The Magic of Harmony

Therapy Part 1

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

Potential trigger warnings for neglect and  abuse, both child and domestic. Heavy topics ahead.

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“Therapy is an incredibly useful tool that has been used to help and heal many people for thousands of years.” Terra started her voice kind and open to help ease the tense Trolls in front of her. “It comes in many forms, from talking with a trained professional to just talking with a friend. The goal is to allow harbored negative feelings a chance to escape in a controlled way so that you may overcome them.

“I feel a lot of love in this room. That is why you all are here in the first place. Love, remember that.” Terra looked at each one in turn, getting nodes from them. “Now, I also feel a lot of resentment and hurt here as well. We are going to work through it as best as we can. And I believe we have high hopes here, so long as everyone is honest.

“Now, here comes the most difficult part of any therapy session; Starting. Would anyone like to go first?” Terra offered the floor. She wasn’t surprised when no one made a move to speak. She sort of expected it. She waited a full minute before speaking again. “I hate to rush, but I must remind everyone that we are on a time limit.”

“Okay, I’ll go first then.” Branch spoke up, ears pinned back, bitterness in his tone, and his arms crossed. The brothers all turned to look at him, flashes of guilt in their eyes. He returned their looks with his glares. “You all abandoned me for twenty years and in the now three days that we’ve been together not one of you has even acknowledged it. Not even last night when I yelled at you. Except for Floyd, who followed me.”

“That’s a good start, Branch. Let’s focus on that.” Terra guided as she focused her attention on the youngest brother. An encouraging smile rests on her face. “Your brothers abandoned you during a very delicate time in your life. Explain to them how this made you feel then and how it makes you feel now. Remember, be open and honest.”

“Well, when you guys left I felt lost and confused. I blamed myself for the breakup because I slipped, making us fall. I thought I broke our family because I wasn’t good enough.” Branch admitted to all those feelings he’d felt for years, looking down to the ground. His ears flicked back and forth. Feelings that had weighed him down both back then and even now. It was hard for him to speak these things to them even though he wanted his brother to know how they made him feel.

“What? Branch, no-” John started to speak, trying to reassure the youngest, but was cut off by Terra.

“John, I know you feel the need to comfort your brother right now, but it is still his turn to speak.” Terra gently scolded the teal-haired Troll. He shut his mouth and sat back, a grimace on his face.

None of the brothers liked what they were hearing. Their precious baby brother blamed himself for them running away that night. When they all left that night none of them thought about how that would have affected the youngest of them. Floyd was the only one to even say goodbye, for crying out loud. The elder three just left in a huff, not looking back.

“Branch, continue if you will.” Terra offered the floor back to Branch.

“Thank you.” He nodded his head to the other. He took a deep breath, held it, and let it go. “I felt that way for years. I would practice every single day singing and dancing, hoping that if I was good enough you guys would return. That’s what I was doing the day Grandma died.”

Floyd's hands shot to his mouth, ears falling, tears in his eyes as Branch recounted the story. The brothers glanced at each other worriedly but remained silent. In John's eyes flashes of regret and guilt were seen. His ears folded back against his head. He blamed himself for his actions because he already saw where this was going. He already put the pieces of the puzzle together.