The Curious Troll

by Paul J. Ward

  “We wait, young Curl,” he replied quietly, “We wait.”

  CHAPTER 6

  It felt like an age had past by since they’d left the protection of the woods

  Curl had quickly fallen asleep and Eve’rern past the time by throwing pebbles at the troll’s head. (Now you must never throw pebbles, or anything else for that matter, at anyone. That would be very naughty and very bad. Remember, trolls have very hard heads, a bit like stone walls, so Curl wouldn’t have felt a thing).

  Now Ever’rern knew that this was mean, but then elves also have a mischievous nature. Ever’rern guessed that was why Morzom the elf had turned into such a bad and evil wizard.

  So you may be wondering why Ever’rern, who was after all a good and kindly elf, throwing pebbles at Curl’s concrete head?

  It was because Curl was snoring. The troll’s loud snorts were hurting Eve’rern’s delicate, elfin ears. It was torture!

  Now, Eve’rern had shouted in Curl’s ears to wake him up but to no avail.

  He’d climbed up onto the troll’s big chest and shook him by the shoulders (although it was like trying to shake a boulder).

  He’d jumped up and down on his chest until he was out of breath.

  He’d pulled the long whiskers on his chin.

  He’d tickled his ears and pulled them.

  He’d poked him in the eyes.

  Nothing but nothing had worked!

  So Ever’rern had resignedly dropped to the ground in defeat and thrown pebbles at Curl’s head. No, that hadn’t worked either.

  He stopped throwing pebbles and collapsed onto his back.

  Moments later he shot back up again. He’d got it!

  “Dragon!” he screamed as loudly as he could. “Dragon!”

  Curl leapt to his feet, like a lighting bolt, his eyes like saucers.

  Now, this was the first actually fib that Eve’rern had told. “Sorry!” the elf exclaimed. “My mistake! It must have been a cleaver, passing over the treetops.”

  “Uh?” was all that Curl uttered, rubbing his sleepy eyes. He settled back onto the floor, feeling so, so drowsy.

  “No!” Eve’rern shouted, his poor ears still ringing. “We need to go into the pasture to meet the dragon. Come along now! He’ll be here soon!”

  Curl gave a tied frown. “But you said not to leave the woods,” the troll reminded the elf.

  “We will only stray a little way from the woods,” Eve’rern explained. “Just far enough, so you can see the dragon clearly.”

  The elf looked up at the blue sky between the tops of trees. He hoped the dragon would come.

  Eve’rern walked towards the tree line, the sphere still shining in his hand.

  Curl, the curious troll, ambled slowly after him.

  CHAPTER 7

  Curl had somehow managed not to fall asleep again. He yawned loudly, scaring the birds into flight from the canopy of the trees.

  Even Curl’s yawning managed to hurt Eve’rern’s delicate ears. The elf covered his ears to diminish the sound, wondering how trolls managed to stay quiet, and for long enough, to scare anybody.

  Finally Eve’rern saw what he’d been looking for. A familiar black shape was approaching them, its wings flapping slowly on the warm, mid-sun (midday) air.

  “Look!” Eve’rern shouted excitedly. “He’s coming!” The elf positively jumped on the spot with excitement.

  Curl, pulled a face and squinted. He couldn’t see a thing. A troll’s eyesight wasn’t the best. An elf’s on the other hand, was as sharp as a cleaver’s. “Uh?” Curl exclaimed, rubbing his eyes. It didn’t help.

  “Look!” Eve’rern said again, holding out the glowing sphere to Curl. “Watch!”

  As Curl watched, the sparkling sphere cleared to reveal a blue, cloudless sky. Suddenly, a creature emerged, the like of which Curl had never seen before. He watched, mesmerised by the spectacle.

  “Is that a dragon?” he asked, not taking his eyes from the sphere.

  “Yes, yes!” Eve’rern answered. “I wasn’t sure he would come, but with the blessing of Logoss, he has!”

  It had been a while since he’d summoned the dragon. The last time had been many anni (years) ago when he’d run into trouble with some orcs.

  It hadn’t ended well for the orcs. They were just the most deplorable creatures in the whole of the Globe (Earth). Well, at least as deplorable as the Cyclops.

  Curl squinted at the sky again and sure enough he could see the dragon now, approaching them fast. There was a sudden spout of flame from the dragon’s mouth, as if it was letting them know it was on its way.

  “He’s seen us!” Eve’rern declared happily but then a sudden look of worry descended on the elf’s face. Dragon’s definitely didn’t like trolls. “By the way Curl, please do exactly as I say.”

  Curl nodded, speechless, wishing that Strim was here with him now. But he knew his cousin would never have come. She would live out all of her days in the Black Swamp, foraging for food at night and sleeping by day, just like trolls did.

  Meanwhile Eve’rern was thinking, tapping a finger on his lips. His sphere had now vanished, the power to summon a tatsu (dragon) no longer required. “I’ve got it!” the elf suddenly declared. “I’ll tell him you’re terribly lost and have no idea how to get back home. I’ll say I was worried about you, after you befriended an elf. Me that is! You see, young Curl, trolls don’t make friends, so he shouldn’t eat you or anything nasty like that. Oh no! You’ll be perfectly fine!”

