An indestructible golem is slowly but tirelessly tearing the village down, one brick at a time.

It was a simple town. Not one of metal, but of brick and mortar, and its people laid the foundations themselves long ago, settling where none had dared before. The people were as steadfast and strong as the walls they built to keep them safe. But their resolve was broken bit by bit until nothing of their creation remained. Sitting in a valley on the outskirts of the country sat this small town, surrounded by snowy mountains and flowing rivers. In the summer, the sun shined brightly and cool breezes flooded the valley, and in the winter, the horrid storms were kept at bay by the mountainous terrain. To the settlers, it was a new start. To others, it was home. As they built the new town in a small prairie, a being watched from the hills. The golem, having been alone since its creation, was curious about the small creatures who had come to lay claim to what was no doubt his. He watched for years, never revealing himself, never coming out from the shadows. All the while, he admired their work from afar. Such wondrous creations were erected that he had never seen before, let alone imagine them, and he learned of the people’s ways. The golem felt new feelings that had never occurred before and carefully studied himself, constantly comparing himself to the new dwellers of the valley. Was he mad that they had appeared seemingly out of nowhere and claimed his home? No, it was never truly his home, just a world he had fallen out of so long ago. Was he excited about such new opportunities? No, if he was, he would have already made his presence known. After some careful deliberation, the golem decided he was envious of the humans. They explored the valley and found a purpose in the natural eddies of the wild. They sculpted wonders, they cooked marvellous feasts. So many things the golem could not do. Only then realizing he could have done these things before they appeared, but his time had passed. He did not eat or sleep; he had no need of feasts and revelry. Every day since the humans came, he questioned his purpose. Why should they alone have the things they create, he thought, why can I not have what they have? Years after the initial settling, the golem made his entrance into the town. He lumbered in slowly and with purpose. A purpose he knew would get him what he wanted. His large form of stone and clay stomped through the town, sending the villagers back into their homes in fear. On and on he strode until he came to the memorial statue in the town square. It towered over the rest of the town and consisted of thousands of small red bricks, stacked high into the sky. Before he reached it, several brave villagers stood fast in front of him, pitchforks and weapons raised. Nothing was going to harm their town, not even a monster like him. This didn’t slow the golem at all. He waded through the small barricade as if walking through a field of tall grass. At the base of the statue, he grabbed a corner and pulled. With nearly no effort, he loosened a brick until it popped out and he cradled it in his arm. As he turned around, he found the villagers once again up in arms, this time far more determined to stop him. The golem did not desire to harm them, he had gotten what he came for. Slowly but surely, he walked out of town and back into the hills where the villagers could not find him. Once alone in a small plain, he placed the brick on the ground and let his imagination take hold of him. Every day after the initial romp through town, the golem walked into the town -scaring the villagers at first- and plucked one brick from the buildings. Ceaselessly, he brought back his small bounty to his plains every day and stacked the bricks in just the way he wanted. Time passed, and it became known that the golem could not be stopped, no matter how hard they tried. They could not call for help so far away from their homeland and they could barely call their policing militia an army. They were at the mercy of the slow reduction of local infrastructure. For years, the people resisted the change and replaced the missing pieces, attempting to halt the slow disassembly of their home. One brick was easy to replace, after all. No one knew what the golem did with the bricks and mortar he took, though few were brave enough to attempt to follow him. Somehow, the golem always eluded his hunters, so the people concocted rumours and tall tales of what the golem might do. What if he took something else? Maybe a child that stayed up too late? Maybe a lone wanderer would get grabbed in the night. They whispered and deluded themselves, but life went on and their business continued, working around the daily interruption of the golem. One day, the golem took two bricks and began to take more and more supplies from his visits. Lumber and metal went missing, coils or rope disappearing in the night. Many feared for their lives now that the golem had begun to accelerate his plan. A man wandered into the valley one fateful night and was perplexed by the golem’s actions. Why only take such simple things? There was more than enough loot to plunder. The wanderer decided to track the golem, sure that he would not fail where others had. For weeks the wanderer followed the large footsteps in the mud and sand, spending long nights out in the wild. Finally, the wanderer found the plain the golem had claimed so long ago. Where there once lay a flat land of firm soil and blooming flowers, now stood several buildings of brick and wood in the exact same style as the village. Before the man could leave to tell the people, he was stopped by the golem. The golem asked what he was doing in his home and why he was here. The man, afraid for his life, pleaded for mercy for his trespass and that he meant no ill will. The golem sat down with the man and told him of his home. There was not much to say about it -it was far from complete- but the golem wanted a home like the people had, one that he could call his own. He did not have the materials or skills required to acquire the means to build his new home, so he took from the village. Not enough to cause harm, but enough to work with. The wanderer asked why the golem had not simply asked for help from the people and told him that the people would be understanding of his desires. The golem admitted his hesitance and said that he was not like them and that his creation must be his own. Convinced that the golem posed no notable threat, the man left the small replica town and relayed what he learned with the villagers. Unrest stirred amongst the people and for days they bickered, all the while the golem came for his daily take. After several town hall meetings and angry rants, the people came to a decision. If they were to solve this problem, they would need to compromise with the “beast”. They sent the wanderer back out to the plains with a proposition; they supplied the golem with materials so he could continue his construction and he would leave them alone in trade. He was delighted to hear this proposal and, using the new materials at his disposal, began feverishly hastening his project. Day and night, he built and sculpted just as the people had done, never stopping to think what he might do with it all. Tragedy struck the town suddenly as a fire erupted from the bakery, consuming most of the town. Homeless and aimless, many people had nowhere to go. The materials needed for construction were being put elsewhere and no new houses were available. So they did the only thing they could. The golem was surprised to see so many approach him and ask for lodging in his newly constructed homes. The thought of someone other than him living in them had not crossed his mind, and there were so many in need of just what he had. There was nothing to do but accept. Slowly, the village people moved their belongings and family into the new houses that seemed the spitting image of their former homes. He continued his work and made more and more houses and buildings, including the town hall and memorial. But not once did his delivery from the village fail to arrive. Word was spread of the wonderous new buildings and location of the golem’s plains and soon the villagers of the town became curious. More and more people moved into the new homes until the original colony was empty, an empty shell of a once vibrant town. With no new deliveries, the golem ran out of supplies. He once again made his daily visits to the old town and slowly removed pieces of the buildings, bringing them back to the new community. Time passed and soon nothing remained of the original town. Just stone foundations and darkened patches of soil left behind. The people lived happily in the new town and built alongside the golem who had found his new purpose. For the first time in his long life, he was happy with his lot. He created and built his own path, albeit from the building blocks of others, but he was proud. Though nothing is left of the founded town, its people are living in a home far better than the one they left behind. A home for a home, a past for a future.