The Sweetest Trolls #3: The Most Horrid Torture -- #FridayFlash

This is the third installment of the troll serial. If you missed the previous ones, you can start from the beginning here. Have fun! :)

*

Kratan blinked awake in the twilight, realizing at once that something was wrong. He wrinkled his nose and scratched his shoulder. He almost fell off when seeing Kutril's flared nostrils, ready to shower a sleeping girl with his goober. Holding his itching nose, he extended his other hand to squeeze Kutril's arm and pointed down. Kutril's eyes widened and he copied Katran.

Making muted choking noises they took off their garlands and turned to the river. Katran plunged his head on water to sneeze as soundlessly as he could, afraid to wake Aimee.

He proceeded by doing the most hideous thing in the world; he washed himself while watching Kutril dip his head into water, take a deep breath, and dip it again and again.

After assuring that Aimee hadn't moved, the cleanest trolls in the world sat by the river and conferenced quietly.


“What in the gods’ mind is happening here?” asked Katran. “Why would someone do this to us?”


Kutril looked around and up, searching instead of replying.


“Is this your uncle’s doing Kutril?”

Kutril sniffed the air.

“That old bastard,” said Katran between gritted teeth. “Every time he passes by something terrible happens. This time he’s gone too far I tell you, too far!”

“Psst,” said Kutril, “this is not uncle’s deed. He would have dropped dead of laughter by now.” He grinned at the memory of his mirth. So many years have passed since he’s heard uncle’s laughter. “Besides, he can smell a flower fifty meters away and he’ll risk his life to change course to deviate it.”

Katran opened his mouth in awe of this new information about the legendary troll.

“Who would do something this terrible to us then?” asked Katran. “I mean, the humans would kill us, but not torture us like this, would they?”

Kutril shook his head, thinking.

“There’s no one here besides us and the girl,” he said after a while.

They both gazed at Aimee’s peaceful countenance and smiled. They looked at each other, and at her again. Rising to their feet they joined their heads, cautiously this time.

"Is that the girl you were talking about yesterday?" asked Kratan.

"Dunno; it could be," said Kutril.

“I’ve heard once men talking about girls. They said they aren’t much intelligent, you know?” said Kratan, pointing to his own temple.

“You’ve been listening too much to the humans,” said Kutril, gravely.

Katran looked down, making round patterns on the ground with his feet.

“But,” added Kutril, “if what you heard is right, the girl might not know that flowers,” he spitted, “are no good to us. And since we were made into stone, we had no way of telling her.”

This lightened Katran’s eyes.

“Yes, she’s lost and she’s not smart enough to make fire for herself, so she might not be able to find food. Look how tiny and skinny she is, the poor thing.”

Kutril watched Aimee sideways and repeated, “Poor thing.” He nodded to himself. “We should get her something to eat then.”

Katran was about to agree when his face closed in a pout. “Does this mean we’ll have to come back there?”

“We would have to, anyway. The goats are there, aren’t they?”

“The goats!” Katran grinned, drooling a bit in the process.

Their stomaches roared, they looked down and up again, nodded to each other, quickly renewed the fire and set towards the human village.

*

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I've joined WeSeWrimo, so on the month of August you can count on the Troll Serial being updated weekly. :)