Folk tales


"The tiny giant and the three darlings

Once upon a time, on the island of Odervell, there lived a giant named Bert. He was as tall as a house, which made him the largest giant on his island. He was also a wealthy man, for Bert guarded the treasure of the Three Darlings. Those powerful faes that had entrusted him with their gold and paid him well for it. To help protect their treasure, the faes had given Bert their untamed dragon, a fearsome creature with claws like daggers. Only Bert was large enough to control the beast and for many years the Three Darlings’ gold was well guarded.
On Odervell also lived a young man named Jack. Poor Jack was barely taller than an apple tree. His fellow giants would tease him and name-call him. ‘Tiny Giant Jack’, they would shout when he passed them in the street, and all would laugh. ‘Stumpy!’, they would cry when he visited the Giant market. And Bert would laugh hardest of all. Jack was turned down whenever he asked for work, for what good could a small person do?’

But Jack was as small as he was cunning. And as the years passed, Jack thought of a plan to teach them all a lesson. When Jack’s sister married a dragon breeder, he knew his time had come. Before the next moon was through, Jack visited his sister’s dragon farm. She showed him around the property, proudly showing off the newly hatched dragonlings and their prized mother. The young were mewling and jumping on top of each other while their mother tried to lick them clean. She was larger than Jack, and her scales glistened like glass, but, drugged with weedy tea, she was harmless. And to prove her point, Jack’s sister tickled the beast around the nose. The dragon groaned, but obediently lay down.

Being so small, Jack easily slipped away from his room that night and towards the dragon barn. The beasts were asleep, but the female was easily persuaded into leaving the comfort of her den by a large chunk of meat.
Jack tied a chain to the iron collar around her neck and led her out. Outside, the moon shone to show Jack the way to the coast. The female followed him dutifully to the cave where the Three Darlings kept their gold.
As soon as they stepped inside the cave, a deafening roar greeted them and Jack steeled himself for the encounter. The untamed dragon roared and threw flames, but Jack his behind the female. Upon seeing her beauty, the untamed dragon went mad with lust and began courting the female. It never noticed Jack casually walking past him and into the chamber behind. There, the sight that greeted Jack was beyond his wildest dream: pile after pile of gold coins, mountains of jewels, rivers of silver. The treasured inside the cave would have been enough to make a man rich enough to never work another day in his life. He picked one handful of coins and slipped past the dragons again without being seen, pulling the obedient female behind him. Jack told no one of his feat and waited. Days passed. Nights passed. When finally the full moon arrived, Jack walked to the untamed dragon’s caved and hid in the rocks, waiting for the Three Darlings to arrive. At midnight, the beautiful faes, dressed in silver and gold, made their entrance and called Giant Bert.
‘Where is all our gold?’ one fae demanded.
‘But it is here!’ said Bert. I have not taken any.
‘Some of it is missing,’ replied the fae. ‘You have failed your duty.
Dark clouds descended and began to hide the moon. Bert grew scared, but at that moment out came Jack from his hiding place, holding the handful of coins. ‘I have it!’ He shouted triumphantly. ‘For I am more cunning than all the other giants.’
All was silent for a while, then the faes whispered to one another. Finally, the eldest of the Three Darlings spoke. You are very clever, Giant Jack, and you deserve your place amongst the giants. From now on, you will help Giant Bert protect our den from all the other giants, for he is the strongest, and you are the smartest.’

And from that day onwards, no one ever made fun of tiny Giant Jack anymore."

From ‘Tales to tell around the fireplace’

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