One day a young lady was out doing errands. She needed to get to the other side of town to get some medicine for her sick daughter. The main road had been washed out from last nights thunderstorm. The only way she would get there now was to cross the old rickety bridge next to the mill house.
There are scary stories about the old bridge that have been told over the years to scare the little kids of the town to make them behave, but it still gave Miranda the creeps. She had used the bridge often enough, that by now it shouldn’t bother her. There was something about those childhood stories that had stuck with her somehow.
She pushed her superstitious thoughts out of her head and guided her wagon towards the bridge.
As she approached the bridge a curious fog began to roll in around her wagon. It glowed slightly with a green tinge. The horses frightened some and neighed in response. She had to get across the bridge so she urged her horses gently forward. “Easy now, boys...just a little further”, she said.
But before she could even make it to the middle of the bridge a huge green hand reached over the side in front of her.
She looked at the green arm and followed its length across the bridge and up to the trolls big red eyes. “Your daughter is going to die,” the Troll told her. I will not allow you to pass.”
“How do you know anything about my daughter? Who are you to decide? This isn’t your bridge, it belongs to the towns folk. “Let me pass!”, she insisted.
“No! Go home, this is MY bridge,” the evil troll told her. “Okay, then. Please, help me, or let me help you, she replied. Surely there is something I could do to earn safe passage across YOUR bridge.”
“There is only one way that I can let you pass. You may pass only if you promise to let me take your daughter,” he told her. “What? No, I will not let you take her! It’s not possible! What use would she be to you anyway? She’s just a young girl! She needs me still,” she pleaded. “Then she will die”, the Troll replied. “Bring me your daughter when she is well,” the Troll said as he moved his snakelike arm out of her path and turned to go.
Miranda didn’t know what else to do, so she shook the reigns urging the horses forward. She made it across the bridge and was able to get the things she needed to make a tincture for her daughter. She needed to go back over the bridge several times to get more supplies.
Each time Miranda went across the bridge for more supplies the Troll would ask if her daughter was better yet, and she would tell him no.
This time the Troll didn’t ask. Miranda hoped the Troll was going to forget about his demand.
As she made her way back across after getting the herbs she needed the toll spoke. “Miranda, your daughter is well now. Bring her to me, or your village will feel my wrath. I will kill everyone. Miranda felt hopeless and began to cry.
The next day she sadly brought her daughter to the Troll. “This is my daughter Laurissa,” she said. They both cried and hugged each other tight, saying goodbye. “Will I ever get to see her again?”, she asked, but her question was left unanswered.
The Troll was pleased that he was obeyed and allowed the towns people to cross the bridge unscathed for several days.
About a week later, Miranda went to see if she could see her daughter but neither she nor the Troll was there. She asked around but nobody knew where they had gone....
Laurissa was scared but listened to the Troll when he told her that they had to go. “Where are you taking me?”, she asked. “Far away from here to the land of my people”, he told her. She wanted to cry and complain that if she left she wouldn’t get to see her mother if or when she came to the bridge to look for her. But she decided it was best to be brave, and most importantly, to remain quiet. With tears in her eyes, She gathered up her small satchel of clothes and keepsakes, and the Troll grabbed her up and placed her on his massive shoulder.
It was hard to keep her balance but she eventually got used to the bouncing and swaying as the Troll walked. They were miles from town when the Troll decided that it was time for a break.
“I have something to tell you, Laurissa. I used to know your mother a long time ago,” the Troll said. “But she doesn’t recognize who I am anymore because I used to be human like you,” he told her. “The Troll masters changed my appearance and made me the guard of the bridge. I’m not mean and scary like everyone thinks I am. I actually protect the town from the evil that tries to come through the portal located under the bridge,” he confided. “Wow,” Laurissa said. She could hardly believe her ears.
“I am part of a special sect created by the Troll masters. There are dozens of us located around our world to fight off the evil race of goblins that threaten our way of life. It’s a sacred honor to be chosen to protect the town. Once every 500 years or so a new protector is chosen from the towns people. That means that I get to live an extra long time at least.”
“How did you know my mother?”, Laurissa asked. The Troll dug around in his pocket and drew out a necklace with a pendant on it and handed it to her. Laurissa looked at it and opened the locket. Inside was a portrait of her mother holding a baby. There was also a man in the tiny painting. Laurissa continued to study the painting as the Troll talked to her....
“About twelve years ago I was called away to war. I fought for three years until the war ended. I had just reached town and was on my way to see your mother again when I was chosen by the Troll masters to guard the portal. Your mother was the love of my life. That’s me in the painting there with you,” the Troll explained.
“You are my dad!”, Laurissa exclaimed. “Yes, I’m your dad. Your mother gave that locket to me the day I left. I’d like you to have it,” he told her. Laurissa cried as she put the necklace around her neck.
