TREE TROLLS

It was a bright sunny day. I was standing outside in my backyard, looking at how lush and green my garden was.

"It's amazing," I said to myself looking down at my thumb. "I actually have a green thumb this year."

I turned to walk back into my house when something in a nearby tree caught my eye. I went over to see what it was. I was amazed at what I saw.

There, in the tree in my backyard, were hundreds of little trolls with very bright coloured hair. Each little troll was very busy, rushing through the tree from branch to branch.

I had never seen a community of trolls before. They were very fascinating to watch. I didn't realize that I was staring at them, until one troll stopped dead in his tracks.

"Why are you staring at me?" asked a six inch high troll, with bright yellow hair and a matching striped pair of overalls.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I said. "I didn't know I was staring at you."

"Well, you were," said the troll.

"It is so fascinating, watching you and all your friends," I said.

"They aren't my friends," said the troll. "They are my brothers and sisters."

"All them," I said. "There must be at least two hundred of you!"

"312 to be exact," said the troll.

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "That's a lot. How does your Mom and Dad afford to feed all of you?

"We don't have a Mom and Dad," said the troll.

"You don't," I said, sadly. "So you are all orphans."

"Something like that," said the troll. "We all belonged to little boys and girls at one time. They took really good care of us until their parents told them to throw us away. All of us came from the dump. We didn't like it at the dump anymore, so we moved into this tree. We are Tree Trolls now."

I started to get a guilty look on my face and the troll noticed it right away.

"You didn't!" exclaimed the troll.

"No, no," I said. "I have all my children's toys, downstairs in my basement. There must be about fifty trolls down there."

"Wow!" exclaimed the troll. "That's a lot!"

"My kids used to like them alot," I said. "They used to play with them all time.''

"Bring them out here,'' said the troll. "They could be part of our tree troll gang."

"I guess I could," I said. "They are just sitting around collecting dust."

I went downstairs and found the box with the trolls in it. They were still all there, in one piece. I took them outside and set the box down on the ground.

I no sooner had the box open, when several tree trolls jumped into the box giving each of my trolls a needle. Right before my very eyes, even before I had a chance to say a word, each of my trolls came to life.

"Welcome new tree trolls," said the troll I had spoken to. "I am your Master."

"Welcome Master," said each of the new tree trolls.

After that brief introduction, each troll started helping the other trolls out, wherever they could. The tree the trolls were in was now quite colourful and busy and productive.

I felt quite good about myself for giving my old trolls a new and productive life. I was also able to see my trolls each and every day.

TROLL STORIES