Attican, continued

I could have kept on walking, head down, like I had done so many times before. Wasn\'t giving him a dollar enough? I didn't have time for stories. But it was what he said next, as I stepped off the curb and into the street, that made me stop, turn around, and catch a corner of some strange light reflecting from his eyes. it was a cloudy day, rainy, but I swear it was the sun. Like the wind coming across the bay, his voice rippled my mind, and for a moment I heard the whole universe:

Most people don't know, he's still alive. That was it. I don't get chills very often. A true love I passed in the crosswalk on one busy day downtown, come back to give me her secrets. A clear day in the middle of winter, mountains on both sides drowned in deep snow. These are the things that give me chills. And now, this. Most people don't know, he's still alive. He had me. His eyes were stormy, now, green and humid. His voice-wind rustled the needles of the old pines, trees long gone and replaced by streetlights. And now, as best I can remember, the story he told me:

It wasn't so long ago when everyone knew that Attican, who had grown to be a big old troll, lived happily here near the water. Many things that are alarming now were not alarming then. I need to tell you a little bit about trolls first, so that you understand. Creatures have reasons for existing. Some are simple. Worms feed Robins. Robins tell us when Spring has come. Sometimes purposes are forgotten. Creatures disappear, and we never do know how magical they might have been. So, the purpose of a troll is to answer questions. They lived long lives, you see, and grew up very slowly. A troll child stayed a child much longer than a human. And trolls never stop growing. Imagine all of the things a troll child could learn! And as they grew, a troll would embark on several journeys, to all the corners of the earth, and return with stories and secrets and recipes. They became the best chefs in the world. Any alarm caused by their appearance was quickly dampened by the amazing smells coming from their earthen homes. And people, being curious creatures, would follow their noses. And trolls, being kind-hearted, would invite them in for a dinner that would last deep into the night. And it was during these dinners, amidst oohs and aahhs and belches, that trolls began to answer questions...