Troll Brother

  ~~~

  Sara Johansson was in the kitchen working on a pan of “crunchy eggs” for Kile while he sat at the table fussing over his bacon when Robert and Marissa came in through the back door. They were still holding hands.

  “Haiiii—eeee, Marissa!” Kile teased as he waggled his fingers in a sort of flamboyant greeting wave.

  “Hi Kile,” Marissa said casually.

  The little troll dropped his glass from which he was drinking orange juice and it broke upon the tile floor. Mother turned startled, but not by the glass. She reserved a straight face as she assessed the situation but it was clear she had bristled considerably.

  Mrs. Johansson turned from the stove top, keeping her eye to the young couple standing just inside the back door and scooped the eggs onto Kile’s plate. The troll’s mouth opened and closed as though he were trying to speak but the sound was on mute. He flipped his hand towards Sara in a questioning gesture and then back to Marissa, pointing, his glimmer in full force after a quick double check on his part.

  Returning to the stove top quietly, mother asked, “Robert, did you tell your friend here something you shouldn’t have?”

  “Nope! She figured it out all on her own,” he said, smiling, and apparently fairly proud of how intelligent his associates were. He couldn’t wait to tell Mom later all about Marissa. It would certainly top her stories about sprites by a landslide. What’s better than knowing a faerie? Being one, he thought.

  A lengthy conversation ensued. One in which the primary topic revolved around the one individual completely lost by it all. Kile came to a sense that, yes, it truly was time to trade back with Ricky and get life back to normal for everyone involved.