In The Footsteps of Giants We Can Hear Echoes

C.D. HUMPHERYS

  COPYRIGHT BY CHRISTOPHER HUMPHERYS

  IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GIANTS

  WE HEAR ECHOES

  Far off in the greatest distances, beyond the boundaries where he had never gone before,

  he could see the Great Wall of Wood looming over the lands, thousands of feet over his head. It had been built by the Giants, the Gods of the land long before the earliest memories of his people. He gazed up at it momentarily as he went about his work. It stretched so high it nearly disappeared into the clouds far above where even the Giants could not touch. Why had they built it he wondered. Were the giants afraid of one another? Was the wall to keep other giants away? Were they not gods? Fearless of everything?

  A cool breeze brought his mind back tot he task at hand. He had been collecting food for the winter stores. The winter months were still far away but it was work that needed doing if he was to feed his family through the hard times. His father had gone missing months ago and was feared dead and his father’s tasks had fallen on him, he was now the leader of the house. He had many younger brothers and sisters and they were always hungry. His older sister was here in the forests somewhere, no doubt playing, wasting her time, contributing nothing to the family. His annoyance with her grew with each day their father was gone.

  “Jammer! Over here! Come and see what I’ve found!” It was no more than a loud whisper.

  Jammer turned towards his sister’s voice, perturbed to be taken away from his work. He was determined to finish collecting the food for the day so he could get back to help the other men building a bridge across the stream. Her foolishness took away from the greater good but he was obliged to go to her as she was his elder.

  “What is it? I’m busy. So should you be too.”

  “Just come and see! Hurry!”

  With a sigh, he put his load down and headed in her direction, grumbling under his breath about responsibility and requirement and need. She was just beyond the trees, near the lake, hiding behind one of the large boulders at its edge. Her back was turned to him and when she heard him approaching she quickly turned and motioned for him to stay quiet.

  “What is it?” She could sense his annoyance but nodded in the direction around the other side of the boulder.

  “Hush little brother, take a look and take care not to let it see you.” She spoke in a whisper.

  “Don’t let what see me?” He peered around the side of the large stone. “Oh.” He managed. His question answered and what he saw caused his throat to close and his eyes to widen in fear and in wonder. “It’s gigantic!”speaking more to himself than to Jez, his sister. His task of gathering food was momentarily forgotten. He had become his old self again and adventure lay before him and he desperately wanted to go with it!

  She smiled at his astonishment and nudged him softly, “Let’s get a closer look.”

  He stood still and gazed up at the creature Jez had called him over to see. Its upturned nose must have been at least 12 feet above his head. Large, magnificent eyes stared at nothing it seemed, yet he knew they saw almost everything. Its long wet back sloped to the ground attached to powerful hind legs which looked ready to be used at the blink of an eye. Jammer had never seen one up close but knew that they could jump 40 feet high and about 130 feet in distance with barely an effort. This, he reasoned, was his sisters motive. She planned on getting close enough to startle to make it jump but she did not dare to do it alone. She wanted a witness. He could not argue it though, it would be an awesome sight to see. He could imagine all of his younger brothers and sisters gathered around listening to him and Jez tell the story of how they made the gargantuan Jumper jump.

  It was no use, he could not resist it now and his jobs and responsibilities fell away forgotten for now. He wanted to see it as much as she did and so they went, quietly and slowly, around the side of the boulder, exposing themselves to the danger of the beast hunger. Although it looked placid and harmless, the two were well aware of it’s reputation and knew it was extremely dangerous to be lurking about when it was around. Its hunger was endless and it could devour them and their entire village if it found them. Step by step, they crept forward, inch by inch and it didn’t move a muscle until finally there were almost upon it. Mere feet separated them from this massive being. They did not speak but communicated by way of hand signals and Jez let Jammer know that she was going to spook the Jumper. The beast stood stock still, as though made of stone. Jammer watched it closely, waiting for that tell tell signal that it had discovered them. Its dark mottled skin looked wet but upon closer inspection they found that it was in fact dry and shiny and it camouflaged the creature well.

  Jammer looked to his sister, questioning her with his eyes. She knew he wanted to know what she was going to do, the only problem was that she didn’t know herself. She had only planned far enough ahead to get close to the beast. Then it came to her, an idea so ridiculous and marvelous and obvious she couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it before. She signaled to him. She was going to mount it!

  Jammer’s fear was obvious. How could she think such a thing? How could she risk such stupidity. One wrong move and they were both dead! This thing woudl turn on them and take them without a second thought. They would simply be food to it, nothing more. He shook his head frantically at her telling her to stop, telling her this was insane. She simply looked at him with that all to familiar stubbornness that said she was going ahead no matter what he thought. Quickly, he looked behind him, considering hiding behind the boulder once again but he could not let his older sister enter this dangerous realm alone. He nodded and with one final look behind them, they counted down from three and took those last few steps at a sprint and jumped high onto its back.

  It took no notice of them.

  Surprised at the ease at which they were able to mount the creature, they climbed forward tentatively until they were just behind its large eyes, just inside the blind spot. It had not hair to hold onto and its slick back was hard to get a grip on but somehow they managed despite Jammer’s foot slipping once and nearly bringing him crashing to the floor. One they were able to settle into a relatively safe position, they looked around and found the views pleasing and far reaching. They were much higher than they had originally anticipated. The Great Wall still appeared the same but they could see that it stretched for thousands of miles in each direction. It was a vast as it was mysterious. They were now able to see over some of the smaller trees and found sight of the Grasslands to the East where their Great Grandfather had once lived before he traversed the barren hard stretch of the wastelands between the Grasslands and the Garden Forests of Littlemon and Jaff.

  Suddenly the beast seemed aware of a change and its great eyes moved, scanning the area for something they had not sensed. They held their breath and didn’t move a muscle. Had it discovered them? Were they its next meal laid out on its own back? Their hearts raced with fear and they thought for sure the Jumper would feel the deep pounding in their chests and hey would be discovered. They looked at each other with dread, their eyes wide with the terror as they waited the eternal seconds for the beast to devour them. Then they heard the noise, the buzzing sound of the flying creatures they called Buzzers. It had landed softly on one of the massive leaves atop the trees. The jumping beast watched it intently and waited motionless like a giant stone statue erected by a long forgotten race. The Buzzer took flight again coming closer and closer until finally it landed some 50 feet away from them and with the speed the likes of which neither Jammer of Jez had ever seen or heard of, the Jumper opened its mouth and lashed out a
t the Buzzer with its very long and sticky tongue and caught it on its tip. The Buzzer could not even struggle before it was in the Jumpers mouth, gone.

  Both Jaz and Jammer were horrified by what they had just seen. The Buzzer had disappeared before they had even known the Jumper had even moved. The realisation of what they were doing struck them hard at that moment but they knew that if they jumped off now, they could run a 100 feet and still be captured with the simple flick of that tongue. Before they could make a move for their escape, however, they felt the muscles in the Jumpers back flex and they held on tight as they felt it jump high and swift over the trees. They watched in awe as the world passed by them below. They could see the lake and noted how deep it was from here and they could see the width of the wastelands and even the food garden of the Gods was visible for a moment. Then the ground was beneath them once more. A second leap took them by surprise and this time it was Jammer who nearly toppled to her demise. The leaps were taking them further and further from their home than they had ever been before.

  On the fourth leap Jez screamed at Jammer, “Jump Jammer! Now!” They fell to the