Tag Archives: happy ending

Trollina the dancing troll


Once upon a time a mean troll lived under a bridge. He waited for people to approach and then jumped out to scare them. Those who did not run away were expected to pay money to cross. This went on for many years. Eventually, the mean troll found a mean troll wife. The two of them were ruthless. They fought and argued and frightened people from miles away with their loud roaring.

And then one day, the mean troll couple had a child. They named her Trollina. She grew up learning how to be mean by watching her daddy roaring at the top of his lungs, and her mommy beating her chest in anger. When it was time to eat meals, they grunted and slobbered over their food.

When her parents slept, Trollina crept away and danced in the moonlight. Her reflection sparkled against the surface of the river as she swirled and twirled to her heart’s content. After several routines, she picked flowers, put them in her hair, and then curtsied to an imaginary audience before creeping back to bed.

One morning, when a group of people approached, Trollina leaped onto the bridge and started to dance. She twirled, leaped, bended, glided and nearly flew through the air. When at last she finished, she looked up. To her amazement, the people smiled and clapped. Some even tossed money at her feet.

Suddenly her daddy jumped onto the bridge and roared, but Trollina roared back and told him it was not nice to scare people. When he saw the money on the ground, he scratched his head in amazement. From that day on, instead of frightening people, the troll family put on performances to captivate their audience. And of course, Trollina’s dance remained the most admired attraction of all.

The end.

For Cosette, 4/15/14

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Posted by on April 29, 2014 in Short Stories



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