Gentleman Giant
Once there was a rich merchant. He had three daughters. The youngest daughter was so lovely and charming that she was named Beauty. The elder girls were naturally envious of her. They were given to boasting, while the youngest was one quiet and humble in her behavior. Her sisters liked to be seen in the company of the wealthy and would never miss attending their parties. They believed in a life of merrymaking and insisted that they would marry only from among the rich. Beauty was not at all selfish or haughty. A motherless girl as she was, preferred to spend time with her father, at home. When a proposal came for her, she pleaded with her father, "I don't think the time has come for me to get married, father. Let me stay with you all for some more time." But fate willed it otherwise. Suddenly, one day, the merchant found himself to be a pauper. His creditors came and took away everything, except his small farm far away from the town and the small house there. He had no other go than to leave the town and go to the village.
His elder daughters did not like the prospect of leaving the town. "How can we live in a village? All our friends are here, and they'll take care of us." They were mistaken. Who would care for paupers? In fact, in their heart of hearts, the townsfolk did not have any regard for the arrogant girls. Instead, all their admiration was for the youngest one, Beauty. Many came forward to look after her. But she decided to go with her father. Ultimately, the elder girls were persuaded to go to the village where the merchant and his sons worked on their small farm. Beauty helped them as much as she could. In the beginning, she found the work too much tiresome. But as days passed, she got used to everything. Her sisters just lazed around the house. Their father felt sorry for his youngest daughter. He praised her simplicity and modesty and was aggrieved over the arrogance of his eldest daughters. After a year of their life in the village, one day, the merchant received a message that the ship that had carried his merchandise and was believed to have been lost in mid-sea had come back safe. Everybody was overjoyed, especially the two elder girls. As their father got ready to leave for the town, they surrounded him asking for this, that, and many other things. "And what would my lovely little maiden wish for?" She merely shook her head. When her father insisted, she said, "Just a rose!" Her father smiled, understandingly. The merchant reached the town, but he was unable to secure the value of the goods that the ship had taken, and he had to go back empty-handed.
His journey was through a forest. Before he could cross over to the village, the sky became overcast, a heavy downpour followed. He not only lost his way but his horse tripped on the pathway and he was thrown off once or twice. He was hungry and shivering in the cold. He could not find any shelter and walked without knowing where he was going. Suddenly, he saw a light through the thick foliage. Must be a house, he thought, comfortingly. He walked towards the light, which was only receding from his sight. There was no house as he had hoped. At last, he came to a stable where he tied his horse and walked ahead He soon came upon a huge mansion. The door opened when he gave it a push. The fireplace was lit and the table had been laid with several dishes. The merchant sat there, warming himself. He waited for a long time for somebody to turn up, but nobody appeared. By now he could not contain his hunger any longer. So he ate whatever he found on the table. Afterward, he set out to inspect the place. He went into several rooms. There was not a soul in any one of them. Then he reached the bedroom where he found the bed neatly made and so inviting. The moment he lay down, he was fast asleep. He woke up rather late and found, to his surprise, a new pair of trousers, a shirt and coat waiting to be worn. He wondered whether it was not a kind thought of the owner of the mansion. He looked through the window and saw a beautiful garden full of exotic flowers. It was then that he remembered his youngest daughter's wish.
He plucked a bunch of roses. He was taken aback when he heard a loud noise. He turned around and saw a giant figure glaring at him. "You came here tired and hungry and were given food and shelter. Yet you had the affront to pluck my flowers. Do you know that I value them more than my life? You've to suffer punishment for your actions." The merchant pleaded: "Bear with me, Sir. I did not pluck the flowers wantonly. I was taking them for my daughter who just loves flowers." The giant brushed aside the man's explanation. "I don't want to hear any of your excuses. If you don't want to die, then your daughter will have to take your place. And if she is not willing to die for your sake, you yourself will have to come back here in three months' time. I can't grant you any other concession!" Would anyone send his children to death to save himself? He promised to come back within three months. "Maybe I'm fated to die!" the merchant ruminated. His daughters were very happy to see him back home. He handed the roses to Beauty and said, "You've no idea how much they're worth! I've to pay the price with my life." He then narrated all that had happened in the forest and later in the mansion. Beauty listened to her father but she did not shed any tears. Her sisters promptly pulled her up. "See! All this has happened because you wanted a flower." Beauty was not upset by her sister's scolding. "Don't worry! I'm going to offer myself to the giant." While her sisters did not react to this, their brothers shouted, "No, that won't happen as long as we are alive! Let him kill any or all of us."
Their father intervened. "I'm proud of all of you. But none of you need to die for my sake. After all, I'm growing old, how many more days will I live? Let me die. You're all young, and I want you to live long." Beauty protested. "Don't prevent me from going to the mansion and facing the giant." Her sisters were happy to hear her decision. Good riddance, they thought. The next morning, father and daughter started for the forest. By night they reached the mansion. After tying their horses in the stable, they proceeded to the mansion. There they found the dinner already laid. The merchant did not feel like eating anything, as he was all the while lamenting for his favorite daughter. But Beauty insisted that they both ate all that had been kept on the table. As they were eating, they heard a loud noise outside and guessed that the giant was on his way there. Beauty was terrified at seeing the giant standing in front of her. "Have you come here of your own accord?" he thundered. "Yes, I have..." replied Beauty with trepidation. The giant turned to the merchant. "You kept your word. You may go back tomorrow morning." He then left the room. They both retired for the night. The merchant could not get a wink of sleep for a long time, but Beauty was fast asleep the moment she closed her eyes. She had a dream, in which an old woman came and assured her, "Beauty, your sacrifice won't go waste. Your father will be saved." Beauty woke up and told her father about the dream. The merchant felt somewhat relieved, but it was a heart-rending farewell that he bade in the morning.
