"I know full well how much food we have! But it's the dead of winter, and I'm not going to turn away someone in need! Well if we run out then we'll just go into the city to get some more you stingy git, the caravans have done well this season.
"Cheap git… oh! You heard all that, eh? I'm sorry, didn't mean you to see me yelling at him. But it's real important show kindness to lonely travelers, what they say about angels walking the earth as wanderers, I've seen one. Don't giggle, it's true. Did I never tell you the story? Well then, let's go sit by the fire where it's comfortable.
"Now then… this was years on years ago, back when your grandfather had color in his hair. Me and my brother, may his soul be at rest, ran a caravan, and sometimes we chose to go far, far off to the east, to the land of the giants. You know the story, that the first angels to fall fled the heavens and tried to hide in the hill tribes there. They got caught and banished, but not before they'd made the giants with the wives they took there.
"Well, we were leaving their lands one hot day. An old man came up to us as we were leaving the town and asked for our company. I never saw his face; he had a cloak drawn over him so that I could just see his hands and feet. But they looked very old, like mine do now, and he had a very rough voice. We let him walk with us, didn't see the harm in it. He never asked us for anything but to travel with us, but I offered him some water anyway, we had more than enough and I thought it was just cruel not to.
"We were near the river border when a patrol found us. Five giants, a dozen soldiers. Giants were frightening no matter how many times I saw them. The shortest one there must've been nine feet tall still and thick as a tree trunk, with those burning yellow eyes. We had all our papers in order and weren't doing anything wrong, but that didn't mean they wouldn't bully us some anyway.
"The big one, the oldest giant there, was a little annoyed I think at how we had everything in order. Then he got to the old man. His whole demeanor just changed then, and he stopped talking the common tongue. He started barking orders to the other giants, in their language, and they all gathered around the old man.
"The big one whacked him on the back, sent the old man sprawling. He tried to get up, and they kicked him down again. I'd heard about this kind of thing happening before, but I'd never seen it. The giants, you know, don't really care about the lives of humans who aren't working for them. Me and my brother looked at each other, we both felt guilty, taking the old man out here just so he could get killed by some giant thugs.
"There wasn't anything we could do though, there were only six of us there against a dozen soldiers, and five giants besides. They started dragging the old man off, and I knew they were going to kill him. They made the youngest one kill him, the rest stood around to watch.
"The young one drew his sword and stepped up to the old man, who was on all fours trying to catch his breath. The giant said something in their language, raised his sword, and that's when it happened.
"There was a great light like looking into a mirror reflecting the sun, blinding. The old man stood up, but he wasn't an old man any more. His cloak caught fire and burned away to ash as he rose. The giants were huge, but this angel was still bigger than them. But not a thick brute like they were, thinner and leaner with long arms and legs
"But you took one look at him and you could see how strong he was, and seemed like he was wearing solid fire for armor. You'd never see an angel's face though, and I didn't, his face shown like the sun so brightly I couldn't see anything above his neck. He had six wings, two red and four white, that folded up behind him.
"The giant stood there, paralyzed by fear. There was this deafening sound from the angel, like a bell ringing but continuous, and so loud no one could hear anything over it, and covering my ears didn't make a difference with how loud it was.
"The angel just swatted his arm, like this, almost too fast to see, and that alone knocked the giant's head clean off his shoulders, a fire left on the stump of his neck where the angel touched him that blazed and consumed his body. The other giants except for the leader charged, but the angel defeated them like it was nothing, dodging their swords and punching straight through their armor with just his fingers, all their bodies burning away into ash after he'd killed them.
"The last giant, the leader had been getting ready. More than I heard it I felt this deep rumble coming from him. His eyes were burning like torches and these red runes had started glowing on his sword. He charged at the angel and attacked and attacked and attacked, but the angel just slid out of the way of each strike.
"And then in an instant the angel grabbed the giant's sword and pulled it out of his hands. The sword just melted away into a puddle on the ground, and the angel grabbed the giant by the front of his armor, lifting him off the ground and pulling him in close, like this. His face started glowering brighter and brighter, until it was so bright it hid both of their heads from view. I couldn't hear anything above that ringing sound, but I know the giant screamed as he was made to look into those eyes and he burned away.
"Everything seemed real still after that, no one wanted to move. That's when we realized all the soldiers who'd come with the giants had ran away. The angel turned to look at us, and we all fell on our knees and bowed until our heads were on the ground.
"I didn't hear any footsteps but I knew he came up to us, up to me and my brother first. I thought we were done for… but all he did was go to each of us in turn, touch our shoulders, and help us rise. When we were all standing, he clasped his hands together, like this, bowed, and then woosh! He was gone in a flash of light up to the sky, just like that.
"Well, after that we never went back to giant country. Never missed a ceremony or a sacrifice at the temple either. Why'd he do it? Well… I think in the end it was because of us. I don't think he cared a bit what happened to himself, but he didn't want those giants to kill us. Or maybe it was all part of some cosmic plan too big for us understand and all we were was witnesses. But that's why I kind of go out of my way to help people. And when you grow up, you should too. Never know when an angel's going to be watching you.
