Disclaimer: I don't own the Hardy Boys. I don't make money from them.
Of Trolls and Truth
"Hi Joe," Iola Morton smiled up at the blond 15 year old. She had known Joe practically her whole life but recently she had been looking at him with different eyes. "What ya doing?"
Joe rolled his eyes, it was pretty obvious what he was doing. "Oh come on Iola, even you should be able to see that I'm getting ready to ride my skateboard." He set the board on the ground and strapped his helmet to his head. "Why don't you go bother Callie or something," he snipped before setting off on his board. As he zoomed about the skate park he forgot all about Iola Morton, nor did he notice the girl running off with tears streaming down her face.
Frank watched his year younger brother riding his skateboard, a grin on his face, his blue eyes lit with joy. He had witnessed the scene between Joe and Iola, hardly believing that the boy who planned to be a detective could be so clueless when it came to the youngest Morton.
"What did he say to her now?" Callie Shaw demanded. With her hands on her hips and fire in her eyes Frank thought she was the prettiest thing he'd ever scene. He also made a note not to ever make Callie that angry with him.
"The usual," Frank shrugged. "I don't think he even realizes that Iola has been trying to get his attention."
"How could he not realize it? She's done everything but hit him over the head with a club." Callie grinned, "Maybe that's what she should do, reverse caveman."
Frank laughed with her as he imagined the petite Iola clubbing Joe over the head and dragging him off to her lair by his hair. "She might have to yet," he admitted as their laughter died down. "Look I'll see if I can give him a clue, but honestly I think he just still sees her as Chet's annoying kid sister."
"I hope you get through to him Frank. He's really hurting her with his behavior."
"I know." He wrapped his arms around Callie, "Could you do me a favor?"
Callie smiled up at him, "Anything." Her cheeks reddened as Frank's grin grew. "Well maybe not anything," she quickly amended.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't take advantage of you like that."
"I know. So, what's the favor?"
"Do you think you could tear your attention away from the annoying, clueless younger Hardy and turn it to the devastatingly handsome, intelligent older Hardy?"
Callie stood on tiptoe, kissing him on the lips. "Oh, I think I can manage that."
That evening Frank tried, as he had promised he would, to get through to Joe. Unfortunately the younger boy was so wrapped up in the Harry Potter movies he was watching that he didn't think any of it had gotten through. Frank had tried, several times, to turn the t.v. off but Joe was very good at keeping the remote away from him. Well tomorrow was Saturday so no school to worry about, Frank would just have to try again then.
It was after him, Joe ran through the halls of Hogwarts desperately trying to escape the thing chasing after him. He jumped onto the stairs, running up them as quickly as he could. As he neared safety the stairs moved, bringing him face to face with the troll he'd been trying to avoid. Joe stood frozen in fear as the being took a step closer. Suddenly he found himself shoved against a nearby wall.
"You are the most clueless boy I've ever met. You throw words around as carelessly as if they were nothing more damaging than soap bubbles, never realizing the damage they can do. Why don't you see the hurt you cause with your carelessly spewed words? Are you truly that clueless? The Morton girl wants you, I can't see why and you just keep throwing hurtful words. I should let her hit you with a club, maybe then you'd wake up." A club appeared in the troll's hands, as if by magic. The creature raised the club and...
Joe sat up, a choked off scream on his lips.
Frank ran into the room through the shared bathroom, ready to defend his brother against any and all enemies. It took him a moment to realize there were no enemies present. "Nightmare?"
Joe nodded, still breathing heavily after his dream encounter with the troll.
"Want to talk about it?" Any irritation he'd felt with his brother earlier taking a back seat for the time being.
"It was stupid."
"So?"
And so Joe talked. He told Frank everything that had happened in the nightmare, blushing when he got to the part about Iola. For a second he wondered if his dream was right but he quickly dismissed the thought.
"That doesn't sound like a troll, they're usually pretty stupid. What did this thing look like?" Frank supposed it was a silly thing to ask but his logical mind had latched onto this discrepancy as the key to the nightmare.
"Well, it was short and had dark skin and really long fingers and feet. It didn't have a club at first that appeared later. It was going to hit me with it, that's when I woke up."
"Well that explains it."
"It does?" Joe was confused.
"Yeah Joe," Frank rolled his eyes. "I didn't think it was a troll because they're pretty stupid. They can hardly string three words together and the thing in your dream was talking very properly. It was also making a lot of sense. What you encountered in your dream was obviously a goblin. Aside from the description, goblins are honest and forthright just like the one in your dream while trolls just try to be mean."
"Oh." Joe fiddled with the edge of his pajama top. "Do you think it meant anything?"
"You really are clueless aren't you little brother?"
Joe glared.
"Obviously oh clueless one, mistaking honest goblins for trolls, it means you should start paying attention to Iola and be nicer to her. If you don't she just might decide to hit you with a club for real." Frank ducked out the door as Joe's pillow flew his direction.
Grumbling about annoying older brothers Joe got up to retrieve his pillow. Laying back down the words from his dream began to replay along with Frank's interpretation of the dream. He smiled; Iola was getting kind of pretty, now that he thought of it. Maybe he had been the one acting like a troll with his hurtful words he uttered without thinking. As he closed his eyes he silently promised himself that he would listen to the honest goblin and stop behaving like a poisonous troll.
The End