“I wanted to tell your mother what happened but I decided it was better to let her think that I had died in the war. The portal and the true purpose of the Trolls are meant to stay a secret. So now that you know the truth, you can never go back. I’m sorry that I couldn’t explain or give you a choice in the matter, but I didn’t want to miss out on knowing you. I also wanted to keep you and your mother safe.”
“We must go now”, he told her. They began walking again this time with Laurissa trailing behind. They didn’t stop for another couple of hours.
“Dad, I’m getting so tired. How much further?” “We are almost there”, he told her. They made a sharp turn going East. They climbed down a short embankment and off of the dirt road into a grassy clearing filled with wild flowers.
“Stand back”, he told her. The Troll grabbed a shiny rock from his pocket. He made an outline of a door shape in the air in front of him. The lines cracked open and what looked like shattered glass dissolved into mist. When the mist cleared, Larissa saw a massive black door. It was way bigger than the Troll.
The Troll took a look back over his shoulder, making sure no one was around. He put the shiny rock back in his pocket and bought out a golden colored key and unlocked the door.
He took Laurissa by the hand and they walked through the door.
As they walked through the door Laurissa gasped as she watched the Troll transform in front of her eyes. He was human again! “Dad! You’re you again!” He looked just like the picture in her locket, only a little bit older.
“When I’m here I don’t need to hide who I am, so the magic disappears”, he explained. The door closed behind them and disappeared.
I’ve been summoned by the Troll Masters to talk about the portals. The portal barriers are weakening. It’s getting harder to keep the goblins out.” “Oh no! What will we do?”, Laurissa exclaimed. “I’m not sure, but the goblins can not be allowed to win”, he told her.
They walked towards a grand castle not too far away. Laurissa thought that the Troll Kingdom looked a lot like her world, just bigger. Everything was bigger. The trees were bigger, the crops in the fields, the roads, the mountains, the houses.
They were met at the door by a Troll that escorted them to the meeting room of the Toll Masters.
The Troll Master King greeted them as they sat down in wooden chairs that were smaller in size to fit them.
The Troll King leaned forward across the table peeing down at them. Hello Anton. I see you have returned as requested and have also brought your child with you”, he said. His deep voice echoed in the room as he spoke.
“Come closer little one”, he told Laurissa. A massive hand scooped her up suddenly and sat her in front of the Troll Master. The Troll Master took a sapphire out of his pocket and waved it over Laurissa’s head. It began to glow brightly.
“Your daughter has the magic, Anton” he declared. Laurissa’s eyes grew wide in surprise and she turned to look at her father.
“What kind of magic do I have?”, she asked the Troll King. “The kind that could save both of our Worlds”, he answered. His deep voice booming even louder than before.
“Laurissa, there’s something else that you should know” her father said, finally speaking up. “You have a twin brother.” “I do?!”, she exclaimed.
At that moment a dark headed boy was brought out to meet her. “Hi Laurissa, my name is Jack. I was told you were coming.”
He seemed much older than he was and carried himself with grace for someone so young. “It’s nice to meet you , Jack. I have always wanted a brother!”, she said kindly and gave him a hug. He smiled and hugged her back, his demeanor changing instantly to match his age.
“They need us to help keep the portals locked, Laurissa”, Jack said, his face growing serious again. “Together our powers are strong enough”, he explained.
“But the Masters can’t force you to take on this task. You have free choice”, her father Anton added.
“Will you help us save both of our worlds, Laurissa?”, the Troll King asked.
“Yes, I Will!”, she said.
Laurissa was scared, but she knew she didn’t really have any other choice but to help. It appeared that there was no one else, except her and her twin brother Jack with enough power to ignite the Troll crystal and seal the magic portals.
The Master wizards and her brother Jack helped her to harness her
powers and learn how to use them. They knew that they didn’t have much time so the learning was constant. She and Jack worked To the point of exhaustion.
Their father Anton returned to the bridge to keep the portal to their town safe.
About a week later the Goblins attacked the Troll Kingdom. The Troll warriors were spread thin throughout the world, weakening their magic making it easier for them to break though.
The Trolls gathered re-enforcements. They fought a war with the Goblins, in hopes of driving them back to their world.
After a month of battling, the Goblins we’re finally weakened enough that most of them left the Troll Kingdom back to their own world.
But Jack and Laurissa’s town was still under siege.
They traveled back to their world through a portal with an army to help their father. When they saw him he was back in his Troll form and under the bridge guarding the portal. He greeted them with a smile and his son Jack sounded his battle horn as they ran through the portal to fight the Goblins.
The Towns people were weak and tired from fighting and were happy to see them come to help. It didn’t take long for them to kill off the last of the Goblins and secure the town once more.
Jack and Laurissa’s powers were used as the anchor to finally close the portals for good.
They poured their powers into a special crystal and set it at the Troll Master Hall. It floated above, slowly spinning. Its bright yellow glow spread across the Kingdom reminding everyone that they were finally safe. Their father stood by proudly watching.
“We’ve got one more task to complete my sister”, Jack told Laurissa. She looked at him knowingly as they opened a portal to their mothers house.
~THE END~