  Eve’rern stopped rambling and looked at the troll’s face that was a mask of confusion.

  “Uh?” Curl said.

  “Never mind,” Eve’rern finished, turning to watch the dragon as it swooped towards the ground. “Lets just hope he’s had lunch or you might have to give him a leg to chew on.”

  The elf gave the troll a cheeky grin. Curl still looked confused. Eve’rern rolled his eyes and shook his head, knowing that there was no chance of a Troll Empire anytime soon.

  “Well, if he’s hungry, he can have these,” Curl declared and, like a magician, produced the half eaten bag of nuts and berries that Eve’rern had given him arns (hours) ago.

  Eve’rern scratched his head, looking blank, wondering how the troll had hidden the half consumed bag of food.

  And then the elf prince of the Giverish Kingdom, burst out laughing.

  CHAPTER 8

  “Why did you summon me, little one?” the dragon asked, sounding quite angry. “Do you need saving from this child of a troll?”

  “No, no, no,” Eve’rern replied hastily, as the dragon loomed over them both. “He’s erm, well, he’s er, a friend. Well, a friend of sorts.”

  The elf gave the dragon an uncertain, toothy smile.

  The dragon dropped his huge head and his jaws snapped open just above Eve’rern’s locks of blonde hair. “Since when did the elven race become friends of trolls?” the dragon boomed. “You’ll be telling me next that you’ve befriended orcs next.”

  Eve’rern looked horrified at the thought. Orcs were like lizards, just a lot bigger. Oh, and they carried nasty weapons.

  “Hello dragon,” Curl cut in, without any fear or apprehension at the sight of the great monster in front of them. “My name is Curl, from the Black Swamp. What name do you go by?”

  Eve’rern looked between the troll and the dragon in alarm. Curl wasn’t supposed to start asking the millennia old dragon questions.

  It just wasn’t dragon etiquette!

  The dragon reared back onto its hind legs, raised its head skyward, and unleashed a vertical column of fire.

  Curl laughed delightedly. Eve’rern slapped himself in the forehead and glared at the young troll.

  “Don’t ask him questions!” the elf ordered in the loudest whisper that he could utter. “Just let me do the talking!”

  Curl’s stony face managed to look hurt.

  The dragon’s huge, clawed front feet thudded back onto the earth, sending a shockwave under Curl and Eve’rern�
��s feet.

  “My name is Tail Hammer,” the dragon boomed, his jaws snapping close to Curl’s bulbous nose.

  The troll didn’t flinch. “Why?” Curl asked, innocently.

  The elf slapped himself in the forehead again. Trolls were even more stupid than Cyclops he decided.

  Tail Hammer’s huge tail slammed into the ground next to Curl, lifting the troll clean off his feet. Curl stumbled to regain his balance and fell on top of the unsuspecting elf.

  “Get off me!” Eve’rern shouted, but it sounded muffled and funny. Not that the elf was amused in the least.

  Curl rolled off the elf and sat up, staring at Tail Hammer. “Well, now I see why you’re called Tail Hammer,” Curl said, before spitting out some dirt from his mouth.

  Eve’rern jumped back onto his bare feet, and began dusting off his lovely blue jacket and golden buttons.

  “I fear you’ve called me here for little reason, elf,” Tail Hammer boomed, his huge red eyes burning angrily. “The last time you called me you were having some problems with our friends, the orcs. On that occasion a belly full of orc meat was reward enough, but trolls are just loose flesh and gristle.

  “Does this little one have any fattened companions hiding?” Tail Hammer asked, looking into the nearby trees. “Is that it, friend elf, are they holding you hostage? Do they intend to ambush me, too?”

  Tail Hammer’s eyes looked amused by this. A giant of a troll had tried to capture him before, using some very thick netting. That’s when he’d found out that trolls make very poor meals.

  “Okay, let me explain, dear friend Tail Hammer,” Eve’rern said boldly. The elf gave Curl a look that told the troll that if he so much as said another word, he would scream that he had been kidnapped!

  Curl seemed to get the message and drew his thick, hairy fingers across his mouth.

  “I admit this isn’t exactly a life or death situation!” Eve’rern exclaimed, waving his arms at the dragon’s head.

  “So you admit to being in breach of the tatsu (dragon) and elvish agreement!” Tail Hammer roared, as black smoke billowed out of his nostrils.

  “Yes, but for the greater good!” Eve’rern shouted in reply quickly. “You see, friend Tail Hammer, this young troll was lost! And I have no knowledge of the Black Swamp. Besides, the elves are no friends of the trolls. They would have torn me apart and chewed on my bones!”

  The dragon extended his huge wings, which blocked out the sun, casting the elf and troll into shadow. “But this was no concern of yours!” Tail Hammer roared. “You could have left him to wander through the woods alone!”

  “But that’s the point!” Eve’rern exclaimed. “He’s not like the other trolls!”

  “What do you mean?” Tail Hammer said, thrusting his nostrils at Curl. “He looks and stinks like any other troll to me.”

