The Stone Giant: A Moonsilver Tale

  

My name is Markus.

I am the son of one of four princes who rule a strange kingdom, a kingdom of floating tiers that rise up, up into the ballooning clouds. Each tier is smaller than the one below, and the very top one can be crossed in twenty strides. Some people call it The Wedding Cake; they think this is derogatory, but I don't see why.

Most of my life is taken up with the minutiae of everyday life; the petty politics and tense relationships.   Today I am searching for my colleague, Via. She and I have a fractious relationship. She constantly says and does things which bring disrepute to the Royal Family, and it is usually up to me to sort out the ensuing mess. 

 

It is a long time before I find her. She is standing, hands on hips, on the floating bridge that links our kingdom to the mainland.  The bridge is heavily guarded, for our protection. When she sees me she furrows her brows, and scowls. She reminds me of a bulldog.

 

'I'm not here,' I say wearily, 'because of something you've done. For once.'

 

She glares at me.  'Well, that makes a pleasant change. What then?'

 

'There's a rumour going around. I think it's reliable.  Says witches are going to cross over from the mainland and invade us. We need to act.  And soon.'

 

Via snorts. 'There's always rumours.  Load of nonsense. That all you got?'

 

 'Hundreds of witches,' I say, as if this makes a difference. 'They say - ' I stop suddenly, catching sight of something beyond her, on the mainland; but not witches, no. What I see is far worse. A huge, lumbering figure, rising from the earth and blocking out the sun, heading in our direction.

 

 'Stone giant,' I whisper. 

 

Via gives a barking laugh. 'First witches, now stone giants? You're a bundle of fun today, aren't you, Markus?'

 

'Stone giant!' I yell, and everyone turns to look, and all hell breaks loose.

 

 Via takes off in one direction, I run in the other, and the guards scatter to the four winds. I race through the lowest tier of the city, where people sit in the garden drinking lychee tea, or wander about in pairs discussing the scarcity of walnuts. I scream at them, 'Stone giant!' and they turn to look at me, slowly, too slowly. Nobody does anything. I shout at them again, and run for the escalator to the next tier. Here citizens are bustling about, busy with trades and market stalls, and nobody pays me any heed. I find an alarm and punch it with my fist; the sound is shrill and there is momentary pause as everybody looks around. 

 

I'm already halfway up the next escalator.

 

 The third tier is an auditorium, alongside the concert hall. There are not many citizens here, but I sound the alarm anyway. Then three more alarms. Up and up, and up again.

 

 As I climb higher and higher, I hear the first sounds of mayhem drifting up from the bottom tier. Soon I see smoke rising, and when I peer over the edge there are people diving off the balconies, slowly spinning over and over, disappearing into the abyss far below.

 

 I am so breathless by the sixth tier that I am forced to stop running and allow the escalator to carry me upwards at its own sedate pace. I wonder if I will reach the top in time. If the princes will be able to turn this fiasco around, or at least reduce the death toll.

 

 Seventh, eighth, ninth.

 

 Finally I reach the top, the tenth and final tier. There is a gazebo in the centre, from which are spectacular viewpoints in all directions.

 

There are no princes waiting for me.

 

There is only one person here, standing at the edge of the parapet, looking serene and only mildly surprised as I stand there gasping for breath and doubled-over. He wears a bowler hat and is dressed in an immaculate dark suit.

 

 'S - stone - gi - ant,' I finally manage to get out.

 

 The man's eyes widen. 'Really? Oh, my!' He leans over the parapet and cranes his neck to see far below. 'I've always wanted to see one of those.'

 

I close my eyes and know that the city is doomed. No last minute saving grace, no final plan.

 

Just my luck: nobody here but one hapless tourist.