A giant lived in the woods outside the lovely little town of Twiddleburg. He was a friendly, gentle giant, very helpful and quiet, usually. Of course, when he walked, the earth shook slightly and dishes jiggled in the cabinet and horses and cows in the barnyard bounced around a bit. This did no harm, but the people of Twiddleburg didn’t like it. They didn’t ask him to move on because, well, he was SO big and they didn’t want to make him angry. I wouldn’t have asked him to move. Would you?
In fact, the giant was useful. He carefully blew the ladies’ clothes on the line, drying them in no time. The breeze from his gentle snores cooled warm summer nights and he was very helpful about building bridges with fallen trees when the rains came. But, in spite of all this, he had only one friend-a little boy named Tommy. Tommy was lame in one leg and couldn’t play the games the other children played. Sometimes the children got mad at him for not being able to run fast. At other times, I’m sorry to say, some of the boys laughed at him. But the giant never laughed. He liked for Tommy to come and talk to him. He was lonely at times and Tommy was lonely too.
So, the townspeople went right on putting up with the giant. The cows and horses kept bouncing and the dishes kept jiggling. But one day, fall came, and the ragweed bloomed and flowers and trees shed their blossoms. Leaves and pollen filled the air. The giant was allergic to these things and he began sneezing. When a giant sneezes, believe me, things happen.
Most people sneeze rather carefully into a handkerchief, but not the giant. When his nose had a tickle, he drew back his head, opened his huge, enormous mouth and sneezed such a magnificent sneeze that barns and houses shook, trees lost their leaves, babies cried, and cows and horses wound up in the next county. Any unlucky hen who was caught out of the henhouse just might, indeed, lose all her feathers.
The only thing to do was to call a town hall meeting to discuss the giant problem. Mayor Bumpkin stood up. “Ladies and gentlemen, we need to find a way to stop the giant’s sneezes, or we’ll just have to tell him to move on.”
Heads nodded and people agreed. But no one could come up with a workable solution. It all came down to the fact that the giant must find another place to live because the people of Twiddleburg were tired of the mess he made with his sneezes.
Miss Tuttsworth stood up in the town hall meeting and announced: “All is not lost. I’ve made up a poem. Everybody get quiet and listen.”
So, she read: When he sneezed a mighty sneeze, it made a sudden, mighty breeze that moved tall ships across the seas.
Everyone politely clapped and Miss Tuttsworth sat down, but that poem, lovely as it was, didn’t solve the giant problem.
Finally, the mayor said, “I’ll ask for a delegation. Three people will go to the giant and tell him that he simply must find another home. Three of the bravest. Now, who will volunteer?”
Everyone scrunched down in their chairs, cleared their throats, and muttered about being far too busy.
At last, Tommy stood up and said, “I like the giant. He’s my friend and I don’t want him to move. I’ll solve the problem.”
“Why, you’re just a boy,” the townspeople scoffed. “What can you do?”
“Just leave it to me,” said Tommy as he turned and left the town hall.
Tommy went home and talked to his grandma. She smiled and nodded.
“What is she doing?” the townspeople asked each other. Every day they could hear Tommy’s grandma’s sewing machine whirring and humming. Her kitchen light burned far into the night.
Then one day, Tommy went to the mayor and told him he was ready to go see the giant.
“But, I’ll need four large men to go with me,” Tommy said. “I’m taking the giant a gift and it is far too big for me to handle.”
So, four brave men carried a large package from Tommy’s grandma and started up the hill to find the giant. Tommy walked in front. When they found the giant, he was sitting against a tree, his eyes red and watering.
“Wait here,” said Tommy.
He walked up to his immense friend and whispered in his ear.
“You brought a gift?” the giant rumbled. “For me? Nobody has ever brought me a gift.”
“Open the package and see,” said Tommy.
The four brave, burly men dropped their colossal package on the ground and ran back a safe distance. The giant tore into the package and pulled out a huge, white canvas. It was as tall and as wide as a sail on a ship. In one corner in dainty blue letters were embroidered the words, “Mr. Giant.”
“It’s a handkerchief,” explained Tommy. “Now, when you feel a sneeze coming on, just put your hanky over your nose and cover that sneeze, please. Everybody will be happy.”
The giant grinned a big grin and tried it on for size. It almost covered his face. “Uh-oh,” he said. “I feel a..a..sn..”
The four men hid behind trees. “Hanky!” shouted Tommy.
Everyone waited for a gigantic explosion but it didn’t happen. At last, the men and Tommy peeked from between their fingers. The giant had his nose covered with his new handkerchief.
“Oh boy,” he said. “This is fun. I can’t wait till the next sneeze. Thank you, Tommy.”
So, the giant stayed. The townspeople were happy. Tommy kept his giant friend and even the kids who once teased him decided Tommy and his grandma were pretty smart cookies.
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