Page 11

GUNNAR

A fter that first night, Flynn and I chatted nightly just before we both went to bed. Most of our conversations were about nothing at all, but I liked that we could find out more about each other. I definitely wanted to know more about Flynn.

Flynn: Would you want to go to town with me on Friday?

Gunnar: Would we be returning to camp?

After staying at the facility for so long I didn’t want to be too close to it for very long. It wasn’t that it was horrible staying there, it was more that I liked being here in the forest away from all the other humans and near the trees.

Flynn: Sure. How about we go to town, do some laundry then we could eat.

I thought about it for a moment, but I couldn’t think of a reason to say no and I wanted to see more of the town they called Elder Ridge.

Gunnar: I would like this.

Flynn: We’re off early on Friday so everyone has a chance to get to town before dark and also give Dwayne a break from cooking for the rest of the day. We get paid on Friday too.

Gunnar: What do we do to be paid?

The more I learned about the human world the more I needed to learn. Trolls did not work for money. We hunted or built anything we needed with things we found in nature. There was no need for money.

Flynn: You don’t need to do anything. Frank will pass out checks, then you can cash it when we go to town.

Gunnar: I will need help.

Flynn: I don’t mind helping. We could go for a hike on Saturday if you want. Explore more of the forest.

That got my attention. Every day that we worked I held myself back from wandering deeper among the trees to hear what they had to say and just to enjoy the simple beauty of this world.

Gunnar: I would enjoy that very much.

Flynn: I should get to sleep, but I promise we’ll go to town and do what we need to do then we’ll come back here and relax.

Gunnar: And hike.

Flynn: And go for a very long hike.

Friday was finally here, and I was surprised to find I was looking forward to going to town. My time there had been limited to the facility or the few times I’d ventured out with a staff member. Flynn had said he had a truck he could use to drive us there and it would only be the two of us.

“Are you ready?” he asked as he walked toward me carrying a backpack.

“Do I need to bring anything?” I asked.

“Did you want to do laundry? I’d suggest it since it’ll be another week if you don’t.”

“I want to, but I wasn’t sure what I needed to do,” I admitted and rubbed at the back of my head while also wondering when I started showing a human reaction to embarrassment. Clearing my throat, I straightened up and looked Flynn in the eye. “What do I need to do?”

“Use the bag you brought with you to put your dirty clothes in then you’ll have something to carry them and anything else you buy there,” Flynn said. “You go ahead. I’ll wait here.”

I walked back into my tent and after emptying everything out of my bag I changed my clothes before putting them and the other things I’d worn this week back into it. “I’m ready,” I said as I stepped outside.

“You look nice,” Flynn said making me look at what I had on. It was a pair of jeans and a shirt, but it was different than what I’d been wearing all week.

“I like what you have on too,” I said, not sure if that was what I was supposed to say.

“Ready?” he asked again and this time we both walked away from camp to where the vehicles were parked. Flynn went to one of the old trucks they used to drive to the worksite and hopped into the driver’s side. I opened the door, but I wasn’t sure I could fit in the seat.

“I’ll ride in the back,” I said and put my bag next to where Flynn had put his.

“No need,” Flynn said, and reached across the seat to shove it back making more room. “There, that should do it.” He started the engine and waited while I crammed myself inside and to my surprise, I was able to fit. He turned a dial, and music started playing.

Of all the things in the human world, music was almost as magical to me as the trees. Every song was so different and all of them were wonderful. I closed my eyes as he drove along the bumpy road. The window was down and the scent of the forest heavy on the breeze as Flynn hummed along to the music that played.

“We’re almost there,” Flynn said, and I realized I’d fallen asleep.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sleep,” I said and straightened up in the seat, and barely avoided ramming my head into the top of the truck. The last thing I needed was to ram one of my horns through the metal.

“It’s okay. It’s a nice day and you’ve been working hard all week. You deserve some time to relax. Let’s go cash our checks before the bank closes.” He drove down one street and parked the truck in front of a building I hadn’t noticed before. “Bring your check,” he said before exiting the truck and getting his backpack out of the back. I picked up my own bag and followed him inside.

Somehow, they all knew who I was, and knew where I worked. After making my mark on the slip of paper I’d been given earlier, they gave me an envelope that held human money. “How did they know me?”

“The institute makes sure that monsters are welcome here, and that there isn’t a problem getting paid if you take a job. Every business in town will be aware of you, but the bank has all the monster’s information. Let’s go do laundry,” he said changing the subject, and led us back to the truck. It was all so strange, but also exciting. I never thought about needing money in this world, and right now, I was more thankful for the institute than I had been. But mostly I was thankful for Flynn.