Not long ago, people used to be the size of ants. They lived in tiny cities, with minuscule buildings. The blades of grass towered over them like trees.
Many parts of that life were beautiful, like being able to see the morning dew up close, or being able to ride caterpillars like they were horses. But that small size also caused a lot of problems. People were often trampled on by deer. They could be eaten or swatted away. And, perhaps worst of all, inconsiderate animals would cover entire cities in poop, destroying them in the stinkiest way possible.
At some point, the people of one city grew tired of the mayhem and sought a way out. They decided to convene leaders from all over the world to tackle the problem of being too small. Scientists, kings, engineers, and craftsman all brought to their city in order to face humanity’s greatest challenge. It was a brilliant dream. There was only one problem: because people were so small, the distance between cities was huge — far too large for people to cross on foot. How could they get the word out everywhere and to everyone?
The people of that city worked tirelessly to make solutions to this new problem. They tried catapults and cannons. They experimented with gliders and flying machines. They tried everything they could think of. Then, one day, a clever fellow thought to hitch a ride on a deer. It sped across the countryside, and he was easily able to reach a far away town. Admittedly, getting back took a fair bit longer, because you can’t exactly steer a deer. But he had done it, and the transportation problem was solved.
The city sent teams of people out on each and every animal they saw. Deers, buffalo, birds, dogs — you name it. They rode on these animals in burr like contraptions. And when the burrs fell off, the people inside got out and trekked to the nearest city. Once there, they spread the word of the meeting, then recruited more help, built more burrs, and continued their mission in farther towns. In this way, they reached every citizen of every city in the world.
A few years later, the world’s myriad leaders in every imaginable discipline gathered in a meeting in that fateful city. There, they discussed how to solve the problems that faced them. One of the first proposals was to get rid of all the animals. This was supported by a lot of folks, as the animals had inflicted a lot of harm on the humans. A great number of cities had been trampled or pooped to death. But the prudent heads prevailed. Ultimately, killing all the animals would have been a bad thing to do. The animals did things the world needed — like fertilize the soil — and they could be very useful to humans. After all, without animals it would have been very hard to reach all the world’s leaders. Not only that, but it would be unfair and cause an undue amount of harm on all the creatures of the world.
So, they went on to other proposals. Another popular one was to build giant robotic suits for everyone. It was a very fun idea, and the engineers loved it. Unfortunately, this plan also had problems. People in giant mechatronic suits can’t exactly live in tiny homes and tiny cities, after all.
They realized they needed to make everything bigger. Not just the people, but the cities they lived in. So, they decided upon a final plan: they would make a growth ray to turn everyone and their stuff bigger. With hard work and perseverance, the growth ray was completed in a few years. There was rejoicing across the world, and humans came to be the size we know and love today.
Society worked a lot better. That is, it worked a lot better until somebody decided to use the growth ray twice. Then, he became a giant. With his enormous size, he trampled people like the animals had before and sowed chaos across the land. To fight him, they created another giant.
The two behemoths battled for days, trading blows and roiling the land. In the ebb and flow of the battle, it sometimes looked like the evil giant would win, only for the good giant to beat him back. Eventually, they found their way to the peak of a dangerous mountain.
The sky was black and filled with lightning. The good giant was losing again. The evil giant pushed him forward, and they neared the edge of a cliff. Despite his best efforts, the good giant knew the next punch would send him falling down into the abyss. So, when he saw it coming, he grabbed the evil giant’s arm, and they both fell off the mountain.
Neither of the giants was ever seen again. It is believed that they both perished, and that the good giant gave his life to protect the land he loved. To make sure his sacrifice was not in vain, mankind destroyed the growth ray and made sure no giant roamed the land ever again.
It is tempting to want to be bigger or smaller. But always remember that there is a reason for the way things are. We are, in all, exactly the right size.
Two Brothers Write 