The Laughing Troll
Dina Bern
© Copyright 2026 by Dina Bern
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The Laughing Troll
Dina Bern
© Copyright 2026 by Dina Bern |
|
Tania had planned to visit a few cities in Italy this time, but she had to cancel the trip. The day after she bought her airline ticket, her former colleague Frank McMillan—who spoke Spanish like a native and had moved to Los Angeles to be with his Mexican girlfriend, Anita—called with an intriguing proposal. He explained that thousands of internacionalistas (Americans offering nonmilitary aid) were traveling to Nicaragua to help. Some joined agricultural and construction brigades to harvest coffee, cotton, and sugarcane or build clinics and schools. Others joined literacy campaigns to teach rural communities to read and write, while doctors and nurses provided medical care and supplies.
Tania was elated! It sounded like a wonderful opportunity to help people in need while exploring a Central American country she had never visited. She chose to join the literacy campaign. Frank planned to work with the construction brigades, while Anita, a nurse, would join a medical unit. The three of them would share a spacious hut near the center of Managua. The couple intended to stay through the end of the year—a luxury Tania couldn't afford, as she had only three weeks left of her summer break. Fortunately, changing her flight was easy, and she even received a small refund.
Frank and Anita arrived in Managua the day before Tania. After picking her up in an old, dark-green jeep he had borrowed from a government official, Frank suggested getting dinner at the local "international" house. The venue was a mix of restaurant and bar, reminiscent of an American neighborhood pub, where volunteers from around the globe gathered to share meals and swap stories about their work. It was after 7:00 p.m. on a Saturday, and Anita warned that the place was sure to be packed, though they were confident someone would make room for them at a table or along the counter.
They arrived, and Tania needed to use the restroom, so Anita offered to show her the way. As they pushed through the crowd, a tall, slim young man bumped into Tania. He paused, blocking her path for a brief second, then tilted his head to look directly into her eyes and almost whispered, “Sorry.”
“No problem,” she replied.
The encounter lasted only three or four seconds, but it was long enough for her to notice that he was tall, blond, and had light blue eyes framed by fine crinkles when he smiled and apologized.
When the women returned, they saw Frank at a table chatting animatedly with a group that had their feet propped on two empty chairs. They moved quickly toward them. “Are you saving those chairs for us?” Anita asked.
“Yes!” Frank replied, proceeding to introduce the new arrivals to the two men and three women with him—all European. The women were from Germany, and the men were Swedish. Food soon arrived at the table: gallo pinto—a traditional rice and bean dish—along with vigorón, made of boiled cassava root, crispy pork rinds, and a tangy chopped cabbage and tomato salad. To drink, they ordered pinolillo, a rich spiced cocoa and ground-corn drink served cold.
The three German women left early because they had to travel to the Costa Rican border the following morning. Just a few minutes later, the tall, blond young man who had bumped into Tania appeared. His light blue eyes were crinkled again in a friendly smile as he apologized for interrupting. He introduced himself as “Noah from Norway, a journalist in the making,” and asked if he could join them. Everyone readily agreed. Noah took one of the chairs left by the German women and politely asked Anita, sitting next to Tania, if she would mind shifting over a bit so he could sit next to Tania, who had just paused her animated conversation with one of the Swedes. The Swede clearly didn't appreciate the intrusion of his Nordic neighbor and left with his countryman shortly after.
Frank and Anita already knew the regions they had been assigned to; they had worked there before and were glad to continue helping those same communities, even though it meant spending time apart. Noah offered to walk Tania to the Ministry of Education the following morning to help her get her assignment. Everyone appreciated the offer and thanked him.
Tania was given a bicycle to get around. Riding to her assigned area took over an hour each way, but she didn't mind. On days when Noah didn't have reporting assignments, he would ride along or pick her up at the schools where she taught. She knew she was doing meaningful work, helping children and adults—some over seventy years old—learn to read and write. The rewarding sense of purpose often moved her to tears.
Yet, as the end of her vacation drew near, a deep sorrow began to set in. Her relationship with Noah had grown complicated. He seemed to want a serious future together.
Noah was twenty-three years old. Tania was thirty-five—twelve years his senior. Noah was also fiercely ambitious, focused on writing articles he hoped to sell to major American news magazines. The week before she left, Noah announced that he would soon be traveling to New York, having successfully pitched several stories to two prominent US publications. Tania agreed to let him stay at her apartment for as long as he needed. Nearly a month after she returned home, Noah called to say he was on his way.
