Chapter Three – Learning from the Past
When the kids congregated the next day, they sat patiently and listened to the Minor Genres' lecture.
"Some would say that we became part of the bounty hunters because no one plays our music anymore." Marimba began. "But we find that awfully depressing."
"These days, we prefer to say that ours are niche genres." Tambora explained. "Not many play our music, but we grow steadily."
"You've all heard our music before, so you might be able to pick out which of the main genres we come from." Tresillo continued. "Reggaeton has a bit of funk and pop influence. K-Pop was inspired by pop, yodeling by country, and jazz from classical music. Hence why we are called The Minor Genres. But you may see that we aren't that similar to each other."
"Just like how you kids are pretty different from each other." Wani added. "Queen Poppy and Queen Essence were both right about the trolls. Our differences make us stronger, but we're all still trolls, and the one thing we all have in common is our love for music."
"Ultimately, that's what this sculpture for Music Central should represent: a community of different trolls united by music." Hickory said.
"But how are we supposed to know what that looks like?" Ozzy asked.
"We have faith in you." Kim-Petit said.
"That's why you were chosen to design the sculpture." Ari added.
"We will be here to advise you when needed." Dickory assured. "But the design will be all your own."
"For now, just do some brainstorming." Tresillo recommended.
"We will sit back here and supervise." Chaz said as the Minor Genre trolls sat on a picnic blanket a few feet away.
The kids adjusted their positions so they sat in a circle facing each other. They were given pads of paper and crayons. The task never seemed so daunting before.
"Anyone else nervous about this?" Clampers asked.
"I know they said we would be in charge of the design, but I guess I didn't think about how much pressure that would be." Cadence gulped.
"What if the kings and queens hate it?" Blue gasped.
"What if the other trolls hate it?" Coral Blush whimpered.
"What if we end up hating it after a while?" Ozzy tugged on his hair.
"Hey guys?" CJ spoke up, pulling everyone's gaze to her. "Why don't we get started brainstorming and work out the kinks from there?"
"How are you so calm?" Coral Blush asked her.
"Something I learned from Queen Poppy." CJ explained. "Look, we're not going to please everyone. Everybody has their own idea of how this thing should look. But we were chosen. The leaders of the troll kingdoms trust us, and they know we'll do our best to make the best Music Central symbol. We just have to do our best, trust ourselves, and have some cupcakes to celebrate!"
The others relaxed a bit at CJ's encouraging words. "Hey, what if we all drew what we think the symbol should look like, and then we'll compare?" Clampers suggested. "At least we'll get some ideas out there."
With everyone agreeing, the kids started scribbling on the drawing pads left for them. For the next few hours until they took a break for lunch, they sketched out rough ideas of what this great symbol for this great troll kingdom would look like.
"CJ, does this look right for your wooferbug?" Blue asked.
"She's a bit fuzzier than that." CJ said. "Ozzy, what would a typical rock guitar look like?"
"I've seen lots." Ozzy answered. "They always have at least six strings, a body, and a stem, like all guitars, but you can design it any way you want."
"Clampers, does this look like a banjo?" Cadence showed the Country Troll her drawing.
"Almost. There's an extra string right there." Clampers said. "Wow, you're a really good artist."
"Thank you." Cadence blushed. "I really enjoy it."
"How many instruments are used in an orchestra?" Blue asked Cadence.
"Depends on the requirements of the symphony. Unless it's a concerto or a fantasia." Cadence replied.
"A fantasy what?" Ozzy tilted his head quizzically.
"Is a concerto like a macchiato?" Blue asked.
"No, that's the gross coffee stuff adults sometimes drink." CJ stuck out her tongue.
"My Aunt Delta drinks coffee all the time, but I never heard of a macki….whatever that was." Clampers laughed.
The Reggaeton Trolls politely interrupted them for lunch. Marimba and Tambora looked through the kids' drawings. "These are really good. Which one will you use?" Tambora asked.
"Don't know." Ozzy shrugged. "We'll figure it out."
"You're doing great work, guys." Marimba said. "We can't wait to see your design."
"Will you be back in time?" Coral Blush asked. "Since you're going to Techno Reef for the concert?"
