Story Corner:George the Giant

George the Giant lived for centuries in The Cave of Anger. The giants were peaceful, solitary beings up until the time when King Terry the Terrible accused them of ruining the harvest. King Terry then ordered that the giants be hunted down. Only George survived this, and since then he became the most ferocious creature there was. He became invincible, and anyone who entered his cave came to a sticky end, no matter how brave or powerful they were.Many past Kings, appalled by the behavior of Terry the Terrible, tried to make peace with George, but all in vain. His anger and fury meant that he would do away with any human being he ever clapped eyes on, without listening to what they said. Even though the Kings now left him alone, George’s hatred for humans remained stronger than ever; for there was a fabulous treasure inside George’s cave, and many adventurers and warriors came there from all corners of the world to try to take it. One day the young Princess was bitten by a snake in the swamps. The only antidote was a secret potion known to giants only. The King had no choice but to beg for George´s help. He sent his best soldiers and his bravest knights, promising whoever succeeded the Princess’ hand in marriage. However, neither their magic shield nor their most powerful weapons nor their most gleaming armour could do anything in the face of George’s fury. Finally, the King asked for help throughout the kingdom, still promising the Princess´s hand, and offering them protection from the best wizards.Many tried, armed in all sorts of ways, and protected by the best magic, including even an Invisibility Spell. But every last one of them failed. Then, one day, a young musician turned up at George’s cave, armed only with a harp. He made a plea to the wizards. “I want to change into a beautiful flower, and have the voice of an angel”. And so there appeared, at the cave entrance, an incredibly beautiful flower, which was singing a lovely tune to the sound of the harp. George the giant was used to hearing only the ugly clanking of weapons, shields, and armour. On hearing something so different, and so wonderful, his anger started to subside. The flower kept singing, and George moved closer. He took the flower in is hand, in order to hear it better. The song was the story of a young Princess close to death, who could only be saved by a good-hearted giant. George was moved, and listened with great emotion. He became so calm and tranquil that the flower felt it was safe enough to stop singing. And in his normal speaking voice he told George all about the Princess and how she needed George’s help. He also told George that the King wanted to come to a fair and lasting peace agreement with him.George tired of so much fighting, and seeing the truth of what the flower was telling him, left his cave and his anger behind, and went to heal the Princess.The young musician not only overcame George’s anger, he also won the Princess’s heart and the hearts of all in the kingdom. Eventually, he became the best King the land ever had.Moral of the story: The best way to deal with anger is to use tenderness, tact, and kindness.