5

After several hours, the Troll and her lawyer received word that the jury was back with a verdict. They returned to the courtroom along with the rest of the throng, and eagerly found their seats once more.

The Troll glanced over to the plaintiff’s table, where William G. Gruff, Esq. loomed confidently, with each of his brothers by his side. Billy Gruff looked deflated, but Bill still had that infuriating grin plastered on his face. He caught her gaze, and bent his hooves so they looked like guns and mouthed, “pew-pew” as he pretended to fire at her.

Horrified, the Troll averted her eyes from the smarmy middle Gruff and looked down at her lap until she heard the Judge and jury being introduced once more.

After everyone was settled, Judge Deer addressed the jury, “Honorable members of the jury, have you come to a verdict?”

A large Rabbit stood to her feet in the jury box, nose twitching, and answered, “We have, Your Honor.”

Judge Deer slowly replied, “And how do you find?”

“In the case of Gruff, Gruff & Gruff, LLC vs. the Troll,” The Rabbit said, “We find in favor of…”

The Troll could feel the room spinning. She was hoping against hope, her stomach churning, willing the fore-rabbit to say her name.

“…Gruff, Gruff & Gruff, LLC,” finished the Rabbit. 

The Troll felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She was certain that she must have heard incorrectly. Through a mental haze, she became vaguely aware that Judge Deer was addressing her.

“Ms. Troll, please rise.”

The Troll tried to focus her eyes on the Judge, with little success. She squinted her eyes and rose unsteadily on feeble legs.

Judge Deer looked down at the Troll from his bench. His face was severe as he spoke, “Ms. Troll, you have been found guilty of intimidation by a jury of your peers, and I hereby…”

The Troll could feel her pulse throbbing in her ears. She didn’t hear what the judge said next. There was just one phrase echoing in her mind with each beat of her heart: “Jury of your peers.” There was no jury of her peers! This entire trial had been nothing but a sham, an elaborate show designed to malign her character.

She wasn’t really sure when she began screeching. She wasn’t even aware of what she was saying. All she knew was that she was angry. And she was tired. She was tired of being bullied. She was tired of being polite. She was tired of following the rules and being punished in spite of it. She became vaguely aware of her tiny lawyer skittering about at her feet, and of the many shocked looking eyeballs silently staring at her from around the room.

Then she heard the Judge bellow an order into the courtroom, “Ms. Troll, I have tried to be patient, but I warned you. I now find you in contempt! Bailiff, please restrain the defendant and remand her into custody!”

The serious looking badger nodded, and moved toward the Troll. The Troll, slowly coming back to her senses, felt herself giving in to the inevitable. She had lost and there was no hope of things getting better from here. Then she looked across the room into the amber eyes of William G. Gruff, Esq. He was smiling. It was a pompous, arrogant, self-satisfied smile. Sitting next to him Bill Gruff sat with the same disgusting display of pleasure. They were going to let her self-destruct in front of everyone and prove that she was nothing more than a monster. “Well, a monster is what they wanted,” she thought to herself, “And a monster is what they’ll get.”

The Bailiff had taken another step toward her, and when he seized her arms, she did something that she had never done to anyone before: She bit him. Hard. The Bailiff was so shocked that he stumbled backwards, cradling his injured paw against his chest. The Troll saw her opportunity and made her move. She made a break for it, dashing as fast as she could toward the double doors at the back of the courtroom.

Judge Deer struggled to be heard over the din of squealing animals, as they clambered to get out of the Troll’s way, all fearful that they would be her next victim. He brayed, “Stop that Troll!

The Troll ignored all the chaos, keeping her eyes fixed on her escape route. She was leaping, and bounding, and evading the claws that tried to catch her. She could almost feel the freedom that awaited outside, when the large, ominous shape of William G. Gruff, Esq. rose between her and the doorway.

“Get out of my way!” The Troll yelled.

William G. Gruff, Esq. lowered his head and bent his impressive horns in the direction of the Troll, and replied, “Why, Ms. Troll, I believe you know me better than that.” With blazing eyes, he charged at the Troll, poised to crush her. She could feel the rumble of the floor in her stomach, as his hooves struck the surface, and she was almost certain that she was done for until she realized that she was running, too. She instinctively zigged and zagged, leaping from bench to bench in the gallery causing the largest Gruff brother to lose momentum. He began to angrily crash into the seating area, smashing the wood into splinters with his horns and he bleated, “I’ll crush you to bits, body and bones!”

The Troll knew she was no match for William G. Gruff, Esq’s brute strength, so she focused her attention on her escape route. If only she could get to those doors!

The Bailiff and guards were slowly surrounding the Troll, forcing her into the center aisle where William G. Gruff, Esq. waited for her. This was it. Her final stand.

She began to run toward the massive horned ram, not fully knowing what she was going to do. William G. Gruff, Esq. bowed his head and met her charge with his own. Time slowed as the pair hurtled toward one another, and the Troll had all but accepted her fate when she heard a small “psst.” It was Billy Gruff peering out from behind one of the benches, his hooves cupped in front of him. They made eye contact, but this time Billy didn’t look away. The Troll recognized the kind-heartedness she had seen in him on the day they met. With no time to explain, he simply nodded down at his hooves and the Troll caught his drift.

As William G. Gruff, Esq. was bearing down on her, the Troll placed a foot into Billy’s cradled hooves, mid-stride, and the small goat heaved with all of his might. The Troll felt her body soar into the air, over William G. Gruff, Esq’s head. She could feel the heat of his breath, and the tips of his horns grazing her body as she flew.

She landed just in front of the double doors and turned around to see Billy Gruff smiling at her, sheepishly. For a split second she mustered a weak smile back at him, then turned and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She disappeared into the forest, and despite many attempts to find her, she was never seen again.

After many months, the search for the Troll was abandoned. The cozy little house that had been in the Troll’s family for generations was put up for auction, and the winning bid went to Gruff, Gruff & Gruff, LLC. The goats promptly demolished the Troll’s former home and built a bridge from the forest to the meadow where they were selling plots of land.

Although the Troll had seemingly vanished, there were rumors that she had taken up residence under the bridge, in the place where her house had been. It was said that if you looked carefully, you could see her yellow saucer-like eyes peering out from beneath the overpass. The eyes that were ever watchful, ever waiting, for a trip-trapping goat to pass overhead, and for her opportunity to exact her revenge.

The End

Thank you for reading Gruff, Gruff & Gruff, LLC. Your support means more than you realize. If you enjoyed the story, please share it with your friend. And if you’re curious about my thoughts on the story, please check out my Journal entry by clicking on the button below. – Vanessa

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