For weeks he had been staring at the bottom of the valley. The people looked like ants from up top. He knew they would listen to him if he could just make it to the bottom. He was told that the people in the valley were tiny compared to those who lived up above like himself. But to those who lived in the valley viewed the ones at the top as giants. Rich was aware of this. There had been attempts to speak with the people at the bottom of the valley for years, but trust was the main issue. Something must have happened long before Rich ever dreamed of communicating with the lower valley people. Starvation had caused much consideration for opening trade routes, integrating them throughout the valley. That would be a problem with the lower valley people, as well as the ones up top. Rich’s town preferred cannibalism over trade and was looking for any excuse to validate that way of life and bring back the old law. The runts were always the first to be killed and eaten in the old days. Some runts even went unnamed until the elders stepped in, enacted laws, and deemed cannibalism punishable by death.
Rich was a runt, half the size of the others, but still supposedly taller than the people at the bottom of the valley. He was lucky to be born at such a time not to become someone’s dinner. Rich was one of the first runts to make it to his teenage years. There were stories of a man who was forced to live outside the community because he could not comply with the new rules. And as an elder, he wasn’t executed by way of a noose, but instead was punished by permanent banishment. They ordered him to never step foot into the village ever again. It was a story that was burned into Rich’s mind since childhood. Rich planned to open trade routes through the valley in hopes he would not fall victim to anyone’s appetite. The chance it could occur in the future was not acceptable to Rich. Although it was just a chance, the food situation had gotten worse, and Rich feared there was a target on his back. Even rumors that he was half human circulated the village. He knew there was a possibility cannibalism could come back if the hunger became bad enough.
Rich left the village yesterday. Last thing he ever wanted was for the others to stone him, roast and slowly eat his flesh. Rich had seen the community do that with animals that strayed into town. First, it would be a game, the most entertainment they would see for weeks. After that, their stomachs dictated the outcome of the poor animal. While it would roast, they would fight over who would get to eat the leg or breast. Usually, this game was won by the strongest villager. And since finding any solution to problems was Rich’s forte, he wasn’t planning on coming back to town until he found a solution to the food problem. If that meant making a deal with the people in the valley, then so be it. He made his way down the rocky path on the side of the canyon that led into the valley. It was riddled rocks, and the terrain was rough. He hadn’t strayed too far away from the village before his feet became blistered and bloodied. He didn’t own a pair of shoes, and the darkness no longer allowed him to see the path ahead. Continuing, he felt his way down the canyon wall as he slid his feet heavily down the path. His eyes slowly adjusted to the dark until he noticed what looked like a cave ahead of him.
“What are you doing out there, boy?” a low voice grumbled.
Rich looked over and saw a tall figure standing in the entryway to the cave. Not seeing him a moment earlier, the figure of a large man was now standing in front of the cave’s entry. The firelight from inside the cave allowed Rich to see the silhouette of a man move closer to him.
“I’m heading to the bottom of the valley. I need to talk to the villagers,” Rich said.
“Villagers? Since when do our kind need to speak with the villager’s, boy?”
“Our kind? You are one of us?” Rich asked.
“Was. A long time ago. Why don’t you come in and have a bite to eat? You can continue in the morning. That is—if I don’t talk you out of it in the meantime.”
“Well, I am hungry. I have been thinking about food for years. That’s my reason for going into the valley to open some trade routes that benefit everyone. We have been rationing food since before I was born. I am used to eating very little.”
“Why don’t you come in and sit down? I have no food shortages here. I hunt down in the valley. That’s the great thing about living here, more than halfway to the bottom. It makes it easy to hunt. There are animals everywhere—if that’s what you have a taste for. I’m a carnivore.”
“We usually eat a lot of plants. Animals are rare. I had a bite of chicken once. It was tasty.”
“You are in luck. I cooked some rabbit earlier. Still have a fire going. Why don’t you join me?” the man asked as he turned around and walked back into the cave.
Rich followed and sat down next to the flickering fire. The warmth of the fire alone felt good, as the cold from the valley had been blasting him since darkness arrived. He could now feel tingling in his fingers and toes. Feeling was coming back to his body. The numbness from the cold was leaving him. He felt less stiff.
The man joined Rich on the ground next to the fire. Rich gasped as the man turned his head to face him. In the firelight, he saw the man’s empty eye socket. It was hollowed out and dark. The man reached down and handed Rich a charred rabbit.
“The name is Jack,” the man said. “Not to be confused with that stupid story about the man Jack that climbed a beanstalk and took down a giant. I mean, obviously. I’m a pretty big man.”
“Oh, Jack and the Beanstalk? It’s really a good story.”
“Not for a giant, it isn’t!” the man said.
“Giants aren’t real,” Rich said.
“What are we then?”
“Not the little people. Always assumed we were the normal ones, ”Rich replied.
“Maybe we are,” he said. “Why do you have no shoes, young man?”
“Can’t afford them. Don’t have the material to make them, either.”
“Ahh, that makes sense. So, you come from the village atop the mountain?”
“That’s right, sir.”
“I don’t expect you to speak in formalities, son,” Jack said as he licked his lips.
