Trolius Troll

Remember the story of Billy Goats Gruff? The troll under the bridge, and all of that stuff? If you liked that old story it's all good and well, but it isn't at all the troll tale I will tell. Now, Trolius Troll was a timorous soul; A more timid troll you never shall see. He lived in a hole in the base of the bole, (that is, the trunk) of a turpentine tree. Young Trolius Troll, I ask you to note, is a strict vegetarian; he does not eat goat. You might not believe me, but, begging your pardon, he eats only produce from his vegetable garden. One day, after harvesting some of his crop, with a basket of turnips, with some carrots on top, he strode up the path, just as proud as could be, toward his home in the trunk of the turpentine tree. Then, outside the door of his pine tree abode, was a sight that made Trolius Troll drop his load. There, with a chainsaw and a double-bit ax, stood a brawny, black bearded, blue eyed lumberjack. With his feet wide apart on the green, grassy ground, the lumberjack looked the troll's tree up and down-- Then, laying the ax on a moist, mossy bank, he gave the saw's start rope a sudden, sharp yank. With a white puff of smoke and an ear splitting sound, the saw shattered the silence for acres around. The lumberjack stepped to the tree's sturdy base with a smile of delight on his black-bearded face. Then, the usually timorous troll gave a shout, and, pounding his chest, he went leaping about. With a wild snarl of rage and a blood chilling wail, the once timid Trolius charged up the trail. The brave lumberjack was stricken with awe. He turned from the tree, and dropped the chain saw. Through the ferns and the bushes the tree feller ran. and he never returned to the forest again. And so ends a story, that some might find droll, of a timid and timorous tree dwelling troll. But its message is clear, it’s as clear as can be: You may monkey about with Trolius, friend, but you’d better not mess with his tree.