Age of the Amulet by Richard Ashley Hamilton

Author:Richard Ashley Hamilton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Spotlight

CHAPTER 10

GOGUN WEPT

“Take it!” Jim yelled, thrusting the Amulet into Gogun’s hands for the umpteenth time. “Take it! Take it! Take it!”

The inactive device slipped out of the old Troll’s fingers as he broke down sobbing again. Jim threw up his hands in frustration.

“I don’t want the Amulet!” Gogun blubbered. “I don’t want to be a Trollhunter! I don’t want to duh-duh-dieeeeeeee!”

Claire rolled her eyes as Gogun dropped to the soggy ground under the footbridge, crying even harder. She then tapped Jim and suggested, “Maybe we should try a softer sell. You’ve always said how overwhelmed you felt when you first became the Trollhunter.”

“My situation hasn’t exactly improved since then,” Jim deadpanned over more wails.

“There you go,” said Claire. “This is a big responsibility you’re asking Gogun to accept. Maybe try telling him something that comforted you when you were in his place.”

“Right,” Jim replied, thinking it over.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Jim approached the old Troll, who still sobbed in the river muck, and said, “Hey, uh, Gogun.”

Gogun uncurled from the fetal position and, in a voice thick with tears, said, “What?”

“I know being the Trollhunter is kind of a heavy destiny,” Jim started. “But someone once told me that destiny is a gift.”

“It . . . it is?” sniffled Gogun.

“Yeah!” said Jim, encouraged by Gogun’s interest. “See, some go their entire lives living an existence of quiet desperation, never learning the truth. That what feels like a burden pushing down upon our shoulders is actually the sense of purpose that lifts us to greater heights.”

“ ‘Greater . . . greater heights’?” echoed Gogun, now wiping the tears from his cheeks.

“Never forget that fear is but the precursor to valor. That to strive and triumph in the face of fear is what it means to be a hero,” Jim’s voice swelled. “Don’t think. Become.”

The old Troll’s lips moved as he silently mouthed the last part of the speech. Gogun then stood up tall, wiped the slop from his body, and said, “Become what? A corpse?!”

“What? No!” said Jim as Gogun retreated.

“That’s not what he was saying at all!” vouched Claire.

“I told you,” Gogun said, his voice rising in anger. “I don’t want to—”

“Be the Trollhunter, yeah, yeah, yeah,” Jim finished for him. “Pretty sure I heard you the first hundred times. Fine. So what do you want then?”

“Nobody . . . nobody’s ever asked me that,” Gogun said, his pique fading. “But if I had a choice in the matter, I suppose I want to do what I’ve always felt I was born to do.”

“And what’s that?” said Claire, genuinely intrigued.

Gogun held his hands by his face, wiggled his fingers enthusiastically, and said, “Dance!”

Jim and Claire watched the old Troll in bafflement. He started kicking his feet in rhythm, splashing the water and twirling his body as he hummed to himself.

“At least now we know why he goes by ‘the Graceful,’ ” reasoned Claire just before Gogun tripped and fell face-first into the river.

“We are so doomed,” said Jim.

Claire doubled over with a coughing fit.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.