“I’m sorry. My mother taught me to speak to people that way. Proper, you know? Especially with strangers that are so generous, like yourself.”
“Your mother sounds like a fine woman.”
“She was.”
“Where is she now?” Jack asked.
“She died, sir,” Rich said as he looked down into the fire.
“I’m sorry to hear that. What was her name? Maybe I knew her.”
“Rose,” Rich said.
“Rose?” Jack stuttered.
“Yes, she was nice. She always defended me. I was always a runt.”
“What happened to her, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Natural causes sir. Think she ate something bad. Got a fever and never woke up.”
“Rose was a wonderful lady. No wonder you have manners.”
“How do you know she was the same Rose?”
The large man grunted and ignored the question. The two sat listening to the crackle of the fire for a moment. An awkward silence followed.
“I have a question for you, sir,” Rich said, changing the subject.
“Go ahead. It’s only fair.”
“What happened to your eye?”
“It’s—nothing really,”
“It looks like something to me,” Rich said.
Jack slouched into a sitting position.
“I guess it won’t hurt to tell you the story. It was taken from me by a man. I lived in that village atop the valley, the same one you come from. And just like you, I wanted to trade with the villagers. My fiancé asked me to do my part to provide for our village. I drank our best wine, and I kept drinking it until I could barely function. I was a drunk. On one particular night, I drank until I fell asleep. When I awoke, I was down in the valley, in a cornfield. A man was stabbing me repeatedly in the eye with a tiny knife. He wouldn’t let go of my head. He took my eye. So, I killed him. I carried his body back up the trail to the village. Everyone ate well that night, loved the taste, until they found out that I cooked a little man and fed them the evidence. Couldn’t have the villagers come looking for him, could I? They would never find out if I made him disappear. Oh, they could blame me all they wanted, but they would never have any evidence. We ate it all.”
“How could you eat somebody like that? That’s sick!” Rich said.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Jack said. “That’s how I ended up here. The other elders booted me from the village as soon as they found out. I didn’t even eat one of our own. They would have killed me for that. He wasn’t a runt. He was a man who tried to murder me,” Jack chuckled.
Rich continued to eat the rabbit, ripping the meat one ravenous bite at a time. Jack kept staring at him, licking his lips.
“Why don’t you go to sleep?” Jack asked.
“I’m not really tired,” Rich said.
“I think you need to go to sleep,” Jack said as he pulled out a knife and started peeling an apple with it.
Rich stared. Jack’s good eye wasn’t looking at the apple he was peeling, but at Rich. Rich watched as saliva dripped off Jack’s mouth. A stream of drool was being slobbered onto the cave floor.
“I’m not tired. I think I should go now,” Rich said.
“You are not going anywhere, Rich.”
Rich stood up, and Jack mirrored him. Jack made his way toward the cave opening, and Rich threw the rest of the rabbit’s carcass at him. It distracted Jack long enough for Rich to squeeze by him. Rich found himself back in the darkness outside. There was some moonlight shining on the path, but it was splotchy because of the cloud cover. The path going back to the village was the clearer than going down. Even though the terrain was unstable, Rich ran. He could hear Jack screaming from behind him.
“Come back!” Jack yelled.
Rich continued to run, his feet in pain. Going up the path was harder than coming down, especially with no shoes. He didn’t know how long he had been running, but he didn’t dare stop.
Occasionally, he heard Jack scream, “You have no shoes! I will catch up to you. Don’t make me return to the village!”
Rich could finally see the lights from the village. So, he screamed for help. With every scream, he heard Jack scream even harder. He watched as torch lights started highlighting who was coming down the path to see what the commotion was about.
“Are you ok, Rich?” a voice yelled.
“No, we have to stop him,” Rich yelled.
“Who?” a voice asked.
“His name is Jack!” Rich yelled again.
“Jack?” the village elder screamed. Rich recognized the tone of the old man.
Donald, the oldest of elders came into view.
“Yes—Jack.” Rich said as several of the men grabbed him and helped him the rest of the way into the village.
“I’m coming!” Jack screamed.
The ground rumbled under Jack’s heavy footsteps.
“Get any weapons we have now!” Donald said.
“But it’s one man,” one villager said.
“It’s Jack. The cannibal,” Donald yelled.
“I thought that was just a story you told to keep us safe,” the same villager said.
“I’m afraid he is very real,” Donald said. “He destroyed our trade relations with the village below and then resorted to cannibalism to cover up his crimes.”
There was a roaring laugh coming from the village entrance at the top of the path.
“I’m here for Rich!” Jack yelled.
“He’s crazy!” Donald said. “We must stop him, or he will eat us all!”
“You ruined my life!” Jack yelled at the village elder.
“And you ruined ours,” Donald said.
Jack ran over and grabbed one villager and tossed him over the cliff’s edge in anger. It was getting lighter outside, but it was still hard to see. The scream of the man continued until it didn’t anymore.
“Too bad he got in the way,” Jack laughed. “I’m the reason you don’t get rid of runts anymore?”
“Rich is more of a man than you will ever be, Jack. He’s a better man than his father!” Donald said.
