Page 1

GUNNAR

I stared at the expanse of open land before me and tried to remember a time when trees covered this area. But that time was long gone. Living at the edge of what the humans called the monster realm was not all that different to my homeland, Iceland. It was all cold and barren but at least in the human world there were humans.

I opened the discarded backpack I’d found that was probably from a human who, once he saw what was waiting for any human in this realm, dropped everything to get out of here in a hurry. Or possibly they became a meal for whatever monster found them.

“What is this?” I grumbled as I took out a few pieces of clothing, a jug of water, a package of nuts that I promptly ate, and a strange device that I’d seen other humans holding in their hand or talking into, in the human world.

I pushed my thumb on it the way I’d seen them do and the screen lit up startling me. “It has to be some sort of magic.” When nothing happened, I poked at it a little more and pressed a button on the side making it light up. I resisted the urge to throw it and tried to understand what I was seeing. There were rows of symbols, but I had no idea what any of them meant. Through the years I’d learned many languages listening to and learning from the humans and other creatures I encountered. But modern technology wasn’t something I had any understanding of.

“That’s a phone,” Einar said, and he lumbered up beside me and glanced at the other items I’d found. He was older even than me and rarely returned to Iceland, mostly wandered in the monster realm and avoiding humans unless they were unlucky enough to cross his path.

“I’ve seen them speaking into it or looking at it, but I don’t know what the symbols mean,” I said and handed it to him.

He glanced at it and shrugged before handing it back. “I have no knowledge of this either. But I do have news of the human world you might find interesting.”

“What news?”

“It seems they decided a while back to allow monsters to enter their world as long as they abide by their laws.” He plopped down on the ground to further investigate the backpack.

“Why would they do that?” In all my existence, humans did not fare well when they met with any monster. It just didn’t seem like a good idea to encourage them to be together.

“They want to encourage monsters that have not found a mate to know there are humans out there that are open to being mated with a monster. It’s also a time when we could be working together rather than fighting—or eating—each other.” He let out a growl of laughter before meeting my eyes. “Maybe you could find you a mate in their world.”

“Why would I do that?”

“I know you’re lonely, old friend, and I also know there are not many trolls left in the wild that are willing to live as you do,” he said.

“I long to see the forests of old. When men came and cut down all the trees, I killed and ate them, but they sent more. It was a never-ending battle until they cut the last tree.” Their destruction had fueled my anger and hate for years. But I realized there was nothing that could be done, and I was better off avoiding humans rather than trying to make them all pay for what their ancient ancestors had done.

“There are vast forests in the human world, and one of the places where humans and monsters live together is near one.”

That got my attention. I dreamt of walking through the forest again, but I knew that would never happen in Iceland. There were some trees, but not many, and its harsh environment made it hard for there to be a noticeable change. “Where is this place?”

“I could show you the way. It’s near a wild area of the monster realm that is far different than where we are now. There’s a portal there to the human world but it is well guarded, and they’ll want to make sure you know the rules and the ways of the human world. These are their laws now,” he said.

I considered his words a moment before my mind was made up. “I have nothing here anymore. Please show me where this portal is so I can see for myself.”

“If you’re sure, we can leave now. It’s a long journey, and once you go it may not be easy for you to return,” he said and waited for me to reply.

“I’m sure. There’s nothing for me here anymore.” There were other trolls I was related to, and still others that I knew of and avoided, but none of them would even miss me and I wouldn’t miss them either. “Let’s go.”

He stood and scooped everything back into the backpack and handed it to me. “This might be of use to you there.”

I took it from him and looped my arm through the straps as we made our way through the desolate area and into a lush jungle. I’d been here before, but the creatures were strange and foreign to me, and the jungle was filled with plants and trees I was unfamiliar with. None of it felt welcoming and as we walked through, my nerves were on high alert. We continued to walk, only stopping when we were hungry or thirsty. We never tired of walking, and it took us far less time than it would a human.

“Do not fear, Gunnar. No monster will harm us here,” Einar said.

We continued through the thick vines and greenery until ahead there was a bright light that I knew wasn’t the sun. We were near a water realm where aquatic creatures ruled beneath the edges of many waterfalls and streams. The jungle here was filled with creatures I didn’t trust and didn’t want to know any better than I already did.

“You can enter their world here, and the humans will guide you,” Einar said, and pointed to an area where a door appeared to be part of the jungle. I stepped forward and without looking back, I entered.