A Big Lesson Learned

By giant30

Another morning comes. I woke up to get ready to go to the gym like always. My name is Eric, my favorite hobby is working out, which I've been doing for about seven years now, I'm about 6'5" and carry 315 pounds of solid muscle.

Since it was such a nice day, and I lived right up the street from the gym, I decided to walk there. As I was walking, a couple kids tried to attract my attention to get a basketball down from the hoop that it had gotten wedged in, normally I would have stopped to help, but I was running late so I bypassed them and continued on my way, which didn't sit well with them.

I entered the gym and put my bag down in the spot I always did, which was on a bench across from the set of weights I always started on. As I was approaching said weights, I failed to notice a stray weight that was on the floor, I tripped over it and fell, hitting my head on the floor and knocking myself out.

I don't remember coming to, but I seem to remember opening my eyes, and seeing that I was in a gym, but this gym was much bigger. I went to one of the benches in this gym and as I got up to it, I noticed it came up to my chest. I started to panic, wondering where I was or what happened, but didn't have time to think long, because I began hearing racket in the back of the gym, which was bad for me, because I had nowhere to hide.

I could only stand and watch as a hulking giant of a man came lumbering into view. I could only guess how large he was, but he seemed to be anywhere between 20 to 25 feet tall. I ducked down behind the bench and watched as this big guy walked toward a set of weights and began lifting them, making the effort look easy.

Soon after the appearance of this giant, several other giants about his size came in, by now it was fairly crowded, which meant that my chances of staying hidden decreased dramatically. I decided to try and blend in with the crowd, hoping that maybe no one would notice that I was on the small side compared to these guys, though my plan easily backfired when I tried climbing onto the bench press, I couldn't even climb up onto it.

I tried to get the attention of several passing giants, but none of them would stop to help me. I eventually just decided to give up and go off to a spot out of the way, I must not have been watching where I was going, because I ran right into one of the giants, who looked down at me and rudely pushed me aside so he could get by me, the force of the push sent me down on my backside.

I raced after the giant who pushed me, yelling to him to find out why he shoved me, but he simply gave me one of those "buzz off" looks. Seconds later, a second giant got between me and the one who pushed me, getting in the first giant's face. They got into a shoving match, which gave me time to get away.

I ran outside, hoping that none of the giants saw me leave, pushing the door open was a chore in itself. A few minutes later, the door to the gym opened, as I looked in the direction of the opening door, the giant who got between me and my antagonist came out.

This giant was a big guy indeed, 25 feet tall, and I can't imagine how many tons he must have weighed, his muscular frame made him look very intimidating indeed, but from the look on his face, I suddenly began to realize he wasn't here to cause me trouble.

"You OK?" the giant asked in a deep voice.

I nodded, "Yeah, I think so." I couldn't believe how small this giant made me feel.

The giant held a hand out to me, "My name's Chris." he rumbled.

"I'm Eric." I replied, putting my hand in his, the giant's hand making mine disappear, but thankfully, he was careful when shaking hands with me.

I know I was about to ask a dumb question, but I looked up to Chris and asked, "Why did you help me?"

Chris chuckled and replied, "Would you rather I hadn't? Isn't that what you do for others where you come from?"

I nodded with hesitation, "Yeah well, I usually do, but I haven't lately." I replied.

Chris put a huge hand on my shoulder, but was gentle as he did so, "You need to go back to putting others before yourself Eric, I've been watching you lately, you've been thinking too much of yourself, but in a way I know isn't you, make time for others like I know you can."

"How do you know so much about me?" I asked.

"Think of me as a guardian angel of sorts." Chris replied, "A guardian angel who isn't happy with you right now, but is willing to help you correct your ways."

After that, I came to. All the guys I worked out with were with me and helped me get to my feet. I was too out of sorts to work out, and I surely couldn't do my workouts due to my head throbbing, so I had one of my friends drive me home.

Little did I know, that as time drew on, my first visit from Chris would not be my last.

I know I shouldn't have, but after a while, I started to feel better, so I got up and decided to head back to the gym, only an hour had passed since I fell, but I felt well enough to get up and do something. I left the house and began my walk to the gym.

As I was walking on, those same two boys were still trying to get their basketball down, one of the kids pulled me aside.

"Are you gonna help us get our basketball down this time?" the boy asked.

"Look kid." I answered, "I have better things to do than to help you get some basketball down from the hoop, you shouldn't have been so careless to shoot it like that anyway."

I started to walk off, when I felt a draft pass through me. I looked up to see Chris's giant form looking down at me, and if looks could kill, I would've been a dead man, he didn't look too happy at all, that's when I helped the kids get their ball down.

As I walked along, I felt a force stop my progress. I looked up to see Chris's giant form looming over me again.

"Why were you so rude to those kids?" he asked me angrily.

"I was never much of a kid person." I replied.

Chris just shook his head at me in disappointment, "How would you like it if I had treated you that way? They're only children Eric, they look up to adults like you, you should treat them respectfully."

I tried to make a joke, "Of course they look up to me, they're short." Chris however wasn't laughing.

"Maybe you need to pay a visit to our higher power." Chris rumbled, "Maybe he can knock some sense into you."

Chris picked me up, and all of a sudden, the scenery around me began to change. As the scenery finally seemed to stop changing, I looked around at my new surroundings, everything around me was solid marble.

"Where are we?" I asked.

Chris looked down at me, "We're here so you can pay a visit to our higher power, maybe he can persuade you to change your ways."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "I'm not a bad guy."

