Troll Daddy's Arc

Chapter 1 of 4

Troll Daddy counted the bonus money three times before he told his wife. The bills sat on the kitchen table between them, more than he'd seen at once in months. He knew what he should do with it—fix the leaky roof, pay down the heating bill. But his kids deserved better than another weekend watching him leave for work. Troll Sister complained the entire drive up. Too long, too boring, why couldn't they just stay home and watch movies. Troll Daddy gripped the steering wheel and let her words wash over him. He'd packed the fishing rod his own father gave him years ago, wrapped in an old blanket in the trunk. Maybe this weekend he'd actually use it to show them something real. The tent went up crooked the first time. Troll Brother held one pole while Troll Sister rolled her eyes and Troll Baby toddled around pulling at the stakes. Troll Daddy started over, patient this time, showing his son how to thread the poles through the loops. When they finally got it standing—lopsided but solid—he felt something loosen in his chest. Troll Sister stepped out of the car at the lake and stopped mid-complaint. The water stretched out calm and blue, reflecting the sky and the line of trees along the far shore. She breathed in deep, and Troll Daddy saw her shoulders drop. "It smells clean," she said, almost to herself. He set down the cooler and looked at his three kids standing by the water's edge, and for the first time in months, he wasn't thinking about next weekend.