In the last post: After swallowing a piece of toadstool, Alf could see the troll was beautiful--and gave her a kiss...

Dear friends, on Tuesdays and Saturdays I’m blogging nibble-sized chunks of new ‘Life in the Clouds’ stories. You can check in regularly and read them free, or wait to buy the whole story when published.

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​Eerie Eve ® James Field. Part 26

The troll yelped, dragged its forearm across its mouth, and spat.

​She likes me, thought Alf. Every bristle on his scalp stood to attention, every skin cell tingled, every neuron fired. Quick to respond to the troll's eagerness to mate, Alf sniffed, drew a wad of thick mucus from his throat, and gobbed on the troll's left foot. Seeing how her eyes caressed him, Alf grabbed her hand, brought it to his mouth, and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles.

A swat sent Alf tumbling onto his back, but encouraged by the troll's show of affection, he bounced up again. Ever the cavalier, he lifted the wicker basket of toadstools and offered them to his newfound love.

At the sight of the succulent fungi, the troll squealed with delight, smiled, and snatched them from his hand. Whooping, it skipped a victory lap around the tree trunk.

Alf stood with his lips pursed, waiting for his reward. When the troll reached him, it gathered its strength, grabbed his waist, made a noise that sounded like "Yippee," and threw him into the air.

As Alf soared through the sky, the absence of stress and tension amazed him. Just a short while ago he had wished for wings, and now here he was, flying in a graceful arc as if shot from a cannon.
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To be continued…

Image by 【微博/微信】愚木混株 【Instagram】cdd20 from Pixabay

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​The real world:

Rather than miss an instalment, it’s easy to follow my blog on bloglovin’. They’ll give you a friendly nudge as I release new parts.
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Like to know more about Alf, Bert and the rest of the gang? You can read their chaotic history in What on Earth.