"Of course." Tresillo nodded. "Besides, we know you'll find a great symbol for this place."
As the kids finished their lunch, Clampers started juggling her apple like it were a soccer ball. She bounced the fruit off her knees, elbows, and head.
"Toss it this way, Clampers!" Ozzy urged, jumping to his feet. Clampers used her tail to flick the apple towards him, and he continued the juggling.
"Me next! Me next!" Coral Blush used his tail to catch the apple and bounce it.
"I'm open!" CJ bounced the apple off her elbows. "Hey Cadence! Catch!"
Cadence didn't juggle the apple. She winced with a whimper and the apple fell to the ground. "I'm sorry." She murmured in embarrassment.
"That's okay." Clampers said. "What games do Classical Trolls play?"
"Chess, card games, hide-and-seek, and such." Cadence said. "Yesterday was my first time playing soccer. We don't do a lot of wild sports like this."
"Can you show us how to play chess?" Blue requested.
Cadence lit up in excitement, and she pulled a miniature chess set from her hair. She and Clampers sat across from each other, and CJ, Ozzy, Blue, and Coral Blush sat around them. Cadence explained each piece, and the game began. However, it lasted the rest of the day as Cadence kept pausing to explain what each piece did and why. Clampers was constantly confused. Despite this, the kids laughed with enjoyment, and they were surprised when their guardians came to pick them up at the end of the day.
"We'll hold onto these notebooks until tomorrow." Wani assured the children as they left.
"Do you think we should have told them to stop the game and keep working?" Chaz asked no one in particular after the kids disappeared.
Baby Bun shook her head. "Let them have their fun. Who are we to stand in the way of a fostering friendship?"
When the kids gathered the next day, they went right to work.
"Seeing these drawings after a night's sleep really helps." Ozzy realized. "I think I can narrow it down a bit more from here."
"Let's choose our top five favorites, and we'll look at them all together." Clampers suggested. They all flipped through their drawing pads, ripping out pages and placing them in a pile in the middle of their circle.
"Can we agree that Cadence is the best artist out of all of us and she should be the one to draw the final design?" Ozzy piped up. Everyone agreed, causing Cadence to blush again.
"What's this one, CJ?" Coral Blush picked up a drawing of a white harp with intricate details, and six strings the same color as the original Strings of Music.
"Something I saw in one of the library's history books." CJ said. "That was the original symbol for the trolls, I guess. I thought we could get some inspiration from it."
"Didn't a Pop Troll leader use that to take over the world or something?" Blue asked.
"King Poplar." CJ confirmed. "I had this on a history test recently. Like the other kings and queens at the time, their ancestors were the first trolls. One day, King Poplar used the harp and the Strings of Music to make everyone a Pop Troll, and then the other troll leaders took their strings and ran. King Poplar was removed from the throne, and King Peppy and Queen Poppy's ancestor took over."
"Why would King Poplar want to make everyone the same?" Blue asked. "I thought the old queens and kings were all friends."
"I'm not sure." CJ admitted. "I got that answer wrong on my test."
"I want to know how he used the harp to change everyone, like how Queen Barb did with her guitar." Coral Blush said.
"He has a point." Cadence agreed. "Though often used as a musical symbol of harmony, the harp is traditionally a classical instrument. I don't understand how it could be used to make…..what would it be? Pop zombies?"
"Can you imagine?" CJ stood and put on a black face. She spoke in a spooky voice. "Oooh! I am the Pop Zombie! I shall hypnotize you with swirly frosting and take over your minds with my blind enthusiasm! Oooohh! It's Huuuuug Tiiiiiime!" She practically fell onto Ozzy, hugging him tightly while everyone laughed so hard that they had to hold their stomachs.
Ozzy hugged CJ back. "What's supposed to be so scary about a rock zombie or a pop zombie or any kind of zombie?"
"Who knows?" Clampers shrugged.
"We should switch outfits sometime. See what we'd look like." Coral Blush suggested.
"That'd be cool." CJ said. "No matter what we look like or what music we play, we're all trolls at heart." She glanced to the pictures. "Hey! That's it! What if the sculpture had a heart? A big one that holds all of us?"
"Maybe the entire thing could be a heart?" Ozzy offered.