"Now, it's late, so let's get you in bed, before your mother comes along and pitches a fit."
"Cheap git… oh! You heard all that, eh? I'm sorry, didn't mean you to see me yelling at him. But it's real important show kindness to lonely travelers, what they say about angels walking the earth as wanderers, I've seen one. Don't giggle, it's true. Did I never tell you the story? Well then, let's go sit by the fire where it's comfortable.
"Now then… this was years on years ago, back when your grandfather had color in his hair. Me and my brother, may his soul be at rest, ran a caravan, and sometimes we chose to go far, far off to the east, to the land of the giants. You know the story, that the first angels to fall fled the heavens and tried to hide in the hill tribes there. They got caught and banished, but not before they'd made the giants with the wives they took there.
"Well, we were leaving their lands one hot day. An old man came up to us as we were leaving the town and asked for our company. I never saw his face; he had a cloak drawn over him so that I could just see his hands and feet. But they looked very old, like mine do now, and he had a very rough voice. We let him walk with us, didn't see the harm in it. He never asked us for anything but to travel with us, but I offered him some water anyway, we had more than enough and I thought it was just cruel not to.
"We were near the river border when a patrol found us. Five giants, a dozen soldiers. Giants were frightening no matter how many times I saw them. The shortest one there must've been nine feet tall still and thick as a tree trunk, with those burning yellow eyes. We had all our papers in order and weren't doing anything wrong, but that didn't mean they wouldn't bully us some anyway.
"The big one, the oldest giant there, was a little annoyed I think at how we had everything in order. Then he got to the old man. His whole demeanor just changed then, and he stopped talking the common tongue. He started barking orders to the other giants, in their language, and they all gathered around the old man.
"The big one whacked him on the back, sent the old man sprawling. He tried to get up, and they kicked him down again. I'd heard about this kind of thing happening before, but I'd never seen it. The giants, you know, don't really care about the lives of humans who aren't working for them. Me and my brother looked at each other, we both felt guilty, taking the old man out here just so he could get killed by some giant thugs.
"There wasn't anything we could do though, there were only six of us there against a dozen soldiers, and five giants besides. They started dragging the old man off, and I knew they were going to kill him. They made the youngest one kill him, the rest stood around to watch.
"The young one drew his sword and stepped up to the old man, who was on all fours trying to catch his breath. The giant said something in their language, raised his sword, and that's when it happened.
"There was a great light like looking into a mirror reflecting the sun, blinding. The old man stood up, but he wasn't an old man any more. His cloak caught fire and burned away to ash as he rose. The giants were huge, but this angel was still bigger than them. But not a thick brute like they were, thinner and leaner with long arms and legs
"But you took one look at him and you could see how strong he was, and seemed like he was wearing solid fire for armor. You'd never see an angel's face though, and I didn't, his face shown like the sun so brightly I couldn't see anything above his neck. He had six wings, two red and four white, that folded up behind him.
"The giant stood there, paralyzed by fear. There was this deafening sound from the angel, like a bell ringing but continuous, and so loud no one could hear anything over it, and covering my ears didn't make a difference with how loud it was.
"The angel just swatted his arm, like this, almost too fast to see, and that alone knocked the giant's head clean off his shoulders, a fire left on the stump of his neck where the angel touched him that blazed and consumed his body. The other giants except for the leader charged, but the angel defeated them like it was nothing, dodging their swords and punching straight through their armor with just his fingers, all their bodies burning away into ash after he'd killed them.
"The last giant, the leader had been getting ready. More than I heard it I felt this deep rumble coming from him. His eyes were burning like torches and these red runes had started glowing on his sword. He charged at the angel and attacked and attacked and attacked, but the angel just slid out of the way of each strike.
"And then in an instant the angel grabbed the giant's sword and pulled it out of his hands. The sword just melted away into a puddle on the ground, and the angel grabbed the giant by the front of his armor, lifting him off the ground and pulling him in close, like this. His face started glowering brighter and brighter, until it was so bright it hid both of their heads from view. I couldn't hear anything above that ringing sound, but I know the giant screamed as he was made to look into those eyes and he burned away.
"Everything seemed real still after that, no one wanted to move. That's when we realized all the soldiers who'd come with the giants had ran away. The angel turned to look at us, and we all fell on our knees and bowed until our heads were on the ground.
"I didn't hear any footsteps but I knew he came up to us, up to me and my brother first. I thought we were done for… but all he did was go to each of us in turn, touch our shoulders, and help us rise. When we were all standing, he clasped his hands together, like this, bowed, and then woosh! He was gone in a flash of light up to the sky, just like that.
"Well, after that we never went back to giant country. Never missed a ceremony or a sacrifice at the temple either. Why'd he do it? Well… I think in the end it was because of us. I don't think he cared a bit what happened to himself, but he didn't want those giants to kill us. Or maybe it was all part of some cosmic plan too big for us understand and all we were was witnesses. But that's why I kind of go out of my way to help people. And when you grow up, you should too. Never know when an angel's going to be watching you.
"Now, it's late, so let's get you in bed, before your mother comes along and pitches a fit."