The Curious Troll

by Paul J. Ward

  “Unicorns,” Eve’rern corrected Curl, wondering if he mispronounced everything. Curl was a troll, so of course he did.

  “U-nee-cons,” Curl said slowly, looking pleased with himself that he’d got it right this time.

  Not!

  Eve’rern just blew out his cheeks and nodded. What was the point?

  The unicorns had spotted Tail Hammer as he circled overhead. The mighty dragon did not perturb them. Tail Hammer was a friend of the unicorns and a familiar sight in the skies over Landfall.

  “Can you hear them?” Tail Hammer boomed, his great head swinging back and forth. “They’re singing!”

  “Singing?” Curl asked. The only thing he could hear was the air swishing past his ears.

  “Yes, they are singing!” Eve’rern exclaimed excitedly. “An honour! A true honour indeed!”

  Of course, Curl had no idea what either the dragon or the elf were talking about. But then he heard it, the faintest melody catching on the passing air. Curl was only used to the sounds of his fellow trolls belching and trumping or the popping of the gases from the Black Swamp!

  This sounded quite beautiful. Curl had never heard anything like it. Trolls neither made music nor sung. They simply ate, scared people, and slept.

  Not always in that order.

  “What is that?” Curl asked, entranced by the melody. The unicorns seemed to dance to the sound in the pasture.

  “It’s the song of the unicorn,” Eve’rern replied, knowing that trolls would never ordinarily experience such a thing. “They are singing to us, friend Curl!”

  Curl still looked confused. Well, of course he was. He was a troll. He ate, slept, and was learning to scare people.

  Always in that order!

  “Unicorns sing through their horns,” Eve’rern explained. “Their beautiful horns play the most enchanting music.”

  Curl nodded as if he understood. Of course he didn’t but he was getting tired of feeling foolish.

  “When I was a boy in Giverish,” Eve’rern continued, “bands of unicorns would come and sing to us. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Well, apart from Lilly that is! She was the most beautiful creature in the entire Globe!”

  The elf laughed at the memory but then his face turned sad, as if something terrible had happened.

  Perhaps it had.

  “It is boot-ee-full,” Curl agreed slowly, unable to take his eyes off the wonderful creatures with their golden horns. The horns sparkled in the sunlight, or perhaps that was some other magic at work.

  “Their song can be heard by merchant vessels, sailing across the Berith Sea,” Ever’rern said assuredly. He shielded his eyes from the sun with a small hand and looked longingly out towards the horizon.

  “What is this Be-it Sea?” Curl asked. “Can I see it?”

  Eve’rern looked at the height of the sun. It would soon be mid-sun (midday). “It is a great distance from here,” Eve’rern replied. “It would be doubtful if we could return you to the Black Swamp by sunfall.”

  “We can do it!” Tail Hammer boomed with a snort. (The elf could swear it sounded like a laugh). “Hold on!”

  Tail Hammer flapped his great wings with greater ferocity, and began climbing higher into the blue sky.

  Curl held on for dear life, the cords pulling tightly onto his hairy body as they climbed. “Whoaa!” Curl shouted, doing a pretty good impression of the elf.

  Eve’rern looked at his new friend and laughed. “Whoaa!” he shouted as well. “To the Berith Sea we go!”

  Curl managed to look back, feeling strangely sad that they were leaving the mystical unicons behind.

  Curl hoped he would see them again one sun (day).

  Well, you never know.

  CHAPTER 10

  “In the name of Logoss!” Eve’rern cried out, slapping his hand onto his forehead again. “How can he possibly be asleep?”

  The elf shook his head at the sleeping troll as the sound of Curl’s snoring filled the air.

  Curl seemed quite content with his chin resting on his chest. His hands still gripped the cords of seaweed while in his state of slumber.

  “Well, that is the primary past time of a troll,” Tail Hammer boomed, his mighty head twisting around so he could look at the elf with one eye. “There is only one other creature that I know of that can sleep as long as a troll.”

  Eve’rern pulled a face. In all of his travels he’d never known of any other creature to sleep as long as a troll. “Dragons perhaps?” he asked cheekily, with an elfish grin.

  A loud cackle came from Tail Hammer’s mouth as the dragon laughed good-heartedly. “Perhaps there is some truth to that,” he agreed, “but it was the race of men that I had in mind. Especially their offspring, for they seem to sleep for an age as they near maturity.”

  Tail Hammer knew this because he had once befriended a young prince of the mighty Analay’sai Kingdom. He’d been a dragon stricken by loneliness until he’d rescued the prince from a group of thugs. They’d become firm friends afterwards.

  Now, a lonely dragon is an oddity in itself, for dragons spend all of their lives alone. They don’t like company and most certainly don’t like the company of each other. That’s why they are so few in number and rarely have younglings.

  Curl’s loud and unpleasant snoring cut through the air again.

  “Perhaps we can wake him up,” Eve’rern suggested, thinking of his earlier attempts.

