Three-Legged Mongoose and Giant

"I must draw a story to challenge and resist their stories, I must draw a story to reclaim stories."

Novelist Wu Ming-Yi's first picture book, a picture book co-created by fictional characters and the novelist himself.

With the two works, "The Three-legged Crab-eating Mongoose and the Giant" and "The Hotel by the Sea", some people read the picture book first and then the novel; others read the novel first, then entered the world of the picture book. Regardless of the order, as long as one reads, one can feel that the works are both independent and connected, each a complete life, a new season beyond spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Whenever the season of silvergrass blossoms arrives, the girl remembers the path leading to the giant's heart.

"She will always remember how the three-legged crab-eating mongoose led her into the 'Giant's Heart', and she wants to retell the story of this giant, distorted by the cement factory."

"She doesn't want people to forget that there was once a giant here, and only remember the cement factory."

One morning, a small, pointy-nosed animal peeked out from the grass, lifted its right paw, missing a foot, and let out an urgent snort.

"Whenever its surroundings quieted down, the pointy-nosed animal would also want to tell the girl about itself. How it struggled to escape the leg-hold trap, how it fainted under the giant's eyelashes, and how it was protected and reborn in the 'Giant's Heart'. There, it met other injured animals; some had lost their forest homes, some were sick from polluted water, and some, like it, had lost a leg due to a leg-hold trap."

They stepped on the thick fallen leaves, each step like a dance, each step making a sound like breaking bones.

"In front of that tree so massive that everything else seemed insignificant, the pointy-nosed animal carefully selected several heart-shaped fallen leaves and placed them before the girl and Idas. Then, it began to chew one of them, gesturing with its eyes for them to do the same."

"Huff and puff slowly, huff and puff, don't rush, yearn like a butterfly larva chewing leaves, be patient like the rising and setting sun, huff and puff, my heart's voice, will enter your heart, huff."

The animals gradually drew closer. They surrounded the girl, as if preparing to listen to a story, or to tell one.

The whole world fell silent...

Shhh.