What the Troll Said

Chapter 12

WHAT THE TROLL SAID

CHAPTER 12

Morgan took off.

Egon jumped to his feet. "Spirit!"

But Morgan was already gone.

Around the bushes, over the patio, through the back door and into the kitchen.

She pulled up to a stop in the middle of it.

Clang! Clank!

Abby dropped the pans she had been holding in her hands.

Her eyes were wide. Her jaw was on the floor.

She stared at the apparition that had popped into her kitchen.

Morgan threw her hands in the air. "Abby!"

"Morgan!"

"Ah!"

The girls wrapped themselves up inside each other's arms and they hugged like there was no tomorrow.

"Ah!" "Ah!" "Ah!"

They drew back a little.

"Where have you been?" "What happened?" "I've missed you!" "Look at you!"

A whole mess of things were shouted and said and you couldn't tell who said what and it didn't matter.

A full minute went by, and then the screaming died down and the girls eased themselves apart. Abby wiped away at her eyes for the tears in them. They stood there holding hands.

Abby jumped back. "Oh!"

There was a dwarf's head in the doorway.

Morgan turned to Egon. She glanced back at Abby and smiled. "It's all right. He's with me."

Abby blinked her wide eyes at Egon. "Are you a...a real dwarf, sir?"

Egon tried to smile. He nodded. The rest of him emerged as he stole into the room. He took his cap off and began to wring it out in both hands.

Filian took this moment to unravel herself and slithered away from Morgan's neck. She took back her little girl form and stood beside her charge.

"Oh!" Another surprise and Abby had lost all faculty for speech. She flipped her eyes onto Morgan. Her lips went to form words, but all she could get out were, "I...he...they..." Her fingers were pointing at Egon, and then Filian, and then Egon and then back again.

Morgan rolled her eyes. She held her hands up. "All right, relax, relax, stop!"

Abby stopped. She settled down. She closed her mouth.

Morgan placed her hands on her friend's shoulders. She glared into the other's eyes. "We can deal with the rest later. Right now, I need you to stay calm...and think! Answer my questions."

Abby nodded. She bit her lip.

"Now..." Morgan took a breath in and out. "...what are you doing here?"

Abby drew back. She furrowed her brows. "What are you talking about? I live here."

"Huh?"

Abby nodded her head. She smiled. "Yes, I live here! I was adopted. Remember? Now, I live here. This is my new parents' house."

"New parents? Where are they?"

"They're out. They..."

Morgan waved her off. "Is there anyone else here? Any other kids? Children? Any little girls?"