Pleasure From Pain (story by R.C. Peris)

The giant, Gelph could not eat. He had no hunger. He was a glum giant. His mind was crammed with memories of his dead wife and child. After his wife gave birth, the God of Winter blasted her with icy misery. Mother and child became a block of ice. Then a massive blizzard came and it lifted the block of ice out to sea. Mother and child became an iceberg in a deep, dark water. It is a distinctive double peaked iceberg. One large peak. One small peak. It is called Isa by the peoples of Elora and Diem.

Gelph was away when his wife gave birth. He had to fight a battle in a faraway kingdom. When he learned of the fate of his wife and child he cried. He cried so many tears that two new lakes formed. The people of Elora were happy as they had a new place to fish and pull water from.

Gelph became so sad he lost his appetite. He sat on his big chair in his big home and pulled his hair.

“Enough,” roared Gelph. He beat the side of his head and elves fell out of his ear. These elves were his sad memories and feelings of grief. The elves ran around mad and then invaded all the villages of Elora and destroyed so many things.

Gelph felt happy after he got rid of his memories and feelings. He ate all the food in his house but that wasn’t enough. He began to eat all the food in the fields, in the trees, in the forests, and in the bushes. The people of Elora had no more food and famine set in. So they built a catapult, rounded up the elves and then flung each one back at Gelph who was in a field eating corn.

Gelph wept and strode out to sea and drowned himself next to Isa. The people of Elora rejoiced.