About two weeks after arriving in New York, Noah confessed that he wanted to stay and share his life with her in the city. He assured her that the age difference didn't matter to him—they had already talked through that in Nicaragua. They could get married if it provided a sense of security. Tania hesitated, asking for time to think, but Noah pressed for an answer before his departure for Norway, explaining that he needed to tell his parents and sisters. “I’ve been away from home for too long,” he said. “I must go back for at least a few weeks. I’ll return regardless, but especially if you say yes.”
Ultimately, Tania’s answer was no. She knew very little about Norway at the time—only that it was small compared to the United States. She knew nothing of its social structure, benefits, or quality of life. Her mindset was steeped in the common American assumption of the era: that the US was the center of the world, and that everyone naturally wanted to move there. Poor Tania—her appetite for international travel had not yet translated into an understanding of how foreign governments cared for their citizens. She had not yet realized that visiting scenic parks, grand avenues, historic monuments and museums has little to do with the daily well-being of a country's people. In reality, the Nordic countries offered a standard of living just as high as—and in some respects even better than—that of the United States, as is the case today.
She assumed that everyone longed to live in America, and she worried that Noah’s interest in her might simply be a ticket to stay. However, she kept those suspicions to herself to avoid hurting him. Had she voiced them, he might have enlightened her about the high quality of life in Norway, which even then surpassed that of the United States in many respects.
Noah called her later from Norway. Tania reiterated that she was not ready for a commitment but added that he was still welcome to stay at her apartment for a few days on his way back to Nicaragua.
On the day he arrived, Noah asked his taxi driver to wait with the motor running while he stopped by before heading back to the airport. He carried a paper bag about half a meter long. When Tania opened the door and invited him in, he declined.
“No,” he said quietly. “Just open the bag. I must catch my flight to Nicaragua.”
Inside was a traditional Norwegian present: a troll. It was the ugliest figurine she had ever seen!
Noah spoke with a quiet, sharp edge in his voice. “I know you care for me a lot. Maybe you even love me. But your fixation on age won't let you look past a simple number. Why is it acceptable for men to be much older than women, but never the reverse? Have you ever asked yourself that? Anyway, my troll will carry out the little piece of magic I prepared him for. You won’t escape your ridiculous prejudices, and you’ll keep me in your thoughts forever. Because when you finally choose your life partner, my darling Tania, just like me, he is going to be twelve years younger than you. I promise you that!”
Time passed. Every so often, Tania came across Noah’s articles covering international crises in various magazines around the world.
When she turned forty, she decided to transition to teaching high school, secretly hoping to meet a peer her own age and finally settle down. However, obtaining the qualifications required to teach her subjects of interest meant returning to university for two full years. Then she discovered that a university in Sweden offered a program that would allow her to complete a master's degree in both subjects in just one year. She decided to make the move.
The university was in a picturesque part of Sweden. While studying there, a classmate invited her to a party. It was there that she met a warm, easy-going young man named Nils, who laughed and said, “You’re lying!” when she mentioned she was over forty.
Nils was tall and dark-haired. He described his eyes as “hazel,” but she discovered that their color changed from gray to green and even blue— “depending on the weather,” she mused. He was also kind, gentle, and easy-going. His true talent lay in technology—he was a genuine computer wizard. They moved in together first, making sure they were right for each other before taking the step into marriage. When the wedding day finally arrived, it was wonderful—the venue, the dinner, the music, the guests, everything.
After the reception, the time came to return to their apartment before setting off on their honeymoon. Stepping through the front door, they embraced and said in unison, “Alone at last!”
As they held each other, Tania heard something—a deep, distinct male laugh.
They were standing right in front of the glass display cabinet in the living room, with Nils’s back to it. That was when Tania realized they were standing directly before the troll Noah had given her years ago. She was too bewildered to ask Nils if he had heard it, so she remained silent.
Then, sudden realization struck her like a bolt of lightning: Nils was twelve years younger than she was. In fact, he was born just a few months after Noah.
Darn it! she thought. Was Noah actually a warlock?
She quickly brushed the thought aside. No, of course not. There’s no such thing as warlocks. And I only kept the troll all these years because it represents the folklore and heritage of the Nordic people.
Tania and Nils have shared over thirty years of marriage—a life rich with travel and adventure across the globe. Yet every now and then, from its perch inside the glass display cabinet in their living room, the troll still lets out a quiet, knowing laugh.
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