“I can’t take you to the park sweetie because the Giants are about to start playing.”
“But Mommmmmm!!” I exclaimed: “Everybody goes out while the giants are around, why can’t I?”
“Because you are too young, and it is dangerous, so you won’t be going. End of discussion.”
Okay, fine, maybe I do understand why my mom won’t let me leave the den while the giants are out playing in the fields, but I can take care of myself. I’m almost an adult.
A thought begins to cross my mind of sneaking out, when a low rumble begins drawing nearer. The sound is familiar, and the walls and ceiling begin to shake. Rubble starts to fall from the roof of the den, as more of us show up to try and hold the colony together. I see Bob, my neighbor, run by, carrying a chunk of the ceiling, as he crawls up and starts jamming it back into place.
The shaking was on and off in intervals, with a cadence that we all knew: the giants were running overhead. Shadows began spilling through the opening in the ceiling, as they streaked by across the walls. The rumbling grew louder, as a horde of them began screaming and jumping. The walls were caving in, and I heard the call to run for the tunnels. I sprinted as fast as I could, to the little opening in the back of the den, and slid down the tunnel, going deeper into the colony.
As we pushed onward through the mass of limbs and screaming dwellers within the colony, I wondered why we never did anything about the giants. We might be infinitesimally small compared to them, but we still have a strong bite, and can crawl up them if need be.
I made up my mind. I quickly cut away from my mother, who yelled after me, but was carried away by the rest of the colony in the sea of commotion. There was a little exit through the roof, if I looped through a smaller tunnel to the right, and luckily for me it hadn’t caved in yet.
Pushing my way through the swarm, I finally made it to the exit, and stepped out into the broad sunlight. My eyes were filled with the glare, and I could hardly see, until a shadow again appeared overhead. The foot was coming down, and it was coming down fast. I sprinted as fast as I could in the other direction, and missed it by a few inches at most. After all, these were real giants. Hundreds upon hundreds of us colony dwellers couldn’t even amount to one of the young giants, but that wasn’t going to deter me.
I quickly spin around and jump onto the young giant’s foot, and begin crawling up. It was a difficult task, clamoring up the side of a running giant’s leg, but I’ve been climbing my entire life. I was born for this.
I begin to make my way up to his chest, and after some more effort, finally his neck. Time to attack. I bite down on his flesh as hard as possible, and hear a loud scream. The giant begins to jump in pain. I’m doing it! I’m really doing it! I’m gonna take down a giant on my own!
The hope quickly fades, as I look up, just in time to see the massive hand falling towards me. I think I might’ve made a mistake here…
The little boy’s screaming quickly warranted the attention of his mother and father, who had been preoccupied talking to the parents of the other little boy, off in the distance. They both ran over to check on his crying, asking: “what happened? Are you alright?”
Through tears the boy showed his neck, where a red hand print now laid, in the middle being a darker red almost purple sting. The boy stretched out his hand, showing a crumpled ant’s remains. He had clearly been in great distress after the bite, and started swinging wildly in order to end the pain.
After a little comfort the little boy was off again, playing with his friend, throwing the ball around.
Down within the colony, the commotion had finally died down, enough for everyone to realize what had happened.