Jonathan Dodd‘s latest column. Guest opinion articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the publication. Ed
This is not the only world. There is, although we don’t believe it, another world above the roof of the sky. The inhabitants of that land are as blissfully unaware of our existence as we are of them. Or perhaps the fact that we’re so small makes us invisible to them. In the exact opposite way, we can’t see them because they’re so large.
For these are Giants I’m talking about. There are two of them. Or at least there are at least two, because any others there might be must live too far away for us to notice.
A wild Giant animal
The Giant and her husband live a mostly quiet and peaceful life. She stays at home most days, sleeping or quietly going about her business. Sometimes she moves around a lot, as when she sweeps the floor, and we notice that because of the billowing clouds and strong winds. Occasionally she drops something or has to scurry to chase a wild Giant animal from her garden, and storms and hurricanes beset us. But we are lucky. Mostly her life is settled and peaceful. There are rumours that other worlds fare less well.
The Giant’s husband is not so quiet. Perhaps because he spends a lot of time away, going hunting or gathering food, and he is more used to the great open spaces, finding the inside of the house a constricting place, where he bangs his elbow or his head a lot, and he is constantly being admonished for bringing dirt in or breaking precious things through his clumsiness. As if clumsiness is something that can be helped.
His visits home start on the journey
Generally the Giant’s husband doesn’t mind though, because he spends long enough away to miss the company and comfort his wife brings his life, so that his visits home start on the journey, with memories and anticipation of pleasure and company and good cooking, turning only slowly to irritation and claustrophobia and the urge to get away again.
In this way the Giant’s husband brings the tides and seasons. The Earth is sprinkled with good things that seep through the cracks between the worlds, and we reap the benefits or their surplus and their protection from who knows what dangers.
Like the earth around a landslip
But occasionally their good mood is shattered by argument. The Giant’s wife complains one too many times or her husband becomes frustrated because of some real or imaginary slight, and their tempers fray and crumble away like the earth around a landslip. Then they shout. Then blows are given and received. The metal-shod boots of the Giant’s husband stamp and kick the floor as he turns and wheels, and his wife follows him screeching at his back. Their house rocks, those boots kick sparks through the floor as his shouts rumble and bellow, and then she cries, great oceans of tears, that seep through and soak the world below.
I’m sitting at a window, and all around the gigantic sparks of lightning are flashing while the thunder is crashing, and the rain is pouring down onto the land and buildings as if it’s a vertical river. And it truly seems as if something very big up there is making it happen but can’t control it.
The swiftness of the change
And so, now, all of a sudden, the rain has stopped, the dark clouds have passed over on their way to drench some other part of the country, the nervous sun has come out of hiding, and the whole wet world is sparkling and steaming as the water evaporates back up into the sky, ready to do the whole thing over again. I feel very awed by the power of it all, the swiftness of the change, and the privilege of watching it from a safe and warm and dry refuge.
“You humans think you know everything!” I heard. At least I could have sworn I heard, and through a tiny gap in the retreating clouds I caught a glimpse of the Giant’s husband, his good temper restored, kissing his wife goodbye as he slung his sack over his shoulder, off hunting again.
I’m sure I only imagined seeing him wink at me.
I’d better get back to what I was doing.
If you have been, thank you for reading this.
Image: Bidgee under CC BY 2.0
Image: Geordie Romer under CC BY 2.0
Image: Public Domain
Image: Public Domain
Image: Alan under CC BY 2.0
