Troll Brother

  ~~~

  Suddenly, despite the weeks of hanging out with Robert, Kile’s countenance changed to that of a three-year-old when families started gathering at the park for the town’s fireworks show. Sparklers were lit here and there, and after the initial fright, the little troll was delighted. Humans certainly had powerful control over fire and the associated guns, fireworks and other marvels. He marked that in the back of his mind to relay to the Queen when his report was due. But meanwhile he couldn’t help giggling outright at the various fountains and crackers going off around them just like the other toddlers nearby. Robert worried at times that Kile might not be careful in his glee and let his glimmer slip.

  “How does it burn metal, though, Robbie?” Kile asked at one point, making to pinch the burnt residue of a sparkler between his fingers.

  “Hey, don’t grab that!” Rob interrupted quickly. “You’ll burn your fingers.”

  In truth a Mountain Troll’s skin was so thick and tough it would have taken a long hold on the spent sparkler before Kile even felt any heat, let alone burn himself. But he quickly retracted his fingers on reflex, not knowing how the sparkler worked.

  “Okay. …But what is burning on this thing? Does the metal burn? Do you have to magic it to get it to burn?”

  “No, no, goofball. It’s like…gun powder or something. The metal wire inside doesn’t burn, just the gun powder.”

  “Oooh…” Kile responded, without any real understanding. “Does gun powder look like metal?”

  Robert was smiling and was about to offer to open up a lady-finger to show him the powder when Marissa came stepping between two other nearby families and their children and raised her hand smiling.

  “Hi Robert!” She greeted, stopping before them.

  Both boys stared dumbfoundedly at her for a second, but Robert remembered shortly his manners and stood to talk to her.

  “Erhm…Hi Marissa!” Rob’s voice rose much higher than he thought was cool, but he cleared his throat and tried again. “Do you want to sit with us?”

  “Of course! That’s why I came, silly. Remember your note?”

  Together they sat down. Kile had wrapped his arms around his knees before him, and in the non-glimmered view Robbie had, looked positively freaky with his huge trollish Cheshire grin. He giggled lightly to himself, lips pursed so that it came out as a very muffled hum. Robert and Marissa both either ignored or did not hear the little troll enjoying the fruits of his clever labor earlier in the day.

  Marissa folded her legs crossed in front of her and put her hands together in her lap. She leaned over to Robert conspiratorially, her shoulder brushing his lightly, making Robert feel light headed in her familiarity, and whispered: “Actually…the note looked like Little Ricky might have written it?”

  It was a statement, but also a question. The corners of her mouth gave away a hint of a smile trying to hide.

  “Oh?” Robert replied. “Um…well, he might have done.”

  “It’s okay,” She said, smile blatant. “I don’t care. I think it’s cool you want me to come sit with you for fireworks even if you were too nervous to write it yourself.”

  Kile had to cover his mouth with one hand to keep from both blurting out that it was his plan and to stifle an outright guffaw.

  “Yeah…well…I’m glad you came.”

  They sat quietly for a moment, both a little nervous to expose a nerve by saying too much to one another, but enjoying laughing at the children and family in the park lighting off fireworks. Then, the first town down in the valley started their volley of pyrotechnics. It was a ways across the valley floor, probably a good fifteen or twenty miles as the crow flies, but it was beautiful to watch the glowing blossoms and then hear the cracks quietly many seconds later.

  Kile was enthralled. He jumped initially when the first big burst’s resounding could be heard. Robert told him to stay calm because it was going to get a lot louder pretty soon. Marissa slipped one of her hands into one of Rob’s. Robert did a double take before looking at her, but she smiled so kindly all he could do was smile back…and hope his hand didn’t get too sweaty in the warm summer air.

  While the troll witnessed his first fireworks display, eyes sparkling, Robert received his first ever kiss-on-the-mouth-from-someone-that-isn’t-mom-or-Aunt-Cindy. It was a night both would remember forever.