Trolls: I Hear a Song!

Chapter 6: Aunt Vine

*To be edited*

The next day, Rowan was simply wandering around the village by herself while Branch made his rounds. She was reminiscing about her childhood, and trying to find a way to justify the changes that had happened the night before. She supposed it might have been from the condition she had as a child, but what was more likely was that she was simply happy to see Ramone. 

Pretty soon after Ramone had run off to find his mother Poppy had come along looking for her and Branch. They had only been out there about twenty minutes, but Rowan had been on the verge of falling asleep. Something about the combination of the party, running around with Ramone then having an emotional crash had taken a bit of a toll on her. They had talked for a few minutes, but Rowan had no clue what about, because she had fallen asleep before they were done and Branch had actually carried her back to her bedroom. She recalled something about Smidge, but that wasn't something she needed to worry about right now- especially since she was beating herself up for daring to show weakness. 

She started thinking back with a feeling of nostalgia, which made her stomach churn, burn and hurt. A sense of nausea settled in the pit of her belly, but still, she thought. She could hardly remember a time she hadn't been grey. Loneliness had really settled in at her young age, and stifled her development. She was beginning to think that all the stress that had come with her short childhood and desire for the past has given her an ulcer.

She remembered the warmth of her mothers embrace when she was a child. Specifically, she remembered a night she had ran to her after a particularly bad nightmare about Bergens with red eyes and extending limbs chasing her. She had woken up moments before she was dropped into their gaping mouths. 

Another time she remembered was with her Uncle Ivy, three days before he had died falling off the top of the Troll Tree. She heard his laugh echo in her memory as he spun her around and around like a merry-go-round. He had been married to Aunt Vine...

She remembered her fathers hands. They had always been rough from work, as he took joy in carpentry, but he had always had the most gentle touch of anyone she had known. She remembered when he would hold her close during bad storms, his hand reassuringly resting on her shoulder. Perhaps that's why she felt so safe the night before when Branch had done the same thing. With the same gentle touch.

Lost in her thoughts, she walked by a family having a picnic in the shade. They sat on a red checkered blanket, and two kids were running around, playing with each other and teasing the parents. Another lady sat with them, who appeared to be only slightly older than the mother. The little girl ran up and tackled the older woman with a hug, and everyone smiled, and laughed, not knowing the burdens of having a broken family...or in Rowan's case, no family at all. 

Rowan felt her stomach sink lower and lower as she watched in remorse, and quickly she turned away but the damage was done. She shoved her hands in her hoodie pockets and walked away to a more secluded area. 

A song came to mind. A song that she had heard plenty of times as a kid, but had never been able to listen to all the way through because it had always made her cry. Perhaps she needed to cry right now. She hadn't in months. She sat herself down at the foot of a tree and began to sing under her breath. 

"I remember daddy's hands folded silently in prayer

And reachin' out to hold me, when I had a nightmare 

You could read quite a story in the callous' and lines

Years of work and worry had left their mark behind"

No music sprang up with her song. Any piece of music-making piece of mother nature out there didn't bother with that right now- sometimes, there was a time for music, and a time to listen. Right now, they chose to listen.