Ella and the Mountain Troll

“Ella!”

“WHAT?! I didn’t do anything!”.

“Calm down, you’re not in trouble…. this time.” Ella’s mother said.

Ella and her mother didn’t always get along. By outward appearance, Ella was her mother's daughter. There was no mistaking that. Their personalities, though not the opposite, didn't align. Ella’s mother was quite the expert at making a home life for her children as comfortable as possible. People love being around Ella’s mother. She created an environment that drew people in.

Ella could not care less about being cozy, warm, and inviting. Ella wanted to see the world. She wanted adventure, fame and fortune. Her father was a blacksmith and well versed in many weapons. He taught Ella everything he knew about weapons and combat skills. But no matter how much he taught her, it was never enough. She constantly begged for more lessons, or to sign up with the fighter’s guild academy. Anything so she could keep learning. She wanted to be the best.

It was that drive that made Ella and her mother similar. Both were strong willed, focused and were not shy to speak their mind. With similarities like that, it seemed they would get along just fine. But because they saw the world differently, it created constant conflict.

“I just need a favor,” Ella’s mother asked, “I need some wild berries, and you have a knack for finding the best berries in the forest. It’s a gift you have. Do you think you could collect some for me this afternoon?”

Ella’s countenance changed. “Yeah, sure, I could do that. I don't mind.” It was a rare moment of compliance for Ella.

“And remember, be back before dusk. I’ll have dinner ready, and we eat together.”

“Yes, I remember.” Ella said with a slight roll of her eyes.

Gathering up her berry picking gear, Ella opened the door to leave.

“Ella!” her mom called out

“Yeah mom?”

“Thanks. I appreciate it. I love it when you help me out around the house.”

“Sure, mom, anytime,” Ella said with a smile to her mother. Ella was acting unusually compliant and happy about the request.

But that's because Ella’s mother didn't know where she got the berries.

Ella hated doing chores for her mother, especially berry picking. She would always lose the battle of wills stomping off into the woods to collect berries. Then, on one occasion, she wandered far from her house into the lower foothills of the area and found some wild berry bushes growing high on a cliff side. They were large, plump and free from the constant plucking of the nearby village. The danger of the cliff kept them safe from human hands. Ella found her opportunity.

She was glad to procure the best berries in the forest, but Ella’s true intentions were to practice her climbing skills. Yes, it was dangerous. True, her mother would lecture her for hours if she found out, but Ella didn't have many other opportunities.

Ella reached to her side, ensuring her favorite dagger was secured to her waist. Oh yeah, there was one more thing she didn’t want her mother to find out about.

Ella was quite far in the wilderness. She could encounter a wild beast, like a bear, a wild boar, possibly an ilya cat, or if the luck in her mind would have it, something much worse. A victory over a savage wild beast might be her ticket into the Fighter’s Guild. Ella’s mother was very vocal against her dreams of acceptance into the Fighter’s Guild, so Ella had to plan carefully to take any opportunity she could get.

But most of the action her sword saw was chopping down ferns and giant leaves to clear the path. The sword was her preferred weapon, but it was heavy, and after giving up on the hopes of a face-to-face combat, she left her armory home to focus on her climbing skills. Ella still brought her bow with her. She was still deep in the woods. If she came face to face with any wild animal, she had to be victoriously unscathed to avoid any lectures from her mother about wandering too far from home.

Ella arrived at her cliff and began climbing. She challenged herself this time to take a different route that would push her skills. This alternative path was far more dangerous than previous climbs. Wild vines covered the cliff side, so she figured worst-case scenario, she could always cling onto the vines and climb her way down if necessary.

Ella was making good time. She tested out several new climbing maneuvers successfully. She owned the cliff. That was one of Ella’s gifts. She had a way of learning a physical task or a physical challenge and mastering it in a brief time. She was very athletic, with an exceptional ability to control the strength in her body.

Then, as she was rounding a section of the cliff, something caught her attention. A large and furry object moved. Her eyes fixed on the location. She crept around the edge of a large boulder to get a better vantage point. That's when she saw it.

It was a mountain troll, a decent size, too. It wasn't the largest ever recorded in the area, but it wasn't a small one by any means. Trolls were vile creatures. They would sometimes come down into the foothills ravaging rancher’s livestock and attacking innocent wanderers in the woods. She always hoped to encounter a wild beast on her berry picking adventures, but she never expected a mountain troll. Ella recognized the emotion of feeling nervous, but her mind pushed it aside. Mountain trolls have erratic behavior, they are hard to predict, and attack spontaneously unlike the other dangerous wildlife in the area. The cliff side would normally offer protection, but mountain trolls were very proficient at climbing through the trees and the growth of the mountain.