“Who knows? Maybe,” Jack said.
“You are a beast,” Donald said.
“You took him from me long ago,” Jack roared.
“Tell Rose that. She loved Rich so much, she never told him about you.”
“Lies, old man. She died and you never informed me,” Jack said.
“You are my father?” Rich asked.
“It doesn’t matter what I am. I’m here for you, Rich and to settle things with you old man,” Jack screamed.
Jack grabbed Donald and tossed him over the edge of the cliff into the valley as well.
Rich ran, but a villager grabbed him.
“We will give you the runt, if you promise to leave us alone, Jack,” a second villager said.
“What do you think you are doing?” Rich asked.
“I’m trading you for our safety,” the second villager replied.
“Why do you think I would take the runt and leave you alone?” Jack asked.
“Because the runt is who you were after to begin with. Am I wrong?” the second villager added.
“I know, but this has become exciting for me. It’s like a little adventure, a blast from the past.”
“Why is everything about food with you, us as your food?” Rich asked.
“It’s not. I don’t eat my kind. I already told you. Your mother should have taught you some respect. You don’t know how to speak to your father. If you were my food, I wouldn’t have tossed poor Donald over the cliff’s edge or the other one.”
“You have no right to talk about my mother. If you are my father, I’m glad I never knew you. You died a long time ago to me. You killed our chances at actual food, at proper trade. You single-handedly starved our village. You killed Donald, our elder.”
“Accusations, I was the village elder first,” Jack said as he ran toward Rich and grabbed him out of the arms of the villager. “Fair trade, I’d say. I don’t want to leave the village, though. This is my home. But we need to agree. Anyone who doesn’t want me as their new town elder shall be tossed over the edge as well. I think that is an even fairer trade,” Jack said.
“Villagers, what do you say?” Jack added.
“Aye,” most of the villagers said. About five didn’t. Everyone in disagreement was rounded up and put into a large cage.
The entire day was quiet. When the darkness came, the silence continued. The moon was uncovered by clouds and the brightness made everything easy to see. The five villagers had given up. They knew in a few hours, they would all be sacrificed. According to the stories of Jack, they would be tied up and more than likely cooked alive. Jack would surely get the enjoyment out of their torture and eating them. As bad as Rich’s feet hurt, he looked at the sky and made a promise to his mother. I may die trying to kill my father, but I will die fighting. In reality, Jack is not my father, because I am fatherless.
All night long, the five men only managed to loosen one rod on the cage. It was so loose that by the next morning Rich came by and removed it, sliding it into his pants leg. He hoped it would allow the men to escape and give him just enough time to put up a fight against Jack.
“Did you sleep well?” Jack asked the prisoners as the sun now lit up the sky.
No one had slept. Everyone was exhausted.
“I figured there wasn’t any point in sleeping, knowing that all these men are going to die today,” Rich said.
“You figured right, son,” Jack said with a laugh. “If you weren’t my son, I would have killed you first. But you have so much to learn.”
“OK,” Rich said.
Jack seemed confused.
“You agree that you need to learn so much more from me?”
“Yep,” Rich said.
Jack grabbed Rich by his hair.
Rich screamed in pain as he felt his scalp separating from his head. Then he was tossed onto the ground.
Seeing this, one man broke out of the cage and started charging at Jack. Jack took a stab with his knife and missed. The man tackled Jack to the ground. Jack threw the man off him and held his knife up high.
“I made my knife out of bone. Bone from another giant like me. I won that battle. And I ate him one bite at a time. You all won’t last half as long as he did,” Jack said.
Rich, scared and in shock, backed his way toward the cliff with every lunge Jack made toward him. Rich was running out of space.
“You ate another one of us? You lied to us!” Rich said.
“Where are you going to go now?” Jack asked with a smile on his face as Rich was now teetering on the edge of the cliff.
One more step and he would fall to his death like so many others had before him.
“Nowhere to go,” Rich said, and Jack stepped toward him one more time. Rich grabbed Jack and forced him to take one step off the cliff.
With his knife hand, Jack dropped his knife over the cliff’s edge and grabbed Rich back. The two became intertwined and lost their balance. They both tumbled into the air as they began dropping to the bottom of the valley. As they quickly fell, it was hard to hold on to each other.
“I just wanted to be with you, son,” Jack screamed.
It was a miscommunication that led to tragedy. It wasn’t long before they hit the ground. Of course, they were both gone upon impact. They left an enormous crater as well, according to witnesses. One thing led to another, and villagers from the top of the valley finally communicated with the little people at the bottom. First, they organized funeral arrangements because they needed two huge graves dug and there was no way either party could get the bodies back to the top of the valley again. This also cost money, money that neither village had. But after they were both buried, it single-handedly opened the doorway to trade. It was a dream both Jack and Rich had to bring both communities together. Over time, the people at the top of the valley experienced everything the people at the bottom of the valley had experienced. Of course, the products came in bigger sizes as well. Most importantly, the practice of eating other people ended with a minor sacrifice and a giant thud.
Copyright © 2022 by R.B. Stoker
