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tinycoded360 · 4 months

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Brobdingnag on our Shores

Author Note: This is inspired by gulliver travels and a small request from a reader. Please enjoy!

Theo's feet pounded against the pavement as he raced towards the shoreline. His heart hammered in his chest, adrenaline and anticipation coursing through his veins. A giant! A real-life giant here on their coastline. He had to see it for himself.

Rounding the corner, Theo skidded to a halt, mouth agape. The slumbering behemoth was on the beach, rising from the sand like a small mountain. A crowd of people clambered over the giant's body, tiny ants against the vast expanse of its skin. They posed for selfies atop its mountainous belly or simply gaped in disbelief.

"My god," Theo murmured. He had studied legends of giants his whole career, but to see one in the flesh... defied comprehension. Cautiously, he approached, craning his neck to take in the entire colossal form. The giant's chest rose and fell with rumbling breaths. Remnants of a life vest clung to its torso, while swim trunks adorned its waist. Theo crept closer to gaze up at the mountain of a man.

The crowd around him started to panic as the giant started to stir. The people on top of the man scrambled to get down as the giant awoke. Theo stood frozen as he watched the creature from a fairy tale wake.

Theo watched as the giant woke. The giant man looks around in confusion and bewilderment. He watched as the giant carefully rolled to his side, glancing at the tiny human running away from him. Theo was still frozen in awe and fear. He was very close to the giant.

With an abruptness that sent a shockwave through the air, the giant’s gaze locked onto the tiny figure of Theo. A giant hand, each finger thick as tree trunks, swept across the distance between them. Theo gasped, his lungs seizing, as he found himself ensnared within the giant's fist. The grip was firm, undeniable—a cage of flesh and bone encasing him. Panic fluttered within Theo like a caged bird.

Theo felt relief at the sound of sirens. Military vehicles raced along the coastal road, and soldiers spilled out to form a barricade around the beach perimeter.

Still imprisoned within the titan’s grasp, Theo felt the world lurch as the giant rose. The rush of movement blurred the edges of his vision, turning soldiers and scientists into streaks of color.

“Control the beast!" someone shouted, the command slicing through the charged atmosphere.

In an instant, the giant's fingers curled protectively, enclosing Theo within the giant hand. The shift was swift, the darkness absolute. A tight cocoon formed by flesh and bone replaced the world.

The heat of the colossal hand was like an oppressive blanket around his body. His stomach lurched in protest, bile rising up his throat as vertigo seized him with unrelenting force.

General Armstrong's voice cut through the din, sharp and commanding. "Fire upon the giant!"

The air tensed as soldiers leveled their weapons, the metallic clicks of safety catches releasing a chilling prelude to potential carnage. But before the order could manifest into action, Dr. Hartley, a consultant working with the military on this case, raised her arms in a plea for restraint.

"Stop! You have a man in that creature's grasp. We risk killing our own!" She shouted.

The general's eyes narrowed, but he held up his hand, signaling the men to hold their fire. It never looked good to kill a civilian in the crossfire. The general watched, trying to gauge if they would have to sacrifice one life to save everyone else.

Meanwhile, sensing the tension around him, the giant turned his massive form toward the beach's edge and headed towards the outcrop of cave systems. Each step was a deliberate act of mercy, his feet planting softly on the earth, avoiding the scurrying figures below.

The giant ducked into the cave, the stone walls closing around him as he squeezed inside. He hunched down, folding his massive legs to fit in the cramped space.

Theo stuck in the giant’s fist, dizzy and disoriented. But at least he was still alive.

As the giant settled in, he unfurled his fist and examined Theo. He prodded at Theo's limbs, stretching and bending them as if assessing their movement. Then he stroked Theo's hair; the sensation felt strange.

Zaldrin rolled the tiny human between his fingers, fascinated by how fragile yet dexterous the creature was.

Hunger rumbled in the giant's stomach. He hadn't eaten in days, adrift on a lifeboat before it turned over in the sea. The little human would make a mere morsel, barely enough to satisfy him, but it would keep him alive.

