Someone to Talk With

Grunt was the village scavenger. While the villagers tolerated him because he performed a function, no one dared associate themselves with him.

Alexander, for that was his given name, was born to a merchant family and, for the first ten years of his life, was given everything a child could desire: toys, books, and even music lessons. Unfortunately for the child, his father fell into the wrong crowd.

The local Lord was found guilty of high treason against the King, and Alex’s father was one of his counselors. Therefore, Alex’s father suffered the same fate as his master, death. Heartbroken, the child’s mother died within a fortnight of her husband’s execution, leaving Alexander an orphan.

Being associated with a traitor meant the boy had two choices: flee the city or become a homeless scavenger. War ravaged the land at that time, and anyone not under the protection of a village was either conscripted or executed. Reluctantly, Alex became a scavenger.

Initially, the boy tried to maintain a positive attitude toward his predicament and would talk with the upper class about things only educated people would know. He soon found that his advances were unwelcome after nearly being beaten to death. Alex ceased talking, offering only grunts in response to commands, earning his nickname.

Years later, while scouting the local terrain, he came upon the remains of a troll who had lingered too long and was exposed to the sun, turning it to stone. The locals know the place as Troll’s Watch. To Alex, the troll was like himself, an outcast.

On days when the sun’s warmth chased the bitter cold away, Alex would crawl up the stone pathway and sit beside the troll.

“Good morning, my friend. It’s a fine day to sit and enjoy the view life offers,” Alex would say. “Perhaps you would like to hear a sonnet I once read as a child?” and so it went. The man who was Grunt would never forget the boy who was Alexander.

When Grunt grew too old to carry the heavy loads and thus faced starvation, he decided to see his friend for one last time and make a wish.

Sitting next to the troll in the predawn morning, Alex folded his hands and, looking out upon the stars, wondered if he and the troll could spend eternity talking about all the beautiful things he read in books as a child. As the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon, Alex closed his eyes and made his wish.

If you visit Troll Watch today, you are met with two giant stone figures. One seems to be talking while the other listens with a smile. I wonder if Alex will ever tell all his tales to the patient troll.