Small Alex Saves the Big Boys - Essay Example

It was the tradition in that village that the boys had to get fruits from the forest for their families every week. However, the boys were warned never to go near the river as it was believed to be inhabited by giants. Despite his size, Alex would always go with his age mates to gather fruits, as tradition demanded. However, Alex dreaded those journeys with the big boys to the forest. Once in the forest, the big boys would easily reach for fruits on big trees and soon their baskets would be full.

On the other hand, Alex always had to struggle to reach the trees and this made him much slower than the others in filling his basket. The big boys would take advantage and go to the river to swim. They would swim and play until they saw Alex coming with his basket and then they would join him in going home. Every time, the big boys would make Alex swear that he would not report them to their elders that they had swum. “Will you report us to the elders?” they would ask Alex. “No, I will not!

I will never report you” Alex would answer in fright. “Good, because if you do, we will feed you to the giants the next time we come to the forest! Ha! Ha! Ha!” the group leader would threaten sarcastically. “Ha! Ha! Ha!” the other boys would join in laughter. Alex really hated himself for being so small and for “looking like a girl” that he could not defend himself from the big boys. “God I really hate this body! My hands and feet are too tiny and I am too short!” Alex would always complain whenever he was alone.

“Why can’t I be as big as boys my age? Why can’t I swim with them in the river? Why can’t I defend myself from them?” Alex would wonder to himself and tears would roll up in his beautiful blue eyes. One day, the boys were sent to gather fruits as was the custom. Just like they had done in the past, they quickly filled their baskets then ran to the river to swim, leaving Alex behind. After Alex had filled his basket, he started strolling down the path leading to river, on the way home.

Suddenly, there was a loud roar from behind him. “HA! HA! HA! HA! Today is my lucky day! I have one more boy to eat!” a loud voice thundered. Alex almost fainted when he turned around. The biggest giant anyone had ever seen was standing right behind him. The giant had one eye, a big mouth, four hands, and two feet. Upon looking closely, Alex saw one of the big boys in the hands of the giant. Alex dropped his basket and started running as fast as he could, calling the other boys. “I already swallowed all the others, you are next!

” said the giant as it swallowed the boy it had been holding. Alex was terrified. As the giant reached out to grasp him, due to his small size, Alex was able to slip through the fingers of the giant and climb up a tree. Up on the tree, Alex remembered a story he had heard. It claimed that giants had one more eye at the back and that if someone hit that eye, the giant would drop dead. To his amazement, Alex realized that the giant had an additional eye at the back of its head. Alex reached out and grabbed a branch, pulled at it with all his strength then hit the giant’s eye.

The giant fell with a thunderous sound and Alex climbed down the tree, ran home and informed the elders. Soon, the giant was slain and all the boys it had swallowed were taken out of its stomach. All the big boys thanked Alex for saving their lives and apologized for having mistreated him on previous occasions. That evening, a celebration was held in honor of Alex,