Troll Daddy's Arc

Chapter 6 of 13

The morning light grew stronger through the cracked windows. Troll Daddy walked back to where his family waited by the dying fire. Troll Mother held Troll Baby close while Troll Sister leaned against the wall, still wrapped in the sleeping bag. Troll Brother followed behind him, quiet after seeing the abandoned coins. The change room felt smaller now, the walls closing in with the weight of waiting. They needed to move. The road was still flooded, but staying here meant burning through what little food they had left. He looked toward the door, then back at his children. Something had to give. Troll Brother tugged his sleeve and pointed through the doorway. "Dad, look." Troll Daddy followed him outside into the morning air. The floodwater had receded during the night, leaving mud and debris scattered across the ground. An overturned cart lay half-buried where the water had pushed it against a stand of trees. Beyond it, through the mist, an old bridge stood across what used to be a shallow creek. The flood had turned it into a churning channel, brown water racing underneath the metal arches. But the bridge itself looked intact. "Think we can cross?" Troll Brother asked. Troll Daddy studied the structure. The ornate ironwork was rusted but solid. If it held, they could reach the high ground on the other side and circle back to their car. He walked closer, testing the ground with each step. The bridge entrance was blocked by fallen branches and twisted metal from a fence that had washed downstream. He pulled at the debris with his hands but it wouldn't budge. The pieces had wedged together too tight. Troll Brother appeared beside him with something heavy dragging behind him. A sledgehammer, its handle worn smooth and its head crusted with old rust. "Found it by the cart," he said. Troll Daddy took the tool and felt its weight. He swung it once, then again, striking the tangled metal. The fence post bent. Another swing and it snapped free. He cleared the branches one by one while Troll Brother dragged them aside. Within minutes the path was open. Troll Daddy tested the bridge deck with his foot. It creaked but held firm. He turned back and called for Troll Mother. She emerged from the change room carrying Troll Baby, with Troll Sister close behind. They crossed together, slow and careful, while the water rushed beneath them. On the far side the ground sloped upward toward the ridge. Troll Daddy looked back at the bridge and then at Troll Brother, who still carried the sledgehammer over his shoulder. "You spotted that," he said. "Saved us a day of waiting." Troll Brother grinned. For the first time since the flood started, they had a clear path home. And his son had been the one to find it.