In the last post: The troll wanted Alf's toadstools, but the little robot, Crusher, stood between them...

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 20

With Crusher between himself and the troll, Alf felt brave. "Are these what you're after?" he said, brandishing the basket of fat, juicy, curse-banishing toadstools. "Well, you can't have them, so bugger off."

The slobbering troll licked its lips and tried to step around Crusher, but the robot gave it no room. So the troll blasted out a new deafening roar and swung its right arm to brush Crusher aside. In one smooth movement, the little robot grabbed the troll's knotted wrist, jostled the creature out of balance, and tossed it over its shoulder.

As if lost, the troll sat and gazed in all directions. Its mouth hung open and it scratched the top of its head. Then it saw Crusher, blinked twice, and lumbered to its feet. Cautious and curious, it shuffled up to the robot, bent forward, and sniffed.

Alf couldn't help himself. He ordered Crusher to grab the Troll's vulgar nose and squeeze: a bad mistake.
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With surprising speed, the troll plucked a knife from its belt and slashed Crusher's forearm. Hydraulic fluid hissed from the gash, and Crusher's strength soon dwindled to nothing.

​After rubbing its nose, the troll grabbed the robot, as floppy now as a rag doll, and hurled it high into a nearby fur tree. And there it dangled, trapped in a tangle of branches, leaving Alf to face the troll.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors 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.