The giant steps

I guess this one is a children's story...

A little river was gurgling quietly. A small bird was shrilling. Two boys were walking along in deep discussion.

“Do you really think I should climb them?” asked Biffoo.

“Yes,” said Raffa, “I think you should.

“But why?” whined Biffoo.

“Because you’re a mountain climber, said Raffa.

“Only on Sundays and today’s Friday,” said Biffoo.

“Now don’t try to get out of it by being clever on me. There’s the giant steps, go climb them,” said Raffa pointing to the giant steps they were walking towards.

“It’s a long way to the top,” complained Biffoo.

“I know now why you always bring me along,” said Raffa.

“Why,” asked Biffoo.

“To have someone to complain to, that’s why.”

“I always used to bring Arleena Marlana and she always said I could get to the top too,” said Biffoo.

“I bet she did. Where is she now?” asked Raffa.

“She’s retired,” said Biffoo.

“From what?”

“From getting people to the top she said. I think she went away, probably raising hell now,” said Biffoo.

“Funny thing to raise,” said Raffa.

“She always was good at raising things,” said Biffoo with a smile.

“What’s the funniest thing you ever saw her raise?” asked Raffa.

“She was going to raise her skirt once and would have done it too but Jormee Roobs came along.”

“So what happened then?”

“He gave her a couple of black eyes,” said Biffoo.

“I suppose she didn’t give you any.”

“She made a pie,” said Biffoo.

“And?”

“And she invited everyone over for a party. I decided I was no competition for Jormee and went to the giant steps, and I almost climbed them that time, got to within spitting distance, but I must have used up all my spit on Jormee, ‘cos I couldn’t raise any more for the giant steps,” said Biffoo wistfully, out of breath from having said so much in one go.

“That Jormee has a lot to answer for,” said Raffa.

“I think he looks like a newt,” said Biffoo.

“Why not have a go at climbing them now, before bedtime. I’ll wait for you down here,” said Raffa yawning.

“He’s got these big round eyes that stare at you as if from the bottom of a deep black pit,” said Biffoo ignoring Raffa’s suggestion. “And when he moves, it’s as if his eyes move first, they seem to spring out at you.”

“Jormee scary eyes. Oh look, here’s Meena Colleena. I wonder what she wants,” said Raffa to Biffoo as Meena Colleena skipped up to them.

“Boys, boys, I’d say you were standing around waiting for me,” said Meena Colleena.

“If she touches me I really will be sick,” said Raffa.

“Use my finger, its cleaner,” said Biffoo.

“What are you two whispering about?” asked Meena.

“Nothing Meena,” they said in unison.

“Liars. I just saw you both with your heads together exchanging bugs and lips were going: pss, pss, pss,” said Meena.

“I think you missed one Meena,” said Raffa.

“One what?” said Meena.

“A pss,” said Raffa and Biffoo together bursting out laughing.

“I never miss a pss,” said Meena haughtily.

“Perhaps it escaped and’s hiding under your foot,” said Biffoo.

“My foot’s got nothing to do with it and anyway, I’m not wearing any foot covering, neither are you two,” said Meena.

“Oh we never wear foot covering on Fridays Meena,” said Raffa.

“Why not?” asked Meena.

“’Cos” said Raffa, “on Fridays our mum makes us eat extra fish and she says: “He never wears foot covering, and if he never does then why should we?

“You talking about your Dad then?” asked Meena, chasing an ant with her toe through the dust.

“My Dad’s gone away,” said Raffa.

“Where too?” shouted Meena flinging her head back so that her tails flew out and made her look so funny Raffa and Biffoo boke out in a giggle.

“On his feet,” they both shouted, laughing so hard tears came to their eyes.

Meena decided boys were horrible and walked away. When she was out of sight the boys calmed down.

“Mum says I got to climb the steps next year,” said Biffoo.

“How can you? You’re still too young yet.” Said Raffa.

“Mum says I’m going to, come what may,” said Biffoo.

“A year is a long time.” Said Raffa.

“It won’t take me that long to climb them and anyway, why don’t you climb them?” said Biffoo.

“I’m younger than you,” said Raffa.

“That’s no excuse,” said Biffoo.

“Mingu my brother climbed them last year. He kept saying before he went up there that there’s a giant at the top who won’t let you back down again unless you give him everything you’ve got on you,” said Raffa.

“What’s a giant doing up there?” asked Biffoo.

“I don’t know,” said Raffa, “but my brother said he’s really mean and he’s twenty feet tall and he has big red eyes.”