“OK deep breath,” Ella thought to herself. “If I mind my business, it'll mind its own and we'll both go our separate ways.” Ella was trying to rationalize the next steps of action. The safest option would be to climb down and head home. That was not an option. If she retreated, she would have to admit to her mother where the berries were located and why she wasn't able to pick any. Even if she found berries some place else in the woods, they would not be nearly large and plump enough to maintain her status as the best berry picker in the family.

She continued her climb and made it to the berries. She kept looking over her shoulder to keep track of the troll, but she could no longer see it. It must have been distracted or never noticed her to begin with. Ella sighed with relief. She collected her berries, filling her bag and began her descent.

As she rounded a ledge, climbing her way down the cliff, she saw the troll looking straight at her. It was now much closer. Ella weighed her options. If she hurried down the cliff, she could be on her way back home before the troll got too close. That would be the safest option. It was difficult to tell if a troll was simply curious or plotting your gory death, the expression on a trolls face is the same in either case. Even the courage of Ella knew it's always best to steer clear of trolls unless equipped with weapons and armor to deal with their berserk style of attack. Her mind knew the risks. But her mind also pointed out another option. An idea lined with fame and glory.

It was a good-sized troll. Admittance into the fighters Guild required a collection of hunting trophies, or a significant vanquish in a fight or a battle. A troll this size wouldn't qualify for instant admittance, but a kill like this would force the Fighters Guild to pay attention to her. She was already facing an uphill challenge trying to get into the Fighters Guild as a girl.

Her mind rationalized, “This troll may not be a threat, it may be an opportunity”. Ella assessed her surroundings. She was on a section of the Cliff that was easy to plant her feet and if she leaned the right way, it was easy to keep balance. She continued to stare at the troll, watching its every move. Could she even shoot her bow from this location? Her mind said, “pull out the bow and try it. Just see if it’s even possible. Besides, we must be ready to defend ourselves in case the troll wants to attack.” Her mind was very efficient at rationalization.

Ella pulled her bow out and armed it with an arrow. “See, that wasn't so bad.” Her mind continued to rationalize. “just take aim at the troll, see if it's even possible. It doesn't mean you're going to take the shot.” She drew back her arrow and took sight of the troll. Her mind wasn't incorrect she could get a kill shot.

Her mind continued to rationalize, “wouldn't it be safer to kill the troll just to ensure that it didn't come after us? Isn't that the safest thing to do? Isn't that what our mother would want us to do? Never mind the fact that a kill like a mountain troll would stir talk around the Fighters Guild. This is about safety, isn't it? This troll will eventually take food from the local farms and ranches, and inevitably attack some poor soul wandering in the woods. Plus, what if this troll got to Enok’s ranch and killed some of their rare Hongar goats? How could we face our friend again if we allowed that to happen? Taking this troll out is an act of safety for the community, for all the ranchers’ livestock, for our own safety and mostly for our mother’s precious wild berries!”

Snapping back to reality, she told herself to weigh the options. On one hand….

FFFsssshhhhheeeeewwww

She took the shot. Like she said, it was about safety.

The arrow flew with a slight rustle of branches as the troll screamed out in pain. It grasped at its wound, then turning to Ella, it screamed even louder. That's when Ella realized she wasn't paying attention to the bushes near the line of fire. The arrow grazed some leaves, redirecting the arrow to the troll’s shoulder. A painful hit for sure, but not one that would kill the troll.

The troll was growling in anger and pain. It picked up rocks and began throwing them in Ella’s direction. Ella ducked underneath the ledge to avoid getting hit. Fear wasn't a natural reaction for her. Anger was her first step. She furrowed her eyebrows and listened. This troll was now between her and bringing her mother the berries. Ella wasn’t about to let the troll get her in trouble with her mother. Ella drew another arrow, remembering her stance and where the troll was. Listening to the actions of the troll, she flipped around the rock and took another shot.

The shot connected, but the troll was in motion and the arrow hit the troll’s back shoulder. The troll screamed out in pain. Then, in a deep growl, it turned and looked directly at Ella. Ella drew another arrow, but the troll climbed out of sight.

“Great!” She thought. “looks like this time the troll is plotting my gory death.”

Ella went into action, hastily descending the cliff. She hoped to get to the base level for a better fighting chance. She did not want to get into an altercation while hanging from the vines of the cliff. The troll would have the advantage on the vine covered cliff side. Suddenly, she smelled an awful stench! “Retreat!” her mind shouted! Ella jumped back to a nook in the cliff as a long, hairy, clawed arm came swinging from above, just grazing her shoulder. Ella analyzed the situation, her eyes quickly tracing her surroundings. The overhang she was under gave her protection. The troll couldn’t get to her, and if it tried, she had an easy shot. Ella had a moment.