  Eve’rern shook his head. “No!” Eve’rern said. “This one is different. He offered me friendship!” He glanced at Curl and, with a cheeky grin, added, “But he does stink!”

  The dragon withdrew his monstrous head as if such an idea was truly preposterous. “Have you lost you mind, friend Eve’rern? Perhaps you have been travelling alone for too long? Trolls are like glinphs!”

  “Gliffs?” Curl said, looking at the elf.

  “Shut up!” Eve’rern said, pointing a warning finger at the troll.

  “Trolls do not make friends,” Tail Hammer concluded. “In fact, they even hate their own kind.”

  “Yes, yes, yes!” Eve’rern agreed, sounding cross, “but this one is different! He’s a curious troll! I mean who’d have thought it! A curious troll!”

  The elf laughed, as if it was the most outrageous thing in the whole of the Globe.

  Tail Hammer grunted. “Yes, that is unusual for a troll,” the dragon conceded. “Trolls are normally content to live in their own stink, with no interest in the outside world. Unless he has been summoned by the evil one himself, Morzom?”

  Eve’rern shook his head again. “No, there is no malice in his heart,” the elf replied, “only curiosity. He desired to see a dragon and I repaid his friendship by summoning you!”

  “A dragon?” Tail Hammer repeated in surprise. “So you summoned me?”

  “Perhaps such a troll could be useful in Landfall!” Eve’rern continued, feeling the tide was turning in his favour. “Perhaps only a mighty one like yourself can truly judge his character? Surely judging this troll’s heart as good or evil is just as important as fighting off a band of orcs?”

  Tail Hammer nodded his great head in agreement with the elf’s words.

  “Come!” Tail Hammer ordered, lowering his great wings to the ground. “Let us fly together, dragon, elf and troll!”

  Eve’rern turned to Curl and grinned.

  “I’m like a cliff?” Curl asked, somewhat dumbly.

  Eve’rern shook his head and blew out his little elven cheeks. During moments like this, returning home to Giverish seemed like a really sensible thing to do.

  CHAPTER 9

  “Now hold on tight!” Eve’rern ordered the troll impatiently. They were finally sat on the back of the enormous dragon.

  Curl had been slow, finding it hard to climb up the huge barbs on the dragon’s body. The sharp, bony barbs made footholds of sorts, not that you would want to slip and fall on one.

  Now that would hurt!

  “Oh, do hurry up!” Tail Hammer boomed moodily, as Eve’rern and Curl finally settled down. To be fair, Eve’rern had been quick, only to be delayed by the lumbering efforts of Curl.

  “We’re ready, friend Tail Hammer!” Eve’rern declared. The elf was satisfied that Curl was securely attached to the long cords that were tied to some barbs. The elf had used two sets of cords to secure the larger troll. The riding cords had been made from thick seaweed, washed up on the shores from the Berith Sea.

  Tail Hammer had carried passengers many times before, but only elves.

  “We’re ready!” Curl shouted excitedly. “Fly dragon, fly!”

  Tail Hammers head swung around and a large green eye studied the troll. A burst of flame exploded from the dragon’s mouth, followed by billowing black smoke from his nostrils.

  Eve’rern slapped his forehead again. It hurt! He really must stop doing that. “It’s not a good idea to give a dragon orders,” Eve’rern said, trying to be as patient as possible. “They get very upset.”

  Curl’s bottom lip dropped. “But I only told him to fly, like you!”

  “No,” Eve’rern replied, folding his slender arms. “I simply said ‘we’re ready.’ Clear difference.”

  Curl looked at the elf dumbly. He really didn’t get it.

  “Oh, never mind,” Eve’rern said with a sigh, knowing that trolls were of little brain.

  Suddenly they were off as Tail Hammer launched into the air as gently as possible. But it was still a jerky ride and Eve’rern laughed delightedly. It had been many periods (months) since he’d last ridden the dragon and it was usually while under great peril. But this was just plain, old-fashioned fun!

  “Whoaa!” the elf cried out excitedly, as the dragon banked over the woods. His massive wings beat at the air in great swoops. It wasn’t graceful but it was powerful. Eve’rern looked across at Curl and the troll had gone very, very green!

  “I need to be home before sunfall!” Curl managed to blurt out; his hands gripping the cords like his life depended on it.

  Well, of course his life did depend on it!

  “Yes, yes!” Tail Hammer boomed, his great head swinging around. “Don’t fret my young troll! I’ll have you back at the Black Swamp before nightfall.”

  The dragon unleashed a massive ball of fire that caused his great long neck to quiver. Unbeknown to Curl, this was the dragon simply getting rid of explosive gases from his gut.

  Trolls did a similar thing but from their bottoms! (A bit like humans).

  “Look!” Eve’rern suddenly shouted, pointing towards the ground. “Look, Curl, look! Unicorns!”

&
nbsp; A band of unicorns had emerged from the trees into open pasture. They were clearly unaware of the dragon as he glided just above the canopy of the trees. Not that the unicorns had anything to fear from Tail Hammer.

  “Unicons!” Curl exclaimed, pointing with a stubby finger. He quickly grabbed the cords with both hands again as he felt his bottom slide backwards on the dragon’s leathery hide.