The Bewildered Giant

The Glade’s Secret

“After yet another sigh, she said, ‘Prince of the horizon? The name sounds so familiar! Who is he?” queried the giant.

“All I know is that he is a brave and charming prince. There was a prophecy that he would come to our rescue. But now, all seems over!” said the princess sadly.

The giant looked sorrowful too. “I’m sorry—and no less surprised that you do not faint at the sight of a giant like me,” he observed.

A Tale of Despair

“What do you think of yourself? Only if you knew the sort of giant we had to face! Why do you think we are living in a forest? It is because a terrible giant laid waste to our capital, with a special fancy for the royal brood. That is why my parents and I had to flee the castle,” explained the princess.
“Your story sounds quite familiar to me. Isn’t that rather strange? I feel sort of giant-like,” replied the giant.
“No wonder, for you are a giant,” the princess reminded him.

Lost Memories

“I am, indeed. But do you by any chance know what is the original meaning of ‘giant’ at night? Something queer has happened to my memory. I don’t remember anything!” lamented the giant.
“I never knew that a giant could joke. Well, you know very well as I do that I cannot make a promise at you. I promise that if you stay with me alone, you will spare my poor parents,” said the princess while struggling with stubborn tears.
“Eat you?” shrieked the giant. “Eat you? The most beautiful, the most graceful princess?” he yelled at the highest pitch before breaking into tears.

The Gentle Giant

The princess stood stunned as the giant wept. He returned with some fruits and a tumbler of milk.
“Do you know? The trees around our hut lean down so that we can pluck their fruits easily. A wild cow appears before our hut and continues to follow us until we have milked her. Such is the climate of love that prevails in this forest. No wonder even a giant—no doubt you are a gentleman giant—should feel against eating me!” observed the princess.

The giant had already gulped down the milk and was munching the fruit, gazing at the princess, trying to understand what she was saying. Soon, he broke into a loud wail.

Melted by Emotion

“What is it, gentleman giant?” asked the princess.
“What a nasty giant I am! I wolfed down your entire dinner!” he sobbed. “I know that people pale and thin with weeping, but I never knew that one could shrink in size like a melting snowball by shedding tears,” remarked the princess.
“I am quite bewildered myself,” said the giant, still weeping and diminishing faster than before. Soon, he appeared no bigger than a toy.

The Power of Laughter

“It is time you stopped weeping altogether. Otherwise, hardly anything of you will remain,” cautioned the princess.
“Really?” The giant not only stopped weeping but also sported a smile. To the princess’s surprise, he soon began to laugh. Now that he was a tiny toy of a giant, his laughter sounded like the twangs of a veena.
“What is there to laugh about at the prospect of our being reduced to the vanishing point?” asked the princess.

A New Transformation

“Why? Don’t you see the point? If I vanish, I won’t have to gobble up your dinner! You won’t have to starve on my account!” replied the giant, laughing even more wildly, with his laughter now sounding like the notes of a flute.

He frolicked and romped around. Before the amazed princess’s eyes, a strange change came over him. He turned into a bird.
“Now I understand,” he whistled, “When a giant weeps, he diminishes, but when he laughs, he changes into a bird.”

The Promise of Love

“Only a little piece would do,” said the sweet princess, “And I will love you forever.” But, “I feel bewildered, more bothered.”
“You will sing to me, won’t you?” asked the bird, “And I will sing to you humanly—the best sort of music,” replied the princess.

The princess turned to laugh, “Will you? Please do!”

And she wondered if the giant could become a young man again when she spoke about love.

A Beautiful Reunion

“Indeed,” said the young man, “If I was originally a young man who had been changed into a giant.” The young man explained with a soft bow. “I am the prince of the horizon. I had to accept a spell and grow into a giant myself so that I could defeat the real giant that wreaked havoc in your kingdom. I killed him alright and must inform you that your land and castle are restored to you—but then I forgot who I really was, and it was you who reminded me of my true self.”

The prince bowed in gratitude.
“But is it not you who destroyed the giant and restored us to our true lives?” murmured the princess as she bowed in gratitude.

A Shared Journey

They talked and talked until the king and queen woke up. A few days later, after they found love and married, they paid a visit to the forest one moonlit night. It so happened that both of them muttered simultaneously, ‘I feel a bit bewildered!’”

And it so happened that looking amused at each other, both simultaneously asked, “Why?”