Trolls and the Search for the Missing Mom (remake)

Chapter 10

     Poppy stood on a bridge over a beautiful pond, as she admired the view, still sad about her mom.

     She sighed, slowly turning to walk away.

     "Poppy! Poppy, wait!" she suddenly heard from behind her.

     She stopped, turning around to see Branch running towards her.

     "Hey, Branch..." she sighed. "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't of snapped at you like that. You where only trying to help."

     He smiled slightly, pulling the paper out of his hair.

     "It's ok, Poppy. And look... I think I found a way to help," he said, handing her the paper.

     She took it, unrolling it to look at.

     "I'm sorry, Branch... but... what is this exactly?"
"I think it's a map to your mom."

     Poppy gasped, looking up at him in shock.

     "My... my mom?"
"It has her name on it. That must mean something, right?"

     She looked back down at the paper, smiling wide.

     Branch smiled, seeing she was finally happy again.

     "So... if I follow this... I'll find my mom?" Poppy asked.
"I believe so. Yes."

     "Oh my god. Thank you, Branch! Thank you so much!" Poppy yelled in excitement, flinging her arms around him, to hug him tight.

     "I'd do anything for you, Poppy," he said, hugging her back. "Anything."

     She pulled away, looking back down at the map.

     "Where did you get this?" she finally asked.

     Branch's smile faded, as his heart sank.

     "Oh... I... I... uh..." he said, nervously. He did not want to tell her he stole it from her dad.

     "I... I... I... I..."

     Poppy looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

     "Are you ok, Branch?" she asked, seeing the worried look on his face.

     "Oh... um... yeah... I'm... I'm fine," he said, faking a smile.

     "Where did you get the map?" she asked again.
"Your... uh... dad. He... he gave it to me," Branch replied.
"He did?"

     Branch nodded.

     "Yep. Said he felt bad for lying to you all these years, so he gave me the map, so we could go and find her."

     "Wow... I gotta thank him," Poppy said, starting to run off towards Peppy's pod, but Branch quickly stopped her.

     "Poppy, wait! We... uh... actually don't have time. We should probably get going."
"Come on, Branch. It won't take that long. Let's go."

     She handed him the map back, and then ran off towards Peppy's pod.

     He looked down at the map in his hands, and then gulped.

     "I... am so dead..."