I got the idea for Gruff, Gruff & Gruff, LLC as part of an assignment in Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass on Storytelling. We were to take a fairy tale or folktale that most people are familiar with and turn it on its head a bit, giving a different perspective. I almost immediately knew I wanted to use The Three Billy Goats Gruff as my inspiration. I have particular fondness for the story because my Father told it to me when I was a child. Additionally, it isn’t a story that has been overdone, so it felt fresh to me. You can read a version of it here, if you aren’t familiar.

The concepts for my reinterpretation of The Three Billy Goats Gruff came very early on, and before I knew much else, I had come up with the title. Just saying it made me laugh out loud. Then came the variation on the names! Three Goats with the same name…how was this going to work? Suffice it to say, I figured it out and, of course, my favorite name is William G. Gruff, Esq. (My amusement with this MAY be because, despite my love of language, I often struggle to come up with names that I’m happy with, and not only was this name a fun twist on “Billy Goat Gruff” but it matched the tone of the title perfectly.)

Gruff, Gruff & Gruff, LLC was intended to be much shorter, but as I played with it, I found more to say. This was especially true of the second half of the story, once the action moves to the courtroom. I actually struggled with this section so much that I recall thinking to myself, “If every assignment is going to take this much effort, how on EARTH am I going to complete this course?” At that point I went back and read the assignment again and felt like kicking myself. The assignment was NOT to write a whole restructured fairy tale. It was to write a SCENE where the villain of a fairy tale had to testify in front of a jury and share their side of the story. (There were a few other options but, obviously, I latched onto the jury idea.) At first, I was a bit frustrated with myself for getting carried away, but I ended up with a story that I’m quite happy with, and I can’t be upset about that! However, I plan to be more careful about reading the instructions as I proceed through the rest of the course!

If you have read the story – SPOILERS INCOMING – you’ll know that things didn’t end up going so well for the Troll. Although at first blush it appears that I set up the origin story of the Troll under the bridge, the ending is actually left open. While the language is subtle, it’s intentional. The reader can decide whether the injustice the Troll endured turned her into a murderous, vengeful creature, or if she really did escape and start a new life somewhere else.

Perhaps she found a community that accepted her. Maybe she has Troll friends now, or even got married and has little Troll children. She might be happily single, with an adopted stray Bull Frog that sits on her lap while she reads.

Personally, I like to imagine that she went back to school and became a lawyer specializing in social justice…but that’s just me.

I want to thank each and every one of you who read my retelling of The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and especially those who encouraged me along the way.

Until the next tale…

Like what you're seeing here? Be a friend, and share!