  “What did you have in mind?” Tail Hammer boomed, releasing a great plume of black smoke from his nostrils.

  Eve’rern coughed, wafting away the smoke as they flew through it. “How about,” he said and coughed, “a few nosedives? That should do the trick.”

  He’d always found that to be fun when he’d ridden with the dragon before. But then elves were quite adventurous types after all.

  Another loud cackle from Tail Hammer confirmed that the old dragon thought that would be a good idea too. “Why not,” the dragon agreed, with another puff of black smoke.

  This time Eve’rern ducked to miss the worst of the choking plume.

  “Here we go!” Tail Hammer boomed, folding back his great wings and swooping towards the ground. “Hold on tight!”

  Tail Hammer pitched into a virtual nosedive and Eve’rern cried out in delight. “Waooo!” he shouted with the broadest grin an elf could manage.

  Eve’rern looked across at Curl and troll was still sound asleep!

  Tail Hammer flapped his mighty wings and leveled off, before pitching forward into an even faster dive.

  Curl continued to snore, even louder now, as they hurtled towards the grassy meadows of Landfall below.

  Again, the mighty dragon leveled off, his giant head turning to look back at his passengers. “He sleeps like a rock!” Tail Hammer boomed, feeling aggrieved the troll hadn’t woken.

  Eve’rern on the other hand was beside himself with laughter.

  Tail Hammer lunged into another sharp dive much to Eve’rern’s delight. The dragon pitched and rolled until he grew utterly bored with it, snorting out great plumes of black smoke and the occasional burst of bright orange flame.

  Curl slept through the whole thing.

  ***

  A little while later, Curl yawned loudly and rubbed his tired eyes until they opened. “Did I miss anything?” the troll asked tiredly, looking across at the elf.

  Eve’rern couldn’t remember the last time he had enjoyed himself so much, as he returned Curl’s bleary eyed gaze.

  The elf shook his head with his cheeky, boyish grin. “Nah, you didn’t miss a thing,” he replied, as they flew on towards the Berith Sea.

  CHAPTER 11

  “Look! The sea!” Tail Hammer boomed, as he emerged from the cover of the clouds.

  The dragon dropped into a gentle dive, his wings outstretched and still.

  “The Be-it Sea?” Curl asked, looking down at the white frothy water that was washing onto the shore of Landfall.

  “The Berith Sea, yes,
” Eve’rern replied, knowing it was pointless correcting the troll.

  “It is so big!” Curl exclaimed. “It is the biggest swamp I’ve ever seen!”

  Eve’rern rubbed his temple tiredly. “Well, its not a swamp,” he attempted to explain. “Its just salt water really.”

  “Salt water?” Curl asked, looking confused. “Is it not sludge and slime?”

  Eve’rern shook his head. “Erm, no,” he replied, as the dragon swooped lower towards the gently rolling waves of dark water. “And creatures live in there too, like fish.”

  He decided not to mention that giant sea serpents and huge octopuses that lurked beneath the surface, among other horrors.

  Thankfully, these monstrous marine creatures, considered to be just myth by many, left the many ships that fished these waters alone. Well, at least most of the time, but that’s another story entirely.

  “So, its like a giant pond,” Curl concluded. He’d caught fish at the pond near the woods, well, with the help of his father.

  “Yes,” Eve’rern agreed with a grin. “I guess it is.”

  Curl looked pleased with himself.

  “Look! Tusken whales!” Tail hammer suddenly boomed, his great head swinging from one side to the other.

  Curl and Eve’rern looked down just as a great plume of white frothy water blasted into the air.

  “Look Curl, look!” Eve’rern said excitedly, pointing to where two large black shapes had emerged from beneath the waves.

  Another plume of water erupted into the air, followed by the huge fluke of one of the whales rising then crashing back into the water.

  “What are they?” Curl asked in awe. They were certainly not like any fish that he had ever seen. (Of course, whales are not fish but mammals).

  “They look a bit like fish, I suppose,” Eve’rern said, scratching his blonde hair. “But they are much, much bigger.”

  Curl nodded his understanding as he watched the whales spout more water in a dazzling display.

  “But they have lungs for breathing,” Eve’rern continued, “just like you and me. That’s what they’re doing now, breathing through their blowholes.”

  The expression on Curl’s face said that Eve’rern had tried to explain too much. “So fish have lungs to breath like us,” the troll finally said, as if he understood.

  “No, no, no!” Eve’rern replied less patiently. “Whales have lungs, fish have gills,” he explained to the curious, young troll.

  “I see,” Curl answered but the elf wasn’t sure that he did.

  Suddenly the whales disappeared under the surface of the sea and Curl sighed in disappointment.

  “Keep watching!” Tail Hammer boomed, circling where the whales had vanished beneath the waves. “The best is yet to come!”

