Coal Black and the Seven Giants: A Tale of Freedom

Once, in a town hidden among thick forests and gentle hills, there lived a girl named Coal Black. Her skin was dark as midnight, her hair curled like soft clouds of smoke, and her eyes shimmered like stars trapped in onyx. She was beautiful, though she did not know it, and her beauty was her curse.

Coal Black lived in the large stone house at the center of the village, a house that loomed over the tiny cottages surrounding it like a watchful hawk. This house belonged to the Chief, a man with cold eyes and greedy hands, who ruled the town as though he owned not just the land but the people who lived upon it. And in many ways, he did, for the servants in the house were bought and sold like cattle, valued only for their ability to clean floors, cook meals, or wash laundry.

Coal Black was one of these servants. She was born under the Chief’s roof, raised by her father and stepmother, who loved her dearly but could not protect her from the Chief’s plans. She spent her days sweeping ash from the hearth, scrubbing floors until her hands blistered, and carrying water from the well until her arms ached. At night, she lay beside her parents in their small servant’s room, whispering stories to herself to drown out the sound of the Chief’s laughter echoing through the halls.

On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, as the last rays of sunlight turned the sky a bruised purple, Coal Black’s stepmother pulled her aside.

“Child,” her stepmother whispered, her eyes wet, “tomorrow you will turn sixteen. I heard the Chief say he has sold you to a wealthy prince from a faraway kingdom. His servants are coming for you in the morning.”

Coal Black felt as if the world had slipped from under her feet. “No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “No, I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to marry a prince I have never met.”

Her stepmother held her close, brushing a tear from Coal Black’s cheek. “I know, child. But there is nothing we can do.”

The next morning, the Chief’s men loaded her into a wooden carriage with barred windows. She heard the jingle of coins as the Chief accepted payment from the prince’s messenger—a portly man with sharp eyes and a cruel smile. “Five hundred gold pieces,” the messenger said, and the Chief’s eyes glinted like a fox spotting a chicken.

Coal Black was taken away, leaving behind the only home she had ever known, even if it had been a cage.

For days, the carriage rattled along rough roads, and Coal Black’s heart pounded with fear of the unknown. Meals were shoved through a flap in the door, and the only light she saw was the thin silver glow of moonlight slipping through the cracks.

On the second day, as noon’s light burned above the treetops, the world tilted. The carriage lurched violently, throwing Coal Black against the wooden walls. The door shattered, and she crawled out, coughing dust from her lungs.

Outside, chaos reigned. Seven giants, towering like trees, their skin a mottled green, had attacked the caravan. They swung clubs made from tree trunks, scattering the prince’s men like leaves in a storm. Coal Black, seeing her chance, slipped away, her bare feet silent on the forest floor as she fled into the shadows.

She walked for hours, the forest alive with the songs of birds and the rustle of unseen creatures. As the sun began to sink, she found a clearing so beautiful it took her breath away. Flowers in every color bloomed in wild patches, and in the center stood a massive wooden house, built from entire tree trunks, with windows so large they looked like doorways.

Coal Black crept to the door and knocked, her heart thundering in her chest.

Silence.

She knocked again. Still, no answer.

She stepped back, wondering if she should leave, when a sudden crash echoed from the forest. The giants had returned, carrying heavy sacks filled with supplies stolen from the caravan. Panicked, Coal Black dove beneath a bush, holding her breath.

The giants approached the house, arguing about who had the keys.

“Big Feet has them,” said one with thick eyebrows.

“No, Small Feet has them,” argued another, pointing to a giant with hilariously tiny feet for his size.

“I don’t have them!” Small Feet protested. “Big Ears has them!”

Big Ears, his ears wide as platters, huffed, “Pointy Nose has them!”

Finally, the giant with a long, pointy nose scratched his chin. “I don’t have them. I hid them… in the bushes near the door.”

Coal Black froze.

A massive hand reached into the bush and lifted her into the air as if she were a feather. She found herself staring into green eyes beneath bushy brows.

“What do we have here?” the giants boomed in unison, their voices like rolling thunder.

“Please,” Coal Black whispered, “don’t hurt me. I am just a servant girl trying to escape.”

“Escape?” said Flat Nose, tilting his head.

“I… I was sold to a prince. I don’t want to go. Please, I don’t know where else to go,” Coal Black pleaded, tears slipping down her cheeks.

The giants looked at each other, confusion crossing their rugged faces.

“We only attack evil men who hurt others,” said Big Ears softly.

“Do you think we’re monsters?” asked Small Feet, blinking.

Coal Black swallowed, glancing at their massive frames and the stolen sacks. “I… I didn’t know what to think.”

Pointy Nose laughed, a deep, kind laugh that rumbled like a drum. “Well, we’re not monsters. And we won’t hurt you.”

“But… I have nowhere to go,” Coal Black said, her voice small.

The giants looked at each other, nodding slowly. “Then stay with us,” said Bushy Brows. “You will be safe here.”

And so Coal Black began a new life with the seven giants—Big Feet, Small Feet, Flat Nose, Pointy Nose, Bushy Brows, Big Ears, and Small Ears. They taught her to fish in the river, to cook over the great hearth, and to tend the flowers in the meadow. In return, she helped them keep the house clean, humming softly as she swept the floors of the giant rooms.

For the first time in her life, Coal Black was free.

Seasons passed, and word of the prince’s missing bride reached distant lands. The prince himself came searching, with guards and hunters, to reclaim what he believed was his.

When they found the wooden house in the clearing, they tried to seize Coal Black. But the giants stood before her, their eyes blazing, refusing to let her be taken.

“You cannot own her,” said Flat Nose, his voice trembling with anger.

“She is not yours to claim,” Big Ears added.

And when the prince ordered his men to attack, the giants roared, shaking the forest, and drove them away, never to return.

Coal Black, standing among her friends, felt something bloom in her heart that she had never felt before—courage. She realized she was no longer a servant, no longer property to be bought or sold. She was free, and she was home.

Years later, stories spread of a girl with midnight skin who lived with seven giants, guarding the forest and helping those who were lost. Some said she was a witch, others said she was a fairy. But those who found her in the clearing with the giants knew the truth:

She was Coal Black, the girl who found her freedom among giants who became her family.

And she lived, truly lived, for the rest of her days, under the open sky, in a house built from trees, surrounded by the laughter of giants and the music of the forest.

Moral of the Story:

Freedom is worth fighting for, and true family is found in those who protect your right to live with dignity and love.