Journey To Harmony.

Three Sides of the Story

Once upon a time, two years after the Pop Trolls escaped from BergenTown, the exiled Royal Chef was out in the woods. She was, as she always was, searching for the little creatures that were her ticket to the good life. She was about to set out camp when a stranger approached her. He was thin, tall, and pale, with black hair and fancy black clothes. He told her that if she gave up her search for the Pop Trolls, he would help her find a great variety of Trolls for her and her fellow Bergens.

"Tell me," he said, "Do you like Classical Music?"

He showed her the mountains where Symphoyville lay. Then with his help, she caught some of the flying yellow trolls in a net. She "taste-tested" one when she got back to camp, and felt a surge of euphoria rush through her blood vessels. The man, whose name was Famin Fortune, told her he knew an even better way to extract happiness from Trolls.

She was going to BergenTown with her discovery, but on the way, she came across other Bergens wandering in the wilds. So consumed by misery were they, that they abandoned their homes and families.

The Chef thought to herself. "Why should I go back to that ungrateful kingdom when I can build my kingdom out here?"

And so she and the wandering Bergens built their town on the other side of the forest. Every few weeks, they'd go out to the mountains or the coast or the desert, or even to the badlands where the volcanoes stood. And Famin Fortune came through with his promise. He extracted not just the Trolls' happiness, but their love, passion, courage, talent, and their very essence itself. It became the main ingredient in Chef's new elixir, filling whoever drank some with a vitality that lasted for days. Trollstice was now once a month. The Bergens of the newly named Chefstown would spend the day laying about, pouring drops of the black iridescent liquid on their tongues with bottles.

As for BegenTown, the Bergens who still lived there seemed destined for unhappiness, until something strange happened. With so many citizens gone, they all had to pull double duty to eke out their meager existence. One day, they all needed a drink. Some folks had brewed a beverage from the flowers that bloomed on the Troll Tree. Everybody stood around the tree and made a toast. Among them were Prince Gristle Jr and Bridget the scullery maid, both age six. Prince Gristle tripped and spilled his drink, and Bridget, without being told, or asked, gave him her cup. He felt a new sensation come over him at her kindness. She felt a similar sensation at doing something for the Prince. That sensation became a smile, a giggle, a laugh. And instead of saying "Thank you" and "You're welcome" they just smiled at each other, holding the cup between them.

Everybody was watching them, but no one knew how to explain it. The two children looked happy without eating a troll. Such a thing was impossible for them, and yet...

"Junior?" King Gristle Senior put his hand on his tiny son's shoulder who, startled, pulled away from Bridget.
"How are you feeling right now?" he asked him.

The prince, Gristle Junior, couldn't describe it. This was so different from the anticipation he felt on Trollstice morning. It was so peaceful, yet exciting. He said that to his father.

"And you." The king turned to Bridget. "How are you feeling?"

"Umm, good," Bridget answered. "Good, Like I want to jump around and wave my arms in a crazy dance."

"By Jove," said a Bergn named Bibbly, "That's exactly what happiness feels like!"

It seemed a miracle had come to the Bergens in BergenTown. One that would take eighteen more years to fully understand.

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It was an average day in the Pop Dome. The trolls were singing and working under the supervision of King Peppy. Princess Viva was patrolling the inner border on top of her flyer bug. She was also pink but with makeup around her eyes and frizzy yellow locks. She, like everyone else, was wearing a white toga. Ten years ago, on the first anniversary of their big escape, Famin gave them all a gift of new clothes. They wore them to show their gratitude towards him, and he was so pleased that he got them more sets. Now, the togas were all that they wore. He also built a wellness center on the edge of the village. It had a spa and sauna, which they were instructed to use once a month.