The day is sunny, sounds of children laughing and shouting fill the crisp fall air. The bridge is a favorite stop, for the boys after school.  As any other day, books are discarded along the bank, along with shoes and socks. School pants are rolled up, mom doesn’t want them to get wet. After wading successfully capturing pollywogs in a jar, the boys collect sticks one for each.  Scampering up the embankment grabbing their books and shoes, they rush to the far side of the bridge, looking down at the babbling water swirling beneath them.
“Ready set…..go,”  calls Tom one of the oldest, he always calls things, but that’s okay no one else wants to anyway. The boys let go of their sticks and the current carries them on down stream beneath the bridge. 
“Hurry to the other side,” Calls Joe another of the older boys, they were in third grade. All the boys scurry across the road to the other side, looking hard into the water.  One at a time the boys all spy their sticks, as they swim out the other side.  All that is except Andy, his stick is nowhere to be seen. Waiting and waiting while the others laugh and tease, but no stick emerges from the dark shadow under the bridge.
“Ha ha….your stick got lost,” laughs Tom, and the others making Andy sad.
“Leave it to a first grader to pick the wrong kind of stick,” Joe added making Andy feel even worse.
“My stick was just as good as yours,” Andy called back, not wanting to be laughed at.
“No it wasn’t, do you see it?”
“No, but it was just as good, it just got stuck,” Andy replied his hands on his hips still upset.  The boys put on their shoes and started for home, all except Andy.  Matt, Andy’s best friend, and also a first grader stopped to see why his friend wasn’t coming.
“Andy, you coming?” he called wanting to follow with the older kids.
“No, I’m gonna find my stick and throw it back in.  It can float like the other’s sticks I know it.”  Andy was determined, sliding back down the bank, wading into the water looking for his stick.  From up on the bridge Matt calls down, watching the others getting further ahead. “Andy I gotta go my mom will get mad if I stay.”
“Go ahead, I can walk alone,” Andy was stubborn.
“You sure?” Matt asked looking again at the boys who were rounding the big bend, soon they would be out of sight.
“Yep, go on I’ll come when I find my stick.”
“Okay don’t fall in, see ya later after supper,” Matt called and ran to catch up with the group of boys.  Andy wished Matt could have stayed, he didn’t like walking alone either.  However he was determined to prove his stick was just as good.  Wading further out into the middle of the creek the water was a bit deeper.  Andy’s pants were getting wet, oh no mom will be mad, he thought, still he went further looking everywhere for his stick. It was nowhere to be found. Odd Andy puzzled expecting it got stuck somehow, where is his stick? 
Suddenly Andy thought he saw something in some bushes, along the other bank. It was green, had arms and legs and seemed to be watching him. Not paying attention where he was stepping, Andy slipped and fell into the water. The current carrying Andy, as it had carried the sticks pulling him down the creek.  The water was frigid cold, and Andy wasn’t a real good swimmer yet. He was doing more thrashing, swallowing mouthfuls of water than swimming.  Suddenly in front of Andy was his stick, and as he grabbed it, something began pulling him back to shore.
Shivering and wet Andy crawled up the slippery bank, daring to look at his rescuer more carefully.  His hands were spotted dark green and brown, his fingernails were black and at least an inch long, more like claws thought Andy. This wasn’t a boy it was a thing, green, short and a bit chubby.  Andy’s heart beat faster, and he became frightened. He wanted to run, but where to, he was face to face with this thing.  Andy looked again the creature’s face was like his but it’s nose was huge and flattened to his face, his lips looked like a fish mouth, it’s teeth were ugly and needed brushed.  It had black hair standing straight up, like when you get static electricity in it, by rubbing a balloon.  It’s eyes were black no center, and although not pleasant to look at, Andy didn’t feel threatened by the creature.
“Who are you?” Andy dared to ask finally.
The creature moved back, shuffling it’s large feet, they were huge and it’s toenails were black like it‘s fingernails. It grunted a couple times, as it appeared to be checking Andy out.
“Grund,” replied the creature in a deep scary voice.
“I’m Andy….um thanks for saving me,” Andy said softly shivering  partly from cold and partly from fear.
“You cold?” it asked and Andy nodded.  The creature scurried behind the bushes and came back with a raggedy old blanket.  It was tattered and torn, but was dry and warm.  Andy took it placing it around him smiling for the first time.  The creature smiled back.
“Grund, why are you here, and what are you?” Andy asked becoming a bit braver, sitting down Indian style legs folded. He leaned close so he could listen to what Grund had to say.  Grund sat next to Andy, but kept a bit of distance, still not sure of Andy’s intentions.
“I’m here till I am allowed to enter the Kingdom of Tomorrow.  I am a troll. You are a human boy yes?” Grund answered.
“Yes….Kingdom of Tomorrow, where is that?” Andy was confused and amazed.
“I don’t know, never been there, but with my scepter I will find it for sure tonight,” Grund winked smiling, holding up Andy’s slightly crooked stick for emphasis.
“That’s my stick,” Andy said smiling it wasn’t lost the troll took it.
“No, it’s my magic scepter.  I’ve been waiting for it for years, now I have it and I’m going home.” The troll slid Andy’s stick into his pouch he had carrying it like a back pack on his back.
“I don’t understand, it’s just a stick,” Andy shook his head confused. The troll rolled on the ground then, laughing mightily, his antics made Andy laugh too. When the chuckles subsided Grund explained.