“What’s he got red eyes for? Asked Biffoo.

“My brother said: ‘to see into your soul with if you don’t give him anything,” said Raffa.

“Did your brother come back down to tell you?” asked Biffoo.

“After he climbed the steps I never seen him again,” said Raffa.

“I think you’re afraid,” said Biffoo.

“Aren’t you?”

“Only a little bit, but don’t tell anyone will you, promise?” said Biffoo.

“I promise. We’d better be going home soon. The sun’s almost gone down.”

“Dad said last year that two boys stayed out after dark,” said Biffoo.

“What happened?” asked Raffa.

“They got turned to ice,” said Biffoo.

Raffa shivered.

“I really want to climb those steps one day,” said Biffoo.

“Why don’t you climb them tomorrow? Both of us could try to climb them.” Said Raffa.

“Do you really mean it?”

“I mean it,” said Raffa.

“All right then, I’ll see you here then tomorrow,” said Biffoo.

“No you won’t, I’ll call round your place first,” said Raffa.

“Ok, what time?”

“Well, how about after breakfast. Ok?”

“Ok,” said Biffoo.

The boys went home, and in their beds that night they tossed and turned thinking about the adventure they were going to have the next day. Eventually they slept and dreamed all the things boys dream of: ice monsters twenty feet tall with big red eyes; newts; and the hated bully on top of the mountain.

Next morning bright and early:

“I think you’re crazy. You’re not really going to climb them are you?” said Raffa.

“Well you’re crazy too, you’re coming with me,” said Biffoo.

The boys walked along in silence contemplating this. It was a clear day with some dew still on the ground, and all was quiet except for the guggle of the red river running to the sea.

On the top of his mountain the giant yawned and stretched then looked over his domain. Finding nothing of import he went back to sleep his restless dreams.

“My Dad came home last night,” said Raffa.

“You said he’d gone away,” said Biffoo.

“My mum said he did, but he came back last night.”

“What for?” asked Biffoo.

“He made mum laugh,” said Raffa.

“Telling jokes?” said Biffoo.

“Yeah, I think so. I could hear them laughing in mum’s room,” said Raffa.

“My dad comes home every night full of black dust. After his bath he looks like Arleena Marlana with make-up on,” said Biffoo.

“My dad’s never been down a pit. He said once, only the damned go down a pit," said Raffa.

“Your dad’s not damned then?” said Biffoo.

“Mum says he’s an angel.”

“Never seen an angel,” said Biffoo.

“Come round one day when dad’s there if you like,” said Raffa.

“Won’t he say anything?” asked Biffoo.

“Ah, he don’t do nothing, ‘cept sit and look at things he’s brought home, and sometimes he drinks and makes mum laugh,” said Raffa.

“My dad smokes and tells me what to do,” said Biffoo, “and mum said he’s a devil.”

“My dad don’t smoke, but he sometimes flies off,” said Raffa.

“I had fried fish-head for breakfast. Made it myself,” said Biffoo looking pleased.

“I had seaweed flakes, mum made them,”said Raffa.

“Did you tell her where we were going?” asked Biffoo.

“Course not. What do you think I am?” said Raffa crossly.

“What did you say then?” asked Biffoo.

“Said I was going out to play with you,” said Raffa.

The boys slithered their way down the steep hillside on a dirt track worn smooth by many feet. Nothing was growing there except gorse and bracken with here and there volcano-like protrusions. If one were to look over the lip of one of those protrusions, a black hole would be seen; sometimes the boys dropped stones into it, no sound was ever heard; one time the boys lowered a rope into it to explore it, but that’s another story for another day.

To say it was a hillside wouldn’t quiet be accurate, it was more like a large crater, open at both ends. At one end the little red river came into it and wound its way along the bottom past and through the long abandoned crumbling tunnels, past tall chimneys that cut a scar into the sky, and on past the giant steps put there by a hand even bigger than a giant’s hand, so it was said, but no-one knew for sure. Finally the little red river left at the other end of the crater on its way to the sea, that sea glimpsed very rarely, and only on a clear day when the green mist would lift for a while. It was such a day and the boys took it as a good omen.

“I wish it would always be like this,” said Biffoo.

“Mum said, once, a long time ago, it was, and people used to eat food that was grown from the ground,” said Raffa.

“How can you grow fish from the ground?” asked Biffoo.

“Don’t know,” said Raffa, “but mum said the people did though.”

“I wish my mum would tell me stories about the people that were here before,” said Biffoo.

