The Giant I woke the Giant this morning as usual. I did so by rolling a boulder onto his head. Initially it had little effect of course, because to the Giant my boulder was, of course, a mere pebble. But it did stir him from absolute torpor, starting a chain of snuffling, snorting and stirring events that finally climaxed in his rising. His yawn was thunder. He lifted his massive head, then neck, then chest and sat. And yawned explosively once again. I prepared myself for the jump as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. The touchiest part of my day, every time.

A split second to run across the bed as he rises from it, a fraction of that to squat into the most effective jumping position, and just the most tiny of moments that must be perfect as I leap from the edge of the bed to the huge hill that is the top of the muscle of his calf. There! My day begins.

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