“Stick to you yes….thousands have been carried on the water.  I have seen them all, this one glowed as I looked at it.  This is my scepter, when night falls the moonlight will transform this ordinary stick into a golden scepter.  On the end will be a key and that key opens the gate to the Kingdom of Tomorrow, my real home.  I have waited to go home for a long long time.” Explained the happy troll.
“Wow….and only one stick is yours?”
“Yes each troll is cast out when he is ten years old.  Cast out with him a stick that will allow him to return, once he gains knowledge of the outside world. The stick is not easily found, and I have been under this bridge it seems forever.”
“So my stick was the one sent out with you?  That’s why it didn’t come through the other side, you took it?” Andy understood now.
“Yes….is that okay?  I need it without it I can not return home.”
“Sure you can have it.  How old are you?” Andy asked.
“I don’t know how to measure my life in your years.  I am not old for me, I am 15 in my time. You are how old?”
“I am 6, I’m too little to do most things, the older boys are 9 and 10 they can do everything,” Andy pouted remembering how he felt earlier.
“The ones who teased you, they are the ones you wish to be like?” the troll asked confused.
“Well not so I can tease anyone….but…when you are old you can do more things.”
“Like what?” Grund seemed most interested.
“Stay up late, have sleep outs in tents, go to scary movies,” Andy protested. Grund laughed again, and as he did his belly shook making Andy laugh too.
“I do not think it wise that you wish to be what you are not, my young friend.  I think rather you should enjoy who you are.  By the way, I think you are braver than any of those older boys.”
“Really you do, why?” Andy’s eyes lit up, as he listened intently to the troll.
“Look at you, talking to a troll not afraid of me. Telling your friend to leave, willing to go your journey alone.  These are signs of a boy growing up, and wisdom being learned.  You are your own person, like I am a troll. I can’t be what I am not, like you should be happy to just be you, young Andy.”  The troll spoke great wisdom and made Andy realize he was his own person, and maybe he was brave like Grund had said.
“Just like you only get one stick, I can only be me is that right Grund?” Asked Andy beaming now no longer sad.
“Exactly right young Andy.”
“So will you go and never return?” asked Andy, thinking maybe he didn’t want his new friend to leave.
“Yes I will go tonight, but don’t fear I will recall you as a friend young Andy,” Grund nodded smiling.
“Me too with you.  Can you come back just to visit sometime?”
“I don’t think so, my door only opens tonight, but there maybe another to take my place here.  All bridges great and small have trolls lurking beneath them. We hide during the day, and only search for our scepters at night.  Unless someone is kind and tosses it into the creek for us like you did.”
“So if another troll is put here, will he talk to me?”
“I don’t know….maybe, Andy you have Matt to talk to, he is a good friend.”
“Yes….but he will never believe this.”
“Why?”
“Well you are not something we ever see, so how would I prove you are real?”
“Oh yeah….bring him here after supper.  I will show myself only to you and Matt, bring no others. I will be only yours and Matt’s secret is that fair?” Grund asked and Andy smiled happily from ear to ear.  Andy shook hands with Grund, sealing their deal and scampered home running the whole way. Andy could not wait to tell Matt of his adventure.
Matt didn’t really believe Andy, but agreed to come to the bridge anyway.  They two boys slid down to the water’s edge, skimming stones waiting.  “See there is no troll, I knew it,” Matt shook his head discouraged.  However as he did, Grund stepped out from the bush.  Matt tried to screamed, but words would not come, as he stood frozen with fear.  Matt blinked  amazed  at the  sight of the green ugly troll before him.  When he could speak, Andy introduced Matt, who did shake Grund’s green hand noticing the black fingernails.
“You are afraid of me why?” asked Grund.
“You….are…not like me. You are green and scary looking,” Matt stammered and Andy laughed so did Grund.  With them laughing Matt relaxed, and starting laughing too.  They had a nice chat tossing stones for a bit.  Grund was a master skipping his stones ten and twelve skips at a time.
Saying good by was tough, as Andy didn’t want to lose Grund now that he found him.  Grund understood but knew he had to go, as Andy turned to go, Grund tapped him on the shoulder. Andy turned and Grund handed him a simple rock, it was gray and ordinary except that it was perfectly round and smooth.
“What’s this?” Asked Andy confused shrugging.
“Window to my kingdom, it is given to us so we don’t stop looking for our scepter.  I won’t need it now.  If you look through it in the moonlight you will see my world, maybe you can see me in it,” Grund explained hugging Andy a last time.
“Thank you Grund I will never lose it,” Andy vowed sticking the rock in his pocket, as he and Matt chatted happily all the way home.
 Matt and Andy would look often through the stone in the moonlight. They often visited the troll kingdom, while camping out in the back yard.  They seen Grund several times, and he seemed very happy to be home finally. 
Matt and Andy still played after school at the bridge. When they tossed their sticks in with the other boys, they secretly hoped that their sticks would not come through the other side.  They always did though to their dismay.  Then one day quite a while later, Joe’s stick did not come through the other side.  Instead of teasing him as the others were, Matt and Andy smiled. “Maybe your stick was magic, and the troll living under the bridge found his scepter,” Andy suggested.
“Yeah right Trolls, magic, you two are so dumb,” Joe shook his head scowling.  Matt looked at Andy winking, they both smiled knowing the truth.