a troll in the garden

scarlet brick wall

it was one of those days that nothing wanted to happen. no one was home, nothing was on tv, not a whole lot to eat. i was bored. extremely bored. to the point where i randomly started to walk around in circles around my yard-43 times. walking around for that long required a refreshing nap. at the end of the rows and rows of flower beds, i sat on my tree stump, leaning back against the never-ending scarlet brick wall. but suddenly, i felt a warm, little lump where my low back was supposed to be. startled, i leapt to my feet, struggling to catch my breath. i glanced down, examining the area at which i was supposed to be resting. i hadn't seen anything at first, and once i took a few steps to the side, i captured the sight of but a small puff of fuzz, gray and green. i go in to take a closer look, and up pops the face to this creature. brown eyes lock onto mine, being viridescent. nothing but compassion and curiosity lurk in the color of his eyes. i began to wonder what exactly this mystic being may be. it was surely alive. it couldn't be human, and it most definitely isn't a porcupine. it has fluff; not needles. 'it must be a troll' i think to myself. it is truly living and breathing. i say "hello," and introduce myself. i explain that he is in my garden and how i almost sat on him; said my apologies. i asked if he could talk, or what his name is. he simply grunted. i soon found out he had hands and feet as this troll slowly, cautiously waddles over to me. he never looked away from my eyes. he grabs my finger with his itty-bitty hand, and squirms his way up my body, to sit on my shoulder. i scratch the fuzz on his head to show my immediate affection. i had realized, the troll must have a name. "i'm naming you avery. i hope you like it." as usual, he smiled and grunted. I showed Avery the rest of my garden and my house. I told him that we were going to play together everyday no matter what. he grunted with a sweet smile. we rounded back to where we met; at the end of the rows and rows of flower beds, on the tree stump, next to the velvet brick wall. exhausted, i sit down. i suddenly felt drowsy, my eyes got heavy; i was starting to fall asleep. the movement on my shoulder caught me half conscious. avery had stood up and kissed my cheek. slowly, but suddenly, i regain consciousness, fluttering my eyes open. finding myself where i remember sitting was reassuring, but not seeing avery beside me was depressing. it had turned from daylight to dusk. the sky has morphed from blue to a blazing pink-orange. i have come from happy to sad, as plain as it is. later that night, stars were out, lights were out i was in. in the enclosed, man-made walls that besieged me-my bedroom. i couldn't sleep. i felt claustrophobic, caged inside my own house. i had to get out. i ran as quickly as i could down the front steps, past the gates, through the flower beds. there i stopped, staring at the place-my place. i walk over slowly, catching my breath, taking a seat on the tree stump next to the scarlet brick wall. safe. i open my eyes, not realizing they were closed. taking a few steps to the side, i find a small puff of fuzz, gray and green. he looks at me directly in the eye. we both remember, and just smile. we frolicked though the unending garden all night. at one point, when we came back to my tree stump, entirely spent, i sat down and somehow drifted to sleep, without a care in the world. the movement on my shoulder caught me half awake. then was when i understood that i would be seeing avery again very soon.

since that day, i had explored the depths of that garden that i never knew existed. but since the years have grown old, and so have i, i left that place, finding my way to begin a new adventure. life. i do vividly remember those nights, and wonder whether they were amazing dreams. whatever the matter, i had been thinking about that place lately. yesterday, i drove 5 hours to come visit the place i used to call home. after having a pleasant conversation with the new owner of this house, i was allowed to take a troll through the garden. nothing seemed to have changed. as i came to the stump where i met avery, i took a seat right where i used to. i then realized how small my hands were, and how the stump seemed to have gotten wider, but also, that i felt a small lump on my lower back.

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