"Let's all draw one heart design and we'll compare." Cadence declared. They got to work and only paused when lunchtime came around. After eating, they showed each other their drawings.
"Cadence, take the paper and crayons." Blue pushed the materials to the little Classical Troll. "You have to draw the final design so we can show it to the leaders."
"Okay, but which design is best?" Cadence asked. The kids analyzed their drawings. Cadence drew a heart made from a bass clef and a treble clef. Clampers' heart was made from one instrument from each type of music. Coral Blush's heart was blocky, like his own chest marking, and consisted of all the colors of the rainbow. CJ made a heart similar in design to the original harp, with strings that made outlines of different instruments. Ozzy's heart was simple in design, but split into parts, and each part represented a music type. Blue's heart was made of neon strings.
There was a bit more debating, and then the kids had to go home. The Reggaeton Trolls bid them goodbye and good luck, and the trio left the next morning for Techno Reef. The kids gathered again and talked more about the design.
"I know we don't need the strings to make our music, but it was a lot easier to represent the troll kingdoms when each one had their own string on an instrument." Ozzy said.
"What if nobody wants to remember the bad things King Poplar and the other trolls did?" CJ said.
"Aunt Delta says we should learn history so we can learn from it. Whatever that means." Clampers said.
"I think that means we learn from our experiences, and the experiences of others." Coral Blush touched his heart-shaped marking. "Maybe a harp isn't a bad idea."
"Like the old one?" Cadence asked.
Coral Blush shook his head. "No, we should make it a new harp. I like your heart shape with the clefs. The strings inside don't have to play music. We just need one string for each kingdom, and the Minor Genres, too."
"Oh, we should make it big!" Clampers suggested. "The harp should be big enough for the six Major Genres, four Minor Genres—"
"And one for hip hop, for Prince D!" Blue piped up.
"Yes!" Clampers nodded. "One string for each music we know now, plus plenty of room for more music we might discover someday!"
Cadence did a quick sketch. "How's this?"
"The heart should be black, I think." Ozzy said.
"And then these colors for the strings." CJ pushed about a dozen crayons in Cadence's direction. Cadence got to work drawing. In a few minutes, she had the finished piece, and the kids crowded around.
"It's perfect!" Clampers and CJ gasped.
"Everyone's going to love it!" Ozzy agreed.
"Cadence, you're so good at art." Blue complimented.
"King Trollex and everyone else will be so happy." Coral Blush said.
Cadence blushed. "I think so, too."
When the kids announced they were finished, the K-Pop Gang (who were supervising them that day) looked over their design, voiced their approval, and dropped the kids off at home before running to collect the other troll leaders. The next day, Riff gathered the kids and led them to the conference room at the castle, where the troll leaders waited. The kids voted Clampers as their speaker.
The normally confident Country Troll felt smaller than usual standing in the middle of that room, all eyes on her and her new friends. "We present to you our design for the new Music Central symbol!" Clampers gestured to her friends, who unrolled a larger piece of paper with the design artfully drawn on it. The heart was made from a black treble clef and bass clef. Inside the harp were eleven strings: six for country, pop, rock, classical, techno, and funk (plus one for Prince D's hip hop), and four for K-pop, yodeling, reggaeton, and smooth jazz. Clampers pointed to the extra space on either side of the strings in the middle of the harp. "There's lots more space if we find more music styles. What do you think?"
Once everyone got a look at the picture, there were smiles all around. After a bit of murmuring amongst the leaders, Branch stood. "Kids, this is wonderful. It's just what this community needs. Well done. We're going to pass this design to Harper and get started with construction. Once it's done, we'll have a big party to celebrate."
"We're very proud of you all." Essence said.
"Come on, guys." Riff gestured for the kids to follow him. "I told your folks I'd babysit you until dinner."
"Let's go play!" CJ urged. "Last night, I thought of a really cool way to play chess!"
Clampers paused. She looked to her aunt, and then back to her friends, and repeated the action a few times. "Uh….."
"You can go if you want to." Delta Dawn told her niece with a smile. "I'm going to be a while, and I know how bored you get."
Clampers looked relieved. She hugged Delta Dawn. "Love you! Bye!" She cantered after her friends.
Delta Dawn smiled wistfully. "They grow up so fast."
