Captured!

There’s danger in the air. I can sense the fear of my companions through every pore in my skin. The giants are coming, herds and herds of them. They come in waves, their shadows casting a gloom to fit the tension they bring to us. Some decided to sprint for land. Most of us make our way to water as fast as we can. I decide to follow the crowd to the pond; I can swim faster than I can move on land.

Once I am at a safe distance away from the giants, I look around me. The younger ones about my age are hopping around. Some of them are joyous to see the first sunlight after a long winter. Others are still freaking out and zooming around, unsure of what to do about the impending danger. I notice all our elders are still very well hidden, not making a single move, not even when the flies buzz around their faces. I wonder why they choose this strategy. Wouldn’t it be easier to be caught staying still? And why wouldn’t they enjoy the beautiful sun while they could? It had been a long winter, and I knew for sure that I wanted to savour every moment of sunshine. The elders, apparently, didn’t mind staying in the shade, waiting for what seemed forever. 

I watched as the giants began to disperse. Some of them stayed on land, while others headed directly for the pond where many of us were. Their large hands came down as they scooped us up and away. I watched as my comrades were taken, one by one. I couldn’t tell where they were being taken; the giants were too large and seemed to walk straight into the sun. When the giants come, they always take many of our people. Those taken eventually make their ways back to their families, but it is often after a long time and they return quite shaken up. I fear what the giants do with them. Remembering all this and all the stories I’ve heard about the giants, I resolve to stay put, far into the pond where they rarely come. I sit and watch for a few more minutes. A fly comes by, but remembering the elders, I stay still. I can let one fly pass peacefully. More and more of my comrades are taken. The giants may be large, but they are also fast. I watch as a cousin swims frantically away, but is caught in the giant’s cupped hands. A sibling hops around on the bank of the pond, but isn’t fast enough to escape another giant’s grasp. As I watch, I notice a patch of sunlight not too far away. Right now, I’m sitting in some shade. It’s getting rather cool. The sunlit patch is starting to look awfully comfortable. I wonder if it’s worth the risk. Swimming towards it would make me more vulnerable to the siege. After a short internal debate, the sunlight wins. The winter has been so long; I’m afraid of giving up any part of spring. I leave my hiding place and make my way to the sunny patch. I sit there for a while, enjoying the warmth. I face away from the chaos, not wanting to ruin my perfect moment with mild bouts of guilt about not caring for all my companions. It’s not our way to be empathetic. In our world, it’s everyone for himself.

As I get lost in these musings, I don’t notice any of the sounds that come up behind me. All of a sudden my sunny spot disappears, and I am shrouded in shade. I give a cursory glance up, and see a large hand hurtling towards me. I try to make a break for it; I’m not too far away from the pond. Perhaps if I swim away fast enough, I can escape…

It’s no use. A wall comes down in front of me, as if it fell from the sky. I look around. The darkness is closing in on me. There’s no way to escape! Suddenly I am in the giant’s hand, hurtling towards the sky. I jump around in my prison cell, trying to kick my way free. I see an opening and hop towards it. Suddenly the walls of my prison change. The whole thing is tilting up! The opening that used to be to my left is now right above me, and I lose my balance for a moment and fall backwards. I instantly get back onto my feet and try to jump for the hole. I grab a hold of the edge and feel the ground, or whatever this prison is made of, shake under me. I’m travelling very fast, faster than I’ve ever gone. And then, I’m thrown through the air. I land on top of another one of my people. It’s the cousin I saw get taken a while back.

Where are we? I ask him. He doesn’t respond. Instead, he just clambers up from under me and tries to get on top of the others that are caught in this larger prison. Our prisoners are everywhere. Some clamber on top of each other, trying to reach the edge of our prison. Others sit quietly in the center of the prison, having lost all hope. I am unsure of what to do. Once again, I follow the crowd and focus my attention on getting up and out. It’s not use; once one of us gets near the top, a huge finger comes down and pushes him back down. I stop struggling, ready to give up. I wonder if I’ll ever see the pond again.

The giants stick their huge, ugly faces in at us. There are flashes of sunlight, but they give no warmth. I am confused by the odd flashes. Some others tell me not to think about them too much. They’re just dark magic instruments the giants use.

It seems like I am in the prison forever. Every now and then I give a half hearted attempt to clamber out, but every time I see another’s attempts prove futile, I find myself giving up hope as well. The fake sunlight flashes continue.

All of a sudden, a huge wall comes down again. It comes towards me, scooping me and three others up and out all at once. What’s happening now?! I have no choice but to succumb to the giant’s power. The others try to jump out at once. One makes her way to the hole in the small prison wall and jumps. The rest of us watch as she flies out and falls into the abyss below. No one knows how far up in the sky we are, or what the fall led to. I wonder if she will survive. The others still in the prison with me pretend not to notice.

Again, I’m travelling extremely fast. Wind comes in through the hole of our prison and blasts me in the face. Then, just as quickly as I had been lifted into the sky, I am plunged back towards what I hope is the ground. After going through so much tumbling, I’m not sure which way is up. The prison opens and I see that I am back in the pond. My companions rush away as fast as possible, before the giant changes its mind and closes the prison up again. For a few moments I am stunned. I’m alive! The floor of the prison moves, and I, too, jump off and swim away as fast as possible. I make it back to my original, shady, safe position. The herd of giants begins to clump up again and walk away. I let out a sigh of relief, and feel the apprehension and fear evaporate from the atmosphere almost as quickly as it came.

I’m glad to be alive. I understand why the elders decide to keep hidden. That was a little too much of an adventure for a little toad like me.