“She only tells me when no-one else is about. She made me promise never to tell anyone,” said Raffa. “She said no-one is allowed to talk about the people anymore ‘cos if they did, something bad would happen.”

“My dad found something in the old ruins but he won’t let anyone see it, but I found where he hid it,” said Biffoo.

“What was it?” asked Raffa excitedly.

“It was about as big as a big stone and it was covered in skin, like thick fish skin. I could make out a picture on it,” said Biffoo.

“What sort of picture?” asked Raffa.

“It was a face, but it only had two eyes, and there was a funny pointed thing that came out of the middle of it,” said Biffoo.

“Maybe it was a giant’s face,” said Raffa.

“Maybe. As I was putting it back it fell open,” said Biffoo.

“Was there something inside?” asked Raffa.

“It was full of dried skins, stacked tightly together. On every one of them were little black ant like things,” said Biffoo.

“What were they?” asked Raffa.

“I don’t know,” said Biffoo, “I put them back then. Don’t tell will you.”

“No, I won’t tell. My brother was ten when he climbed the steps,” said Raffa.

“Well, I’ll be ten next year,” said Biffoo.

“Maybe you should wait until next year then,” suggested Raffa.

“You getting scared again?” teased Biffoo.

“I’m not scared if you go with me,” said Raffa.

“What then?” asked Biffoo.

“We don’t know what’s up there,” said Raffa.

“My brother said there’s a people up there,” said Biffoo.

“My mum says there’s no people left,” said Raffa.

“Only one way to find out then,” said Biffoo.

“If we get to the top we’ll see the sea,” said Raffa.

“She said, she sells sea shells by the sea shore,” sang Biffoo suddenly.

“Who told you that?” asked Raffa.

“It just came to me,” said Biffoo.

“I know one too,” said Raffa: “He picked, she picked, they picked, all picked, gone.”

“What does that mean?” asked Biffoo looking puzzled.

“Don’t know,” said Raffa.

“It’s daft,” said Biffoo.

“Arleena said the steps are the only way into the old ruins,” said Raffa.

“How would she know,” asked Biffoo.

“Don’t know. She is always saying things like that,” said Raffa.

“Well here we are. Once we’ve climbed them we’ll know,” said Biffoo looking up at the giant steps that towered above so high.

“I don’t know if I can climb them,” said Raffa fearfully.

“You promised me you would,” said Biffoo glaring at Raffa.

“I just promised I’d try,” said Raffa.

“You can’t back out now,” said Biffoo.

“I’m not. It’s just, they go almost up to the sky,” said Raffa.

“It looks that way but they don’t really,” said Biffoo.

“Oh well, if we’re going to do it. Clasp your hands together, help me up on to this first one,” said Raffa climbing the first step.

“How do I get up?” asked Biffoo looking up at his friend.

“Reach, I’ll pull you up.”

The two boys began the climb to the top. All the rest of the morning they climbed until it seemed there would never be a last giant step, for every step they heaved themselves onto there was another to scale. They didn’t speak much as they climbed for each boy was immersed in himself wondering what would be at the top.

The boys were sweating hard for the day was hotter than usual and the sun beat down on the stone steps. In his heart each boy wanted to turn back but on seeing the other so determined they carried on, but also there was an excitement and wonder in every step gained bringing them more of their world into view.

“We’re a long way from the ground,” said Biffoo. “I don’t think I can climb much further.”

“You won’t have to,” said Raffa. “We’ve made it. This is the last step.”

“We’re at the top” said Biffoo in amazement, looking around.

The boys took each other’s arms and danced round and round in glee on the top step that was empty except for what looked like some rubble in the middle.

“I can see the sea. It’s so far away. And there’s the ruins, half in the sea,” said Raffa.

“There’s no giant, no people. No nothing. I wonder why everyone warned us not to come up here?” said Biffoo.

“It’s a lovely view isn’t it?” said Raffa.

The boys stood side by side and stared over the vista of their island while something behind them stirred.

“My brother fibbed, there’s no giant people here,” said Biffoo.

“I can see our nest. I wonder if mum can see us from it,” said Raffa pointing into the distance.

“We can come back again tomorrow now that we know how easy it is to get here,” said Raffa.

A noise made both boys turn at once to look behind them. From the rubble in the middle a huge giant thing unfurled itself and said:

“Ah boys,” said the dragon delightedly, “you’re a little early. But not to worry, it’s a beautiful day for flying lessons. Now, unfurl your wings and let’s begin.

Images from Pixabay

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