After her father had gone away, Beauty became pensive. But she remained calm all the while. She knew that the giant would come for her in the night. She decided to roam the place before he came. Suddenly, she came upon a door where it was written "Beauty's Home". She was surprised. Greater was her surprise when she opened the door and went in. There were many books neatly arranged on shelves and musical instruments, too. Why had they been kept for her if she was to live only for one more day? she wondered. She pulled out a book and opened it, when some lines in gold struck her eyes: "Welcome to you, oh Beauty! Shed all your fears. You are the queen of this mansion. Make your wish known, it will be granted." "What else should I wish, except to see my dear father?" she told herself, and the next moment she saw in a mirror there their farmhouse and her father just arriving there to be welcomed by her sisters! The image in the mirror disappeared the next instant. Noon came, and she found the luncheon laid. As she ate, she could hear some lovely music. Later when she was eating dinner, she heard the giant coming. He called from outside. "Beauty, may I join you at the table?" "As you wish," she replied, in a trembling voice. The giant seemed to have understood her predicament. "No, no!" he said, "You're the queen of this mansion. Your wish alone will prevail. I won't remain here, but do tell me, am I so ugly to look at?" "Yes, what you say is correct," said Beauty. "I haven't learned to tell a lie. However, you seem to be good at heart." "Beauty! you may eat your dinner at peace. All that you see around in the mansion is yours. I only want you to be happy. I'd be sad if you're not," said the giant.
Beauty now felt a little bold. "You seem to be well-behaved. I'm glad you're kind-hearted, too." Beauty felt relieved as she could face the giant. But what happened a little later belied all her expectations. For, the giant asked her, "Beauty, will you marry me?" The girl almost fainted, but soon recovered, and said boldly, "No, I won't." She was trembling with fear when she said this, but the giant did not get angry. "All right. I'm going now," he said simply and left the room. Left alone, she wondered whether she had been unkind to him. "Pity, such a good-natured being should be so ugly!" Beauty spent the next three months in that mansion. Every evening, the giant would return at dinner time, converse with her, and go away after she had finished eating. Beauty was able to understand him somewhat deeply," and at times she felt he was not that ugly to deserve ingratitude. In fact, she even began to wait for his arrival before she ate her dinner. He would not forget to ask her that one ominous question: "Will you marry me?" before he left the place. One day, she took courage in telling him, "I wish I could say 'yes', but I don't want to cheat you. I can only see you as a good friend, nothing more." "Yes, I know my drawbacks, but I love you very much," said the giant very emotionally."You promise me that you'll stay here forever." Beauty was shy for a moment. But before he could notice it, she said, "I shall give you that promise, but I wish to meet my father just once, otherwise I'll die of sorrow."
"That shouldn't bother you. You can go, but mind you, I may die if I don't see you every day." Now the giant really wept. Beauty pacified him. "I shall come back in a week's time. My sisters have been married, my brothers have all joined the army, and my father is all alone." "You may go in the morning. But don't forget your promise," That night, Beauty was very sad. She was sorry for the giant. When she woke up, Beauty found herself in the farmhouse! Her father rushed to embrace her. He had taken her to be dead and gone long ago. Suddenly, she remembered that she had no change of dress. Her exclamation brought the maid there. She told Beauty that she had seen two boxes in her room. When Beauty went and opened them, she found they had, besides her robes, a lot of gold and diamonds and other precious stones. She thanked the giant in her mind and wished her sisters were there to share everything. The sisters were sent for and they came with their husbands. They did not appear to be happy at all. When the sisters saw Beauty dressed like a princess, their jealousy knew no bounds. They went to hatch a conspiracy against their sister. "Let's not allow her to leave after one week. When she fails to keep her promise, the giant will become angry. He'll then kill her," said the eldest one. The younger one agreed. "Yes, let's pretend that we love her." Beauty was overcome by their affection. She agreed to their plea and said she would stay back for one more week, though she felt sorry for the giant. On the tenth day, she had a dream.
She was back in the mansion, where the giant was fighting for his life. He rebuked her for being unkind to him. His groan woke her up. "How sad!" Beauty told herself. "It's not his fault that he has become ugly. He's kind, good at heart. What more do I want? I can be happy with him, unlike my sisters. No, I won't make him wait any longer." The next morning she found that she was in her bedroom in the mansion! She was very happy. But that night the giant did not come back. Suddenly, she was overcome by grief. Would he have died? She went almost mad, as she searched for him in every nook and corner. At last, she saw him lying near the lake. He was breathing very hard. She brought some water and sprinkled on his face. The giant was cross with her. "You forgot your promise, didn't you? I decided to die of hunger, but I am glad I could see you once again. Now let me die in peace." "Don't! From this moment you're my husband," Cried the Beauty. "I'm sorry, till now I considered you only as a friend. I can't live anymore without you as my husband!" The next moment, the mansion was brightly lit with illumination all over, and there was festivity all around the place. But Beauty did not notice any of them. She was looking at the giant because he had disappeared and in his place stood a handsome prince. He told her that he had just come out of a curse. "I incurred the displeasure of a demoness who cursed me with ugliness until I found a beautiful maiden agreeing to marry me." Beauty led him into the mansion, where more surprises were in stores for her. Her father, sisters, and brothers were already there to greet her.
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