Chris just rolled his eyes at me, "From what I saw, you have a very bad attitude."

Suddenly, the walls of the place we were in seemed to open, I looked around, only to find Chris and I standing in a colossal replica of the same marble area we were in before.

"So where's this higher power you keep talking about?" I asked.

Chris said nothing, and merely pointed up to the sky, what I saw standing before me, I couldn't even put into words, the only way to describe him, was to say that even Chris himself was very tiny compared to this guy.

As I looked up, the titanic form of a man more than filled my vision. I couldn't even guess how gigantic he was, though if I had to guess, I would say he had to be about 2,500 feet tall. I approached this massive being slowly, looking up to him.

"What are you going to do to me?" I asked nervously.

"Silence!" the supreme being boomed, his voice shaking everything around us violently, "I should squash you like an insignificant bug for the way you have treated the children of your world."

"I never laid a hand on them!" I exclaimed.

"You do not have to physically harm children to bring harm to them Eric." the supreme one boomed again, "What you have done to these children is mental, you have mentally broken their spirits."

I watched as two tiny, grey specks appeared on the supreme being's knee.

"Who are they?" I asked.

"These are the children whose spirits you have broken Eric." the supreme being replied, "They merely asked you for help, yet it took Chris's recommendation for you to do what was right."

"I helped them though, didn't I?" I replied.

"You should not have been made to help them Eric." boomed the supreme being, "You are an adult, one who is to set a positive example to children far and wide, if you cannot do this, then you are not being a good person, children deserve respect, not what you have given them."

I began to see what the supreme being was saying.

"Will I be able to change things?" I asked.

The supreme being nodded, "Yes, but only if you treat the children fairly." he replied.

Chris knelt beside me, "I know you have it in you to be good to the kids Eric." Chris said softly, "If you had done this to begin with, the supreme being would have been easier on you than he was just now." Chris's words were softly spoken.

I turned to be met by the supreme being's colossal fingertip, the spirits of the two kids I met sitting there.

"Make amends with the children." the supreme being boomed, "If you do this, I will reward you."

The next thing I knew, I was back in my own home, Chris and the supreme being were gone. I knew I had hurt the feelings of those two kids pretty badly by not helping them when they'd asked me to, but how would I apologize to them? Would they even accept my apology? I guess only time would tell.

I went outside again to hunt down the two boys I had met on my way to the gym, I finally came across the two as they were playing ball in the front yard of the house they were at. I stopped to talk to them, not sure how they would receive me.

"What do you want?" one of the boys asked.

"Come on now guys, I'm not here to start trouble." I replied.

"Yes you are, you think because you're bigger that you can be mean to us!" the other boy yelled.

I waved the boys over and bent down to their level.

"Look guys, I realize now that I was wrong to be mean to you both, you guys were only asking me for help and I didn't treat you very well, can you forgive me?" I asked.

"Why should we?" one of the boys snapped back.

"I know I had that coming." I replied patiently, "I don't blame you guys for being mad at me, I would be too if someone treated me the way I treated you."

"Why were you mean?" the other boy asked.

I sighed as a flashback from my past began to haunt me.

"You wouldn't know it by looking at me, but when I was the same age as you guys, I was bullied really bad." I replied, "I was too scared to fight back against the people who picked on me, so once I saw I was getting bigger, I started working out to make myself look scarier, I figured it would make the bullies leave me alone..... I guess all it did was turn me into a jerk."

The boys said nothing to me after that, though I looked at them and extended a hand to them both.

"Do you guys forgive me?" I asked.

"What if we do, and then you act mean to us again?" one of them replied questioningly.

"I won't guys, I promise." I answered, "I know it was wrong to do it before, and I promise never to do it again."

Both boys and I shook hands. I ruffled their hair and grinned at them, then went back home. The next thing I knew, as I entered the house, my surroundings began changing again. When everything stopped, I was greeted by Chris and the supreme being again, both of them looked quite pleased with me.

"You have done well." the supreme being rumbled, his voice much more pleasant this time.

"You said if I changed my ways you would reward me." I said, "What's my reward?" I asked.

Suddenly, I looked up at Chris, who seemed to be shrinking, as well as the supreme being. When all the size changing stopped, Chris was eye level with me.

"Chris! you shrunk!" I exclaimed.

"No Eric." Chris said with a smile, "You have grown, you are now one of us, and well on your way much like I am to become a supreme watcher."

I looked up to the supreme being, who offered me his hand in the palm up position. I stepped onto his palm and he brought me to his eye level.

"Do keep in mind Eric, your new size means that you must use it for good, not to do the deeds of the evil that plagues your world." the supreme being whispered.

"I'm going home like this?" I asked.

"Yes Eric, but you will be seen as normal, just as you always have, though only those pure of heart will be able to see and communicate with you." the supreme being replied.

"What will I be going back home for if I'm like this?" I asked.

"The two children you spoke to earlier are your responsibility now Eric, though guarding them will be easier than you think." replied the supreme being, "You will instantly know what to do to help them when they ask for your guidance."

"They'll trust me?" I asked.

"Yes they will." replied the supreme being, "They already do."

With that, I appeared back on my world, though I watched as no one else seemed to notice me, which told me that they must not be able to see me. I approached the two boys, who came to me and hugged my ankle, knowing that I was there to guide them.

From that day on, I protected them with my life, taking on the role as a watcher, hoping to one day become that of a supreme being, to which the whole world could come to in times of trouble.




THE END