The one thing Reggaeton Trolls and Techno Trolls had in common was their love of parties, hence why they often collaborated. The Reggaeton Trolls set up a concert on the beach by Techno Reef, and the Techno Trolls came to the surface to party. The music and dancing lasted all through the night and straight on to dawn, and then everyone fell asleep right where they stood.
"We'll catch you next time, amigos!" Tresillo called as he, Tambora, and Marimba left. The Techno Trolls waved from the beach.
"Next party in Music Central!" One of the Techno Trolls suggested.
"All right!" Marimba and Tambora high-fived.
"I love a good reggae-tech bash." Tresillo said, a bit of a dance in his step.
"You think the kids are doing okay?" Tambora asked.
"I think they're fine." Marimba nodded. "They sort of stuck to each other from the first day. It's so sweet."
"We need some kids in our genre." Tambora smirked teasingly at Tresillo. "What do you think?"
Tresillo laughed and put an arm around each of his girls. "Why? One of you two want to…..how do the Country Trolls say it? Tangle things up?" The girls laughed and shoved him playfully. "Hey, but look on the bright side: lots of the little guys in Music Central are wanting to learn reggaeton. Our future is looking bright."
Marimba paused and did a perfect double-take. "What's that?" She pointed above the trees to a trail of smoke, dark grey against the partly cloudy skies.
"I hope it's not a wildfire." Tresillo groaned. "We already had a close call this year."
"It looks too small." Tambora noted. "If it is a wildfire, it's just starting out. Doesn't hurt to check." The trio jogged towards the smoke. Music Central was close to their location. If there was a wildfire starting, with potentially no rain in sight, they needed to alert the trolls.
Thankfully, the smoke did not grow as they traveled closer. While the Reggaeton Trolls assumed it was a campfire from a traveler, the source turned out to be a chimney attached to a troll-sized cottage. The dark, weathered home sat in a small clearing amongst the densely packed trees. Curious, the Reggaeton Trolls ventured closer.
"Do you think they're bounty hunters?" Marimba asked.
"I don't know any bounty hunters who would live in a place like this." Tresillo eyed the dead, dry grass of the clearing and the trees closest to the cottage that were missing their foliage. It seemed that anything too close to the cottage withered and died, with no chance for regrowth. There was a well nearby, presumably for water. Though it was a warm partly cloudy day, getting closer to the cottage caused shivers up their spines. They knocked on the door a few times, but no one answered. They peered through the windows. It was too dark to see anything, even with the fireplace alight. The trio could just make out a large cauldron, lots of bookshelves, and a table littered with jars and bowls.
Tambora looked around. "Is it just me, or does it feel like somebody is watching us?"
"Definitely creepy." Marimba gulped. "Tresillo, let's go home. We can tell the others about it and see if anyone knows who lives here."
Tresillo wasn't sure he wanted to know who lived there at all. "Yeah. Yeah, let's go." They ran, as fast as they could, and did not slow until they could not see the cottage anymore.
It took a few days, but the kids figured out a way to play life-sized chess using costume helmets, real trolls, and glitter bombs. Even some of the adults joined in the game.
"Knight to F7!" Cadence called.
"Yes!" Ozzy readjusted his helmet and moved to Keith's spot.
"I'm ready!" Keith laughed. Ozzy smashed a glitter bomb at Keith's feet, dousing him in glitter. Keith laughed again and walked off the board to join the other captured pieces covered in glitter.
"Check!" Cadence said to her opponent.
Peppy hummed in thought. "Let's see….castle to C4!"
Branch moved to the open space. He muttered under his breath, "Please no glitter. Please no glitter."
Cadence lit up. "Bishop to C7! Checkmate!"
Peppy stared at the board, bewildered. "Aw, cupcakes! How'd you do that?"
Cadence's team cheered for her. Barb walked off the board and dusted glitter out of her hair. "Glitter bombs. Surprisingly effective."
"I always keep some with me." Poppy said, pulling out a dozen and handing them to Barb. "Just in case!"
Barb laughed. "Thanks, Pop-squeak." Everyone scattered to resume their day and/or wash the glitter off, leaving behind Clampers, CJ, Coral Blush, Ozzy, Cadence, and Blue.