Still, he hesitated. This creature was intelligent; it had language and reasoning. It seemed almost cruel to gobble it up without a second thought. But what were a few human lives compared to his own? They were just animals, however clever. Weren't they?

He had only heard of humans through fairy tales. They were described as good luck and smart enough to talk, but they were always depicted as lowly animals, not as people capable of reasoning.

Zaldrin peered closer at the human in his palm. Its eyes were bright with curiosity and wonder, not the dull stare of a beast. And there, in its trembling limbs and rapid breaths, was a spark of something familiar: fear. The human knew it was in danger. It understood, on some level. But still, it was brave enough to look him in the eye.

Just like that, Zaldrin's hunger faded. He couldn't eat this creature, no matter how hungry he grew. It was a thinking, feeling being. To swallow it whole would go against everything he believed in.

He sighed, breath ruffling the human's hair, and curled his fingers protectively around it.

He had no idea how to survive in this strange land without food.

Deep in thought, Zaldrin continued to pet the tiny human.

Zaldrin startled in surprise as the human reached up and grabbed his thumb. The tiny creature stood up in the palm of his hand, clutching his enormous thumb to his chest.

"My name is Theo. Theodor Langdon. I'm a professor of ancient history." The tiny man said as he looked up at Zaldrin.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Theo the Professor," Zaldrin rumbled. "I am called Zaldrin, and I hail from the kingdom of Brobdingnag."

Theo's eyes lit up behind those round spectacles. "Brobdingnag? As in Gulliver's Travels?"

Zaldrin blinked in surprise. "You have heard of my homeland?"

"Of course! Brobdingnag was one of the lands Gulliver visited on his travels. He described your people as noble giants. Is that where you're from, truly?"

Zaldrin paused in thought. "Gulliver, you say? We have tales of a tiny human named Gulliver, although I don’t think those tales did you justice. But yes. Brobdingnag is my home. I fear some strange magic has transported me to this unfamiliar world."

"Extraordinary," Theo breathed. He shuffled to the edge of Zaldrin's palm, peering over the side, then looking back up at the giant. "You must tell me everything about it. What was daily life like for your people? Did you have a family or a profession? Were there many cities, or did you live a more rural existence?"

Questions tumbled from Theo's lips, his curiosity insatiable. Zaldrin hesitated, unused to sharing details of his personal life, but he found Theo's enthusiasm infectious.

Zaldrin smiled a deep rumble of contentment in his chest and began to tell Theo of his homeland.

Meanwhile, in the military command center, Dr. Hartley studied the footage of the giant emerging from the sea. Dazed and disoriented, the giant had stumbled upon their shore and promptly collapsed into a deep slumber.

Now, he crouched in a cave in the cliffs, having retreated there once the military arrived. But rather than showing signs of aggression, the giant seemed more wary and confused than hostile. Plus, from the footage of the military drone, the giant had not eaten the civilian it had grabbed. From what they could tell, the giant seemed curious about its captive.

Hartley sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "We can't simply attack him. He hasn't actually done anything to warrant that level of force."

General Armstrong frowned, arms crossed over his chest. "Yes, we can; he’s an intruder in our lands. You want us to just let him wander around?”

"We need to establish contact," Dr. Hartly said. "This could be an unprecedented opportunity for study, a chance to learn about life beyond our world."

Mayor Everett stepped into the conversation. "You scientists are always so eager to throw caution to the wind. What if he ravages our cities, stomping on buildings and military alike?”

"What if he doesn't?" Hartly countered. "We have weapons that could injure him, yes, but not without potential loss of life. I propose we take a diplomatic approach instead."

The men scoffed, but Hartly stood firm. "We establish a line of communication. Learn why he's here and what he needs to return home. Perhaps there's a way we can help each other."

After several minutes of debate, Dr. Hartly emerged victorious. They would send an envoy to speak with the giant, with the military on standby in case negotiations were soured. And hopefully, convince the giant to let its hostage go as well.

#gulliver travels #one-shot #g/t #g/t writing #takes place in modern times #giant #giant on the beach #giant tiny #lol #I keep working on new story ideas instead of finishing the ones I've started.#Its a miracle i get anything done #g/t community

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