The focused young woman took a deep breath. She could hear the troll moving around. Then it was silent. Ella edged along the rock wall to figure out its location. She found a long stick from a dead piece of wood and began tapping it along the wall of the ledge up above her. There was no attack. The troll must have moved. Though troll behavior is harder to predict, they do like to surprise attack their prey, especially if the foe is Ella’s size.

Along her intended pathway, there was a large rock wall that sheered at a ninety degree corner that she had to get around. Reaching out her stick, she began tapping it along the wall. So far, so good. She crept a few steps closer, tapping the stick along the wall and vines, trying to mimic her moving along the rock face. Tapping her stick closer and closer to the corner. Suddenly the hairy clawed armed reached around, swinging wildly at the stick, knocking it free from Ella’s hands.

The troll leaned around the edge, its cold eyes sizing up Ella. A quick change, and it began moving in her direction! Ella retreated to her nook, took her stance, drew her bow, and took another shot, landing an arrow deep in the arm. The troll screeched and hurried behind the cover of the rock face. It poked its head back around the corner and screeched at Ella. She drew an arrow to get another shot, but the troll was too quick and retreated behind cover. It leaned out just enough to get eyes on her. It growled in a low growl and slowly pulled back behind the cover of the rock.

“Wow, I guess trolls take things personally,” Ella thought to herself. Ella listened. She heard no movement. “GREAT! You’re just going to sit there and wait for me, aren’t ya!?” Ella yelled out.

She tried luring the troll out from behind its cover, but it was catching onto her stick tapping method. Even if she could lure the troll out, she was too far from her nook to take a shooting stance. Looking further, she realized she couldn’t climb up, and climbing down would only take her so far, leaving her dangling in the air high above the uneven and rocky terrain below. She had to get around that corner. Ella’s mind flipped through the number of scenarios to get out of this situation.

Ella could just wait it out. Eventually, her family would come looking for her. Nope. Not worth the lectures about situations like this again. Ella got herself into this situation. She was determined to get herself out of it. Ella was already tugging at the vines on the cliff. Her devious mind had a unique plan. The sun was setting. She had to act fast if she wanted to make it home for dinner and avoid questioning. It wasn’t long before she had a bundle of vines braided together, and now tied around her waist.

Ella took a deep breath. It was time to trust her work. She leaned into the vines around her waist and lowered her body until she was perpendicular to the cliff still clinging on with her hands. Slowly letting go, her legs pushed against the cliff to keep her stance perpendicular. Her heart was racing, but it was working! She was standing on the cliff! She couldn't help but smile and laugh with her gravity defying plan. “Oh yeah, there's a troll to kill,” she reminded herself.

Ella tugged at the vines with the weight of her hips to make sure they supported her movement. Building up her trust in the vines, she was jumping perpendicularly off the Cliff then landing back down to catch herself hanging sideways by the vines. It was exhilarating being that close to death, but held safely by the vines. It was all the more exciting to know that her idea was going to work. She pulled her bow and prepped an arrow with a second arrow, just in case.

Deep breath. Again, she visualized her actions. Run, leap, turn, then take the shot. She kept taking deep breaths, trying to control her heart rate. She began running along the edge of the cliff. Reaching the edge of the corner, she leaped with substantial force, launching her a suitable distance into the air. Time slowed as she glided through the air, away from the cliff and away from the troll. Rotating around, Ella could see the troll flailing its arms wildly to attack, but she was out of reach. Her plan was working!

But her mind forgot one thing. The balance of weight ratios.

Her world began to spin. The vines wrapped around her hips were not high enough and the weight of her upper torso outweighed the lower portion of her body. Everything she had imagined in her mind was flipping upside down. She began recalculating. She could never get an accurate shot upside down and in motion, so she instantly targeted the troll’s largest area and let the arrow fly.

The troll screeched in pain as it bent over to pull the arrow from its belly. Timed to the troll’s reaction was a swift kick to the head from Ella’s upside-down foot as she came crashing into the cliff side. Ella twisted and hit the cliff with her back, knocking the wind out of her. The discomfort was worth the risk of avoiding an injured shoulder, arm, or leg if she had to face hand to hand combat. With a slight twist and push, she rotated, reared back both legs, kicking the troll square in its torso, sending it loose of its footing. A moment of silence.

THUMP! Crack, thud, stumble stumble.

Ella began grabbing at the cliff’s edge, working to reestablish her grounding, not knowing how long the vines would hold her. She pulled herself in close to the cliff side and focused on her breathing, calm, breathe slow, breathe focused. As soon as she felt more stable, she looked over her shoulder to assess the health status of the troll. It laid there and didn’t move. It could be temporarily unconscious. She couldn’t take a final shot. Crashing into the cliff knocked her bow loose and her arrows were scattered at the base of the cliff. She stared a while more. Her mind told her to move. She had to retrieve her bow.