  Curl watched and watched and watched. Nothing happened. He stared at the surface of the water until it made his eyes hurt. He was about to look away when one of the whales jumped from the water, its huge tusk pointing skywards, before splashing back down in a giant spray of foaming froth.

  This was quickly followed by the second whale with two tusks, which seemed to climb even higher into the sky before crashing back into the sea.

  Eve’rern laughed in delight. It had been years since he’d seen the tusken whales. He’d forgotten what a grand spectacle they could provide for passing ships (or in this instance, a passing dragon).

  “He’s showing off!” Eve’rern clapped his hands delightedly, as the whales disappeared again.

  “They can see us?” Curl asked, hoping that they would jump again.

  The elf laughed. “No, not to us! The male is the one with two tusks. He’s showing off to the female with one tusk.”

  He’d no sooner spoken than the female whale leapt from the waters again, the dazzling white tusk reflecting the strong sunlight. The male quickly followed in an enormous jump as Tail Hammer swooped over at the perfect moment.

  “Now, they would make a tasty snack!” Tail Hammer boomed, as he glided through the watery spray.

  Curl’s face dropped, and he pointed a chunky finger towards the whales. “He eats them?”

  The elf smiled. “No, he’s joking.” At least he thought he was. The thing is, with dragons you just never knew.

  Tail Hammer circled twice more before announcing that they must leave. “We must head back towards the shore if we are to return young Curl before nightfall.”

  Curl and Eve’rern accepted this silently as the dragon flapped his massive wings and headed back towards home.

  CHAPTER 12

  It was getting dark as Tail Hammer landed on the top of a gigantic tree. The branches strained under the dragon’s weight until his claws found purchase on some larger branches.

  Curl and Eve’rern wobbled precariously as Tail Hammer gained his balance. An owl hung on nearby, eyes wide in frozen terror.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Eve’rern asked nervously, not convinced the tree would take the dragon’s weight.

  “It’s fine,” Tail Hammer boomed. “I’ve landed on smaller trees than this.”

  “And they took your weight?” Eve’rern asked, still unconvinced.

  There was a thoughtful silence before the dragon replied. “Erm, not exactly.”

  The elf slapped his forehead before taking a tighter grip on the seaweed cords that had kept them secure so far.

  Curl himself had suggested the idea. Trolls were good at climbing and he would have no trouble descending the tree, no matter how large.

  “The Black Swamp is just over there,” Tail Hammer said, looking back beyond his tail. His movements made the branches shudder again. “You’ll find it easily enough. Just follow your nose.”

  Eve’rern knew exactly what the dragon meant. The swamp stank more than his rotten old socks.

  “So, this is goodbye,” Eve’rern said, looking at the young troll who seemed reluctant to leave.

  Curl nodded, his eyes looking sad. “It is a same I have nothing to show for my adventure.”

  Eve’rern’s face beamed. “Here take this!” he exclaimed, pulling a neck cord from over his head. On it hung a rather large tooth.

  “What is that?” Curl asked, reaching out to take it.

  “The tooth of a Great Dragon,” the elf replied at just above a whisper, tapping the side of his nose and winking. “It’s all yours! A token of our friendship.”

  Curl scooped the tooth into his hand, thinking that it looked rather sharp indeed. It had to be a dragon’s tooth! Even Strim would believe that even if his cousin dismissed the other parts of his story.

  “Thank you, friend Eve,” Curl replied with a gentleness that he’d not yet shown.

  Oddly, Eve’rern felt a tear pressing at the corner of his eye. He quickly wiped it away. “My pleasure,” he beamed quickly. “Now let’s make that cord bigger or else it will never go round the muscly neck of yours.”

  The elf produced a small knife from his jacket pocket. He quickly cut off a long piece of the seaweed cord that had kept them safe inflight.

  “There,” he declared, as he tied the seaweed cord onto the tooth, making a much bigger neck cord. “Now, friend Curl, that should go over your head.”

  Ever’rern didn’t look so sure, and looked relieved when Curl pulled the newly made cord over his head without problems. The dragon’s tooth hung nicely on the troll’s hairy chest.

  “Thank you,” Curl said, with the slightest of smiles, picking up the tooth to admire it again.

  “And, if we were to ever meet again,” Ever’rern said, feeling the onset of another tear, “I’d know that it was you. I’d know that it was my friend, Curl, the curious troll.”

  Tail Hammer’s hot, smoky breath suddenly wafted over the troll and elf. “This is all very touching but nightfall is upon us! Make haste young Curl, make haste!”

  Curl pulled on his seaweed cords and, with some help from Eve’rern, finally got them undone. The troll rose to his feet, unsteady at first, and prepared to jump into the bra
nches.

  The troll paused to look at the head of the dragon whose keen eye was still locked on Curl. “Good bye Tail Hammer,” Curl said, “and please don’t eat those giant fish with lungs that we saw.”

  “Whales!” Eve’rern uttered as loudly as he dare. “They were whales!”