In the last post: Huge, hard-skinned, and impossible to destroy, a troll blocked the path and confronted Alf...

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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E​erie Eve ® James Field. Part 19

Alf never turned away from a fight. He wasn't the undisputed bare-knuckle underground fighter in all of England for nothing. But even he cringed at the thought of tangling with this brute. No point risking his own health when he had Crusher to take care of it.

The little robot wasn't far away, and at Alf's mental command it bounded onto the path and stopped right in front of the troll. With a solid metal skeleton and limbs driven by hydraulics, Crusher was a tough joker. Combined with lightning-fast reflexes and programmed with all the best moves of Mohamed Ali, Bruce Lee, and Kurt Angle, it was a downright death machine.

Thought-manipulated by Alf, Crusher would have no problem wrestling with a gorilla, crocodile, lion and eagle all at once. Heck, throw in an elephant too: Crusher would mangle them all.

While the troll poked an inquisitive finger at the robot, an idea popped into Alf's mind. Maybe a witch or wizard had already turned this troll into stone, but on this special night it had woken to gather the magical toadstools that would break the spell.
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Alf didn't know, but it would be hours before daylight when the Troll would either return to stone, or explode, and the only toadstools in existence were in the wicker basket he’d stolen from Morris.

Image by DrSJS 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.