(this story is based on the song ‘Giant Killer’ by Dennis Jernigan, a worship/praise songwriter)

GIANTKILLER
There it was again. That same feeling; like he was being hunted.
Darius looked over his shoulder, trying to control his nervousness. All he could see was sand. Sand and rock stretching for miles upon miles.
“Why, Shepherd?” he asked aloud, leaning back. He stared into the satiny blackness above that was pinpricked with tiny diamonds,
“Why did you bring me here, out in the middle of nowhere? What can I hope to accomplish?”

(this story is based on the song ‘Giant Killer’ by Dennis Jernigan, a worship/praise songwriter) GIANTKILLER There it was again. That same feeling; like he was being hunted. Darius looked over his shoulder, trying to control his nervousness. All he could see was sand. Sand and rock stretching for miles upon miles. “Why, Shepherd?” he asked aloud, leaning back. He stared into the satiny blackness above that was pinpricked with tiny diamonds, “Why did you bring me here, out in the middle of nowhere? What can I hope to accomplish?” The moon hung on the western horizon, its silver light still bathing the desert. Darius glanced over his shoulder again. I’ve been awake the whole night, he thought, shifting his position on the huge slab of rock. Why can’t I get to sleep? Darius stretched his arms, liking the feel of the smooth chain mail on his skin. Had it really only been a few months ago he had been in rebellion against the Shepherd? It felt like years since the Shepherd had saved him from being engulfed by the Giant. He shuddering, remembering his first meeting with the Giant. The details still came to him clearly…the evil eyes, the squashed nose, the cruel, thin lips, the grasping, stubby fingers… He had barely escaped total, unquestioned submission to the Giant. Darius remembered fighting at first, but gradually being weakened until he'd had been a mindless fool, obeying the Giant’s whims. Then, the Shepherd had liberated him. Darius still remembered the surprise, then joy, that had flooded him as his chains had fallen and he had been freed. “Your road will still be hard, my son,” the Shepherd had said. “The Giant has not given up on you yet. He will still devour you if you let him. But you are a warrior of the Shepherd now, and with my help you can defeat the Giant. Guard yourself with my armor and defend yourself with the Sword of the Spirit.” Darius stroked the soft leather cover of the book in his lap. “Take the helmet of salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God,” he murmured, quoting his favorite verse. A shadow fell across him. Darius looked up and recoiled with a sharp breath. The Giant! Darius could not see his features, but he knew who it was. He knew why the Giant had come. “You are mine, little human!” the Giant snarled. “The Shepherd can’t save you. You will serve me!” Darius’ hand slipped to the Book. Holding it reminded him of the Shepherd’s promise and seemed to snap him from the fear. He felt his lips forming words he never though he’d say. “I serve you no longer!” The Giant sprang forward and, with one quick sweep of his hand, knocked Darius off the rock. Darius rolled on the ground and scrambled to his feet, spitting grit as he searched for the Book. He felt the ground heave under his feet and spun around. The Giant towered over him, a huge club in one hand. “Then you will die.” Darius saw the Book lying a few feet away from him. He snatched it and faced his enemy. “Shepherd, help me,” he whispered. Then he glanced up into the malignant eyes of the Giant. Fear paralyzed him. The Book started to slide out of his hand and he involuntarily clutched it tighter. The Giant raised it club. Darius flung his arms in front of his face. THUD! Darius sprawled on the sand from the impact. A few yards away the Giant staggered, trying to keep his balance. Darius looked around dazedly. Why didn’t he flatten me? Then he saw the answer. Instead of the Book, he gripped a sword in his right hand. With a low, gurgling growl, the Giant charged him. Darius rolled to his feet and dodged the Giant’s blow. He felt the wind blow through his hair as the club whistled past him and struck the earth. The Giant dropped his weapon and lunged again, his hands curled, ready to grab Darius and squeeze the life out of him. Darius gritted his teeth, waiting until the last possible second, when the Giant was almost upon him. Then he closed his eyes and stabbed his sword forward. The jarring impact sent him on his knees, and for a moment Darius felt the hot breath of the Giant on his face. He waited a few seconds, then, breathing hard, opened his eyes. The Giant was lying before him facedown on the sand. Darius held the Book in his outstretched hands instead of a sword. Even as he watched, the Giant’s body disappeared, not even leaving a depression on the sand where he had laid. “Well done.” Darius stood and turned, the voice making a joyful expectation rise in his heart. The Shepherd stood behind him, a smile on his gentle face. “You have conquered your Giant. I say again, well done.” The Shepherd took a step forward and placed his hands on Darius’ shoulders. “Are you ready to help others conquer their Giants, my son?” “Sire, I am ready to go anywhere you send me!”

copyright 2007 by Magical Ink (magical-ink.blogspot.com)