The Return #Wattys2017

Sadness and Responsibility

CLAIRE
Its been 2 years since Jim went into the darklands. We're 17 now, and Jim is still gone. The worst part is, we don't even know if he's alive. Before the portal closed, the amulet flew into the portal. So, even if he's killed, we won't know!

He shouldn't of gone alone. He promised me we would go together! I hope he's still alive.

His mom got suspicious after a week. But she couldn't take the lies anymore after a month. Vendel found a way to give her back her memories, and she wasn't the same for a while. We explained what had happened to Jim. She's scared for him, but now that we have been hunting bad trolls instead of Jim, she's pretty protective of us.

Toby finally got his braces off. That seems to be the only thing that made him smile besides me, blinky, and Aaarrrggghhh.

Blinky stares at the Vespa he now keeps in troll market for an hour each day. I don't know how he still goes on, but he does.

Aaarrrggghhh is slightly better than the rest of us, but he took his oath of peace again. Fighting reminds him of Jim.

I can only wonder when Jim will be back. Not if. When.

3 YEARS LATER
(5 YEARS AFTER JIMS ENTRY INTO THE DARKLANDS)
JIM
Every year I go back to the bridge. I go back to see if I finally have enough power. Recently Enrique has started going with me.

Enrique. The toddler has grown into a little boy. His first word to me, he called me his dad. I didn't stop him. He still calls me his father, although I tell him of his true family everyday.

I'm afraid we might never go back, so until we can I'm raising Enrique. But in the danger of the darklands he needs to be able to protect himself, so I've been training him to fight.

I started about a month after I found him, after a gumm-gumm attacked us. Surprisingly, at 5 years old, Enrique is as skilled a fighter as I was when I destroyed Bular.

I've also noticed a few things that were hidden in the amulets power. Such as invisibility. Other abilities I've found, I'm going to use in my plan to get Enrique back home.

"Daddy!" He yells running up to me. "Are we going to the bridge today?" He looks up excitedly.

"Of course, Ricky! Remember the rules?" I say.

I call him Ricky as a nickname. When he learned to say his name, he could only say 'Rick' so I call him Ricky. There's also Risky, from when he lost a tooth and called himself 'Enrisque'.

"Don't be sad if it doesn't work, stay close, and if we're attacked grab the blue half and run." Ricky says repeating the words I've told him all year.

The blue half is half of the amulet. When I came through the bridge the blue half of the amulet was opening the bridge while the red half was powering my armor. I've recently discovered that if I give someone one half they can use the armor it creates. Like, a second trollhunter. I'm using this to get Ricky home.

As we walk to the bridge, I tell him stories about me, Toby, and Claire. When we get there I give the blue half to Ricky.

"Why don't you do the honors Risky." He smiles at me and climbs the bridge. The amulet is almost placed when a gumm-gumm starts attacking.

RICKY
I smile at daddy before climbing the bridge. I cross my fingers and go to put the blue half in the circle when I hear loud noises. I look up and see daddy fighting a gumm-gumm. And losing.

"DADDY!" I yell crying. He looks back at me and gets struck down.

"Run, Enrique!" When I don't go he yells louder, "RUN!"

I jump off the bridge with skill and start running. I stop when I hear daddy scream in pain.

I turn around and see him lifeless on the ground. Wether he's dead or knocked out I don't know. And when the gumm-gumm picks him up and carries him away I don't care.

"Daddy..."