Down the other way he saw the giant stretched too far for him to go around before it would be too dark and dangerous to be so far from the road.
The minstrel played a little faster as he thought of how he might get by the giant. Perhaps he could climb over the giant, but he could only reach his face and he could just imagine getting caught in the large ear or accidentally pulling on an oversized eyelash. He started to grin at the thought, then he considered how he might wake the man from his slumber, though his more playful tune had not already done so. Perhaps there was another way to wake the giant by tickling his ear, but no! He would swat him away like a flea. Perhaps he could tickle his armpit but thinking of how the sun had made his own body sweat made him realize how much that idea stunk! And then he began to laugh and lost the tune on his guitar.
And then the earth began to shake.
The minstrel looked around in alarm, concerned for an earthquake but soon felt a rumble like a giant drum from in front of him. In fact it was a giant chuckling just ahead of him, peering through the side of his eye.
Welcome Minstrel! I wanted to thank you for the pleasant music but did not think it would take so long to meet you and I grew tired. Since I didn’t want to miss you I laid here hoping to stop you on your way.” He laughed again, “And now thank you for waking me with the joyous sound of laughter. Take care in the rest of your travels little man.” And the giant stood and walked away before the minstrel could gather his thoughts to respond.
As fast as his legs could carry him he strode into the next town to perform and tell his tale as the sun set and the shadows turned the world to night. He told of the massive giant and his gratitude and the townspeople laughed, enjoying the tale but calling it of his imagination.
“Why would a giant care what any of us were to do? Carry on with your tales but don’t try to make us believe!”
And the minstrel stayed for 3 days and nights telling his tale again. As he left the town strumming his guitar the town applaused and told him to play louder that the giant might hear him again. As he stepped out on to the road the ground shook and the trees parted as the giant stepped out on to the road to lead the way for the minstrel and enjoy his song again. The town behind cheered louder to have been proven wrong and for the minstrel to be in good company.
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