The Troll 2: Going to Town

The troll has a problem and heads to town hoping to find help there

I dragged my right foot forward coming over the rise to see the walled village ahead of me.  I breathed a sigh of relief as I approached the gates.  I knew I was spotted as the crowd started to form at the gate.  I’m used to this kind of reception I am a troll after all.

 

**

 

The guard on the wall started yelling as he saw the troll headed towards town.  Fred Dunsbe smiled as he opened the door to his store.  It had been weeks since the village had an anger mob and he was beginning to worry.  ‘Come on in folks, Pitchforks and Torches carry all your needs for an anger mob.’  He shouted to the town’s people forming at the gate.

 

A young man came in with his father.  ‘Come on dad I’m old enough to use a torch this time.’

 

‘Jimmy, you know your mother won’t like that. How about we get you a pitchfork instead.’

 

‘All my friends get to use torches dad.’  The young man pouted as his father pulled out two discount pitchforks.

 

Old man Howards grabbed a length of rope.  ‘We going to lynch that monster, aren’t we?’

 

‘It sort of depends on the troll Howards.  We haven’t had a good lynching in months, but if it resists to much we may not get the chance.’  Mayor Simple explained as he grabbed a pair of torches.

 

Fred Dunsbe waited until the last customer was out the door then he quickly locked up and headed for his basement.   He loved the business, but he had a strict non-involvement policy.

 

**

 

The anger mob rushed out the gate and towards the troll.  As they approached the beast stopped and that is when they saw the little girl.  Mayor Simple stepped to the front.  ‘Unhand that girl beast.’

 

The troll looked down at his right calf where a girl of five or six sat on his foot with her arms and legs wrapped tightly around his leg.  ‘She is the one with her hands on me.’

 

The mob was puzzled by this since trolls were known to eat little girls.  The Mayor held his torch out towards the troll and looked around for help.  His wife came up beside him.  ‘Little girl come here away from that nasty monster.’

 

The little red-haired girl turned her head slightly.  ‘Snotface is my friend.  He saved me from the bad men.’

 

‘Can somebody just pull her off me?  She has been clinging to me for two days now.’  The troll said as he stood there looked a little embarrassed about the whole situation.

 

**

 

I really hated this.  I went to steal a cow and ended up saving some whiney human.  Two days with her was enough, if I wasn’t allergic to human flesh I would have eaten her already.  I looked at the crowd and saw a human female in the back holding a pitchfork.  ‘You come here and get this girl off my leg now.’

 

The woman looked at those around her and seeing nobody willing to help slowly walked forward.  ‘Come on sweetie let the troll go and I’ll get you a cookie.’

 

‘No snotface is my friend.’

 

The woman looked up at me and I let out a growl of frustration.  She screamed and scrambled back into the crowd.  They started pointing their pitchforks and torches at me again.  ‘Do you people know nothing.  That stuff isn’t going to hurt me.’  I reached out and grabbed the flaming end of a torch.  As my fingers closed around it the flame went out.

 

The crowd scrambled backwards.  ‘Take the girl just don’t hurt us please!’  The fat windbag that had done the talking shouted.

 

‘I don’t want the girl.’  I tried to tell them, but they rushed back inside slamming the gates.

 

‘Me stay with you, snotface.’  The girl informed me and I considered if I could throw her over the wall.

 

I stood there for a couple of minutes thinking about it then I turned around and started back to my cave.  ‘Stop calling me snotface.’

 

‘But you said that was your name.’

 

I growled and hobbled along.