"We still have an hour before dinner." Blue pointed out. "What should we do now?"
"Hide-and-seek?" Coral Blush suggested. After a round of agreements, Coral Blush counted first. Branch stuck around to keep an eye on them, watching them play with a small smile on his lips. As he watched the kids laugh at being discovered in their hiding spots, he suddenly thought of his grandmother, and he wondered if she ever did what he did now. Branch shook his head to disperse the thoughts. Lately, he found himself doing that often: thinking of his grandmother while doing something she might have done while alive. After all, Rosiepuff was a nanny to nearly every troll in the Troll Tree, and she was renowned for her lullabies and surprising strength and speed from chasing small children constantly. Perhaps that is why Branch was not all that perplexed when he discovered he liked looking after the little ones.
Clampers noticed Branch's faraway look and stopped chasing her friends. "What's the matter, Branch?"
The kids paused their game of tag and looked at Branch. The blue-grey troll smiled at them. "Nothing. Just thinking."
"About what?" Coral Blush asked.
"It's big kid stuff. Don't worry about it." Branch shrugged it off.
"We're big kids!" Ozzy pouted. "Please tell us?"
Branch was about to retort that, while older than toddlers, he wouldn't quite classify them as "big kids." But he remembered what Poppy said about opening up more as a way of dealing with past trauma. Surely, a few innocent details wouldn't hurt him or the kids. "Okay, fine. I was thinking about my grandma. She used to look after trollings like yourself all the time."
"Is she as good as you are?" CJ asked. "I remember when you took me, Priscilla, and Keith camping. That was super fun! Did your grandma do that?"
"Sometimes." Branch said. "But, trust me, she was ten times better at taking care of kids than I'll ever be."
"I think you take care of us great!" Ozzy said.
"Thanks, guys." Branch said. "Sometimes, I doubt myself. It's nice to hear some encouragement."
The kids exchanged looks, simultaneously grinned with silent understanding, and then buried Branch in a dogpile that morphed into a group hug. Branch laughed, using his hair to hug them all back and cause the kids to giggle.
"Feel better now?" Coral Blush asked.
Branch reeled his azure hair back in to its normal length. "Yes. Thank you very much. By the way, Harper has greenlighted the sculpture, and we're going to start building pretty soon. The kings and queens are really proud of you all."
Cadence raised her hand like a student in a classroom. "Mr. Branch, sir? Even though we finished the design early, can we still hang out and be friends and play together?"
"I don't see why not." Branch shrugged. "You already seem pretty bonded."
"I think we're afraid our own lives will get in the way." Blue said in concern. "We have school, music practice, and lots of other stuff."
"So you just have to rearrange your schedule." Branch suggested. "Make some changes. Tell your parents or guardians about it. Make plans and just go hang out. Even if you just say, 'Friday afternoon, we're going to hang out.' That's all it takes."
"It sounds less complicated when you put it like that." Clampers agreed.
"Friendship takes a bit of work, yes. But if you want to make it last, you put in the work to do it." Branch said. "I think you guys want to make it work, but maybe you're afraid of too much change?" The kids nodded to confirm. "That's okay. It's okay to feel afraid of something new. Life is all about changes and trying something new. Once you get over your nervousness, you can jump right in it!" They all perked up at the sounds of trolls calling their children home for supper. "Maybe tomorrow." Branch added.
The kids laughed again and enveloped Branch in one more group hug. "Thanks, Branch!" Clampers said. See you tomorrow, guys!" The kids and Branch bid each other farewell. Branch took Clampers's hand and walked back to the castle, meeting Poppy and the other troll leaders in the dining room for dinner.
"Did you have a good afternoon?" Delta Dawn asked Clampers, fixing her a plate.
"Yeah! Branch helped me and my friends not be scared anymore!" Clampers said.
"And did you thank him for that?" Delta Dawn asked.
Clampers thought for a moment. "I gave him a hug." She looked to Branch. "Thank you!"
"You're welcome." Branch chuckled. Poppy giggled and kissed his cheek. He nuzzled noses with her in return.
Clampers stuck out her tongue at the romantic display of affection between Branch and Poppy. Friendly hugs are one thing. But that's just gross!