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Today we have a story about a troll. Trolls are magic creatures and are not people or animals. In this story, the troll is living in the forest on a farm. And the brothers on the farm are afraid of the troll. Except for one brother. So, what does he do about the troll? Let’s start the story.

Boots and the Troll

Once there was a farmer who had three sons. The farmer didn't have much money, and he was old and weak, and his sons weren't very helpful on the farm. The farm had a large forest, and one day the father told his sons to go cut down wood. The farmer wanted to pay off some of his debts.

Well, after a long talk, he persuaded the sons to get going. The eldest son left first. He arrived at the forest on the farm and began to chop down the old, mossy fir tree. But then he saw a troll coming towards him.

"If you chop down trees in my forest, you're dead!" said the troll.

When the son heard that, he was afraid. He threw the ax down, and he ran home as fast as he could run.

When he arrived home, he was out of breath. He told his family what had happened. But his father said he shouldn't be afraid of the troll. It was just a troll.

The next day, it was the second son's turn, and it was the same for him. He had only cut the fir tree three times when the troll came to him too. The troll said:

"If you cut trees in my forest, you're dead!"

The boy was afraid to look at the troll. He threw his ax down on the ground, started running, and went hurrying home just like his brother. So, when he got home, his father was angry. The father said he should not be afraid of a troll.

The third day, the brother named Boots wanted to set off.

'You!" said the two older brothers, "you have never stepped outside your door. How could you be brave?"

Boots said nothing, but he asked them to give him some food. His mother set the pot on the fire to make him a little food and gave him some cheese. He put it into a bag and set off. When he had cut a bit of a tree in the forest, a troll came to him too. The troll said:

"If you cut my tree, you're dead!"

Then the boy pulled his cheese out of the bag. He squeezed the cheese until some liquid came out of it.

"Don't say that to me!" he said to the troll, "or I'll squeeze you just like I am squeezing the water out of this white stone."

"No, my friend!" said the troll, "don't squeeze me! I will help you cut the tree."

The boy agreed, and the troll helped him to cut down the tree. Then they kept going. They cut down many trees.

When it was time for dinner, the troll said:

"How about you come with me to my house for dinner. My house is closer than yours."

The boy thought it was a good idea. At the troll's house, the troll got busy starting the fire. The boy went to get water for their oatmeal. But the troll's house only had two big heavy buckets. He couldn't lift the buckets off of the ground.

The troll said, "you get the fire going, and I'll go and get the water."

So, when the troll came back with the water, they cooked a big pot of oatmeal.

"How about we have a food eating competition?" asked the boy.

"Let's do it," said the troll. He thought he could eat more food than the boy. So, they sat down. Then the boy secretly placed his bag in front of him under the table. The troll didn't see him do this. As the boy ate, he also put food into the bag. This continued for a while. The troll kept eating. Finally, the troll said, "I can't eat one more bite."

"How could you be finished eating? I'm just getting started!" the boy said.

So, the troll kept eating. But it was too much for him. His stomach was growing like a giant balloon. And like a balloon, he popped.

The boy took all the silver and gold that he found on the hillside and he went home. It was just enough to pay off the farm debts. And his father was happy. The end.