None of us had slept that evening.

We all watched in horror as we shivered from the cold.

It was actual frost.

We had heard those stories of the past. Our ancestors put their lives at stake to get all the families out of the colder areas and into this paradise. We have lived in warmth and peace for the last thousand years. This tropical climate has helped us grow bigger and stronger, a place where we could flourish. Why would we suddenly have frost here?

Did it have something to do with the giants?

The giants live within sight of our home, but they rarely bother us. We have gotten in each other's way several times over the centuries, as we don't speak the same language. Some of our people had snuck into their homes, hoping the submersion would help us understand them, but it never worked.

We have found that if we leave them alone, they leave us alone. The smaller giants have sometimes been an issue and tried to kill us, but the bigger ones have stopped them. The assumption made by the elders over the centuries continued to make sense-they want peace as much as we do.

As we all shivered and huddled together, our elders continued their long meetings to decide what should be done. I could feel my heartbeat slowing from the cold, wondering why this was happening to us.

Pulling away from the others, I worked my way past the masses, leaving our home behind. If there was a way to save us, I needed to find it. When the cold hit me, I stepped back and took stock of my choices. I could go back and wait for the elders to decide, or I could go into this frozen wasteland that used to be our home.

Looking around, I saw the ice crystals in the light of the new dawn. But I also noticed something else. An enormous machine was humming beside the entrance to our town. The cold seemed to come from it. As I looked around, I could see only the surrounding area had frost.

Were the giants finally trying to kill us?

In the distance, I saw one giant heading directly towards me. Petrified for a moment, some instinct within me took over, and I screamed. I wanted the others to run and save themselves. I backed up slowly, watching the giant gain ground.

I felt the ground shake with each step. It took a moment to realize there were two of them, one less than half the size of the other. They were making a ton of noise with what we believe may be their language.

"Billy! What were you thinking?" the bigger one yelled.

"I just borrowed it."

"Your grandmother can not handle the heat in June. I bought this unit for her, not for you to plug it up and play with it outside!"

"I'm sorry, Momma. I just wanted to see what would happen."

"Happen?"

"Yeah. With the ants..."

(Google Doc word count is 504. Edited by SeraDrake)