Edging her way along the cliff, she got to a secure location, and cut her life saving vines free. Ella thanked them, clenched her dagger in her teeth, and began climbing down. She thought of all the times her mother yelled at her for carrying knives in her mouth. Ella chuckled, knowing how much trouble she would be in if her mom knew what she was doing. But she can’t just climb down a cliff unarmed. What if the troll woke up? The safe option was to have her dagger readily available.

Ella landed on the sloping but stable ground. With dagger in hand, she crept around the corner since her descent had placed her outside the tolls landing area.

Climbing over a small rock formation, she saw the troll. She crept closer and closer, trying not to make a sound. She retrieved her bow and armed it with a loose arrow nearby. Getting closer and closer. She held her breath as she looked for any movement or breathing from the troll. It didn’t move. A slight smile crept over her face; did she pull this off?! She laughed out loud, reacting to the news. Growing more and more confident, she grabbed a stick, poked at the troll, and it didn’t move. It was dead.

“hhhhhoooooooowwwwwwwwaaaaaa” Ella gave a warrior’s victory cry into the woods! She spun around, claiming the cliff as her own territory, shouting out celebratory whoops. She looked back at the troll. “That was amazing!” Her entire face was smiling. That’s when she felt a sticky liquid on her hands. “Oh no, am I bleeding” she thought. Looking at her hand, it was red, but she didn’t feel any pain as she examined her arm. It was a lot darker color and had this fruity smell to…. fruity smell?

“The Berries!”

Her face went from victory to panic. The berries! She pulled up her bag and examined it. Much like the troll, the berries did not fare too well against the cliff. But it was getting too late to find more berries. She had to get home before it was dark.

Her mind began recalculating. She couldn’t get more berries. She was already returning after dusk and could not risk being out any later. Her only option was to think up a story. A good story. So good, there were no loose ends. It can’t feel like an excuse. She gathered her arrows, and turned to walk home when her mind suggested, “take one last look at your victory”.

Any other fighter would brag for weeks with a kill like this. It was too impressive to keep it to herself. If her parents ever found out, she would never leave the house again, and her father would take away all her weapons. Well, the ones he knows about. If there was just someway to have both.

Then her mind asked, “How good of a story do you think you can tell?” Ella’s eyes glimmered with a mischievous shine.

——————————————

“I AM THROUGH WITH PICKING BERRIES!” Ella burst open the door to her home and limped in as loud as she could. “That was the worst experience of my life!” Her volume drew the attention of her parents, finding Ella soaking wet, covered in mud, with a fuming look of anger on her face.

“Wh- what happened Ella?” her mother asked, and “whooaa, you smell awful”. Ella’s mother and father both had to step back from the horrible stench.

Ella turned to her parents with a raised eyebrow and a look of utter frustration. “Well, you won’t believe it, but as you know, the best berries are the ones that get the most water, well yeah, you know that, everyone knows that, well there is a place way back in the forest up in the hills, that gets a little boggy after the rainy season, so they form these little ponds, or mud puddles, they usually dry up so it’s not like they are always there, but that’s where I find the best berries, and I was picking them, and since they are all boggy, they kind of stink, and well anyway, I was trying to get some amazing berries when I fell in. Yeah, the worst! I was soaked in that awful boggy stench and mud! But I had to get you the best berries, that’s what I’m good at, so I fished collecting the berries, but then I started getting cold, because I’m soaked in stinky bog water, still pulling moss and algae out of my hair, so I began running, which usually isn’t a problem, I’m a good runner, but being soaking wet, when I came down a rocky slope, my foot slipped on a moss covered rock sending me tumbling…”

Ella took a breath and tried to size up her parents’ reactions. The emotional cues on their face let her know they were all in.

“… and I landed on the berries whacking my knee pretty hard on a rock. I laid there in pain for, I don’t know how long. At first, I thought I wouldn’t be able to walk and would have to fashion a crutch out of some branches or something. Or even possibly crawl all the way back home. After all, I don’t want to be late for dinner. But after resting a bit, I found I could eventually walk on it. So, I don’t think it’s anything serious.”

“I’m sooo sorry honey, that sounds awful! Let’s get you cleaned up, I’ll warm up some water, but let’s get you out of those bog awful clothes.”

Once again, Ella was victorious. She knew the affection from her mother was all based on a lie. Well, a story, really. But she rarely has moments like this with her mother. Her mind pushed the deceit aside, and just enjoyed the rare moment of trust.

Ella walked with a limp for the next week, calculating each day to show signs of improvement. The story of the smelly bog was partially true. Though it was not an accident, she simply had the determination to lower herself into that smelly stagnant bog of her own free will to help cover the scent of the troll.

Ella was a force of nature. Like a mighty river flowing, she was intent on leaving her mark on this world. The storms of life just made her river all the wilder and stronger. That was just who Ella was. If she wanted to accomplish something, nothing would stop her from getting what she wanted.