Troll Daddy's Arc

Chapter 2 of 4

They made it through the first night without any real problems. Troll Mother unpacked sandwiches while Troll Daddy showed the kids how to spot the shallow parts of the lake where the fish liked to rest. Troll Brother listened for a while, nodding when his father pointed to the darker water near the fallen tree. Then after lunch, when no one was watching, he wandered off toward the woods along the shore. Troll Daddy noticed him missing when he counted heads for the hike to the change room. Three kids this morning, two now. His chest tightened. He called his son's name once, then louder. Troll Sister pointed to a trail of bright candy wrappers leading into the trees, the kind Troll Brother had stuffed in his pockets before they left home. Troll Daddy followed them into the woods, pushing past low branches. The wrappers stopped at the tree line. He shouted again. The forest swallowed the sound completely, giving nothing back. He stood there for a long moment, listening to his own breathing. All those weekends he'd promised to teach Troll Brother what to do if he got lost, how to find his way back by following water or marking trees. Next weekend, he'd always said. Next time. His hands shook as he cupped them around his mouth and called again. This time he heard a faint reply, off to the left near the water. He crashed through the undergrowth and found his son standing beside an old abandoned boat, half buried in sand and tangled with nets. Troll Brother looked up, more curious than scared. "I was exploring," he said. Troll Daddy pulled him close, then made himself let go. His heart still hammered but his son was safe. He knelt down in the sand and said, "We're going to walk back together, and you're going to show me every landmark you remember." Troll Brother pointed to the boat, then a bent tree, then the change room visible through the branches. Not enough. Not nearly enough. But Troll Daddy didn't wait for next weekend this time. He spent the next hour teaching his son how to blaze a trail, how to listen for the camp, how to stay calm. When they finally walked back to the tent, Troll Brother knew three things he hadn't known that morning. It wasn't everything. But it was a start.