The troll who learned to listen

Pip the troll had a joke for everything. A joke for rain. A joke for burnt toast. Three jokes for anyone who said ‘I’m having a rough day.’

One afternoon, a friend sat beside him without laughing. Pip searched his pockets for a better punchline. His friend shook her head.

‘Can we just sit here?’ she asked. Pip had never considered silence a team activity. Still, he stayed.

They watched a leaf drift across the pond. Pip resisted naming it the chairman of the float committee. The effort was tremendous.

After a while, his friend smiled. ‘Thanks for staying.’ Pip realized that making someone feel less alone could be a very good use of a funny little troll.

Later, they named the leaf together. The joke was better with two people in it.