巨魔男孩之墓 Tomb of the Troll Boy

“想听个睡前故事吗？” “奶奶，我已经过了听故事的年龄了！”“听故事可没有年龄的限制。”小女孩嫌恶地爬到床上等着，因为她知道这场仗她赢不了。刺骨的寒风在屋外嗥叫着，将纷飞的雪花抽打成魔鬼般的旋涡。“要听哪一种？想听冰霜女巫的故事么？” “不要，不听她的故事。” “那要听段布隆的故事么！”小女孩沉默以对。老妇人微笑地说，“噢，那可就多了。我的奶奶曾跟我讲过，布隆保护我们的村庄免受恶龙威胁的故事！还有一次——那是在很久以前了——他跑赢了一条流淌着岩浆的河！还有——”她顿了顿，将一只手指放在她的双唇上。“我有没有给你讲过，布隆是怎样得到他的盾牌的？”小女孩摇了摇头。炉火噼啪作响，阻挡着寒风。“从前，在我们村庄上面的群山里，住着一个叫做布隆的人。” “这段我听过！”“他主要呆在他的农场里，照顾他的绵羊们和山羊们，但他是最为友善的人，见过他的人都这么说，并且，他总是满面笑容、谈笑风生。”“但是，有一天，发生了一件很可怕的事情：一个调皮的巨魔男孩——年龄和你差不多——在爬山，偶然发现了一间密库，这个密库就在半山腰那里，入口由一扇巨大的石门守护着，而石门的中心，镶嵌着一颗极冰碎片。在他把门打开时，他简直不敢相信他的眼睛：这间密库里装满了金币、宝石——以及你能想到的任何财宝！” “但他不知道的是，这间密库是个陷阱。冰霜女巫已经对它施咒了——并且，在这个巨魔男孩进来后，他身后那扇带有魔法的门哐啷一声，阖上了，将他锁在了里面！不管他怎么试，都逃不出去。” “一个过路的牧羊人听到了他的哭声。每个人都赶来帮忙，但即使是最强壮的战士们也无法把门打开。这个男孩的双亲悲伤无比；他的妈妈的哀叹在山间回响不已。希望越来越渺茫了。”“而这时，出乎他们意料之外的事情发生了：他们听到了一阵悠扬的笑声。”“我猜是布隆来了，对么？” “你真聪明！布隆听到了他们的哭声，于是大步流星地赶了过来。村民们跟他说了那个巨魔男孩和诅咒的事情。布隆露出微笑，点了点头，然后朝着密库转身，正对着那扇门。他又是推，又是拉，又是捶，又是踹，想把它从铰链上扯下来。但那扇门纹丝不动。” “可布隆是最最强壮的人！” “确实让人想不明白，”她的奶奶表示赞同。“布隆在一块大石头上坐了四天四夜，想找出解决的办法。毕竟，那个孩子的生命已经危在旦夕了。” “然后，在第五天，太阳升起来时，布隆的双眼突然睁大，咧嘴一笑。‘如果我不能打通那扇门，’他说道，‘那我就不得不去打通——’”小女孩思考着；她的眼睛也睁大了。“——那座山！” “那座山，没错。布隆朝着山顶走去，然后开始在他的脚下打出一条通道，猛击着山石，一拳接一拳，岩石在他身后飞舞着，直到他深深地陷入这座山中。 “在村民们屏息以待时，门四周的岩石已被击碎——并且在尘埃散落后，他们看到布隆站在财宝之中，那个虚弱却高兴的巨魔男孩则在布隆的臂弯里。”“我就知道他能做到！” “但他们还没来得及庆祝，所有东西却开始隆隆作响了：布隆的隧道松动了山的顶部，而现在，它正在坍塌！布隆飞快地动了动脑筋，然后抓起那扇被附魔的门板，把它当成盾牌举过头顶，保护大家免受山顶崩塌的伤害。在崩塌结束后，布隆惊呆了：这块门板上连一丝划痕都没有！布隆领教到了这件物品的特别之处。”“然后从那时起，那块神奇的盾牌就没有从布隆的身边离开过。”小女孩已经坐起身来，努力掩饰着她的兴奋之情。她的奶奶等待着。她耸了耸肩，然后起身准备离开。“奶奶，能再给我讲一个吗？” “明天吧。”她的奶奶微笑着说，然后亲吻了她的前额，吹熄了蜡烛。“你需要睡上一觉，要讲的故事还多着呢。”

''Would you like to hear a bedtime story?''

''Grandma, I'm too old for that.''

''You're never too old to enjoy a good story.''

The girl reluctantly crawled into bed and waited, knowing she wouldn’t win this battle. A bitter wind howled outside, whipping the falling snow into devil whirls.

''What kind though? A tale of the Ice Witch, perhaps?'' asked her grandmother.

''No, not her.''

''What about a story of Braum?''

The girl nodded and the old woman smiled.

''Ah, there are so many, which to choose…? My grandmother used to tell me of the time Braum protected our village from a great dragon! Or once, this was long ago, mind, he raced down a river of lava! Or-''

She paused and shook her head. “No, none of them. Wait, have I ever told you how Braum got his shield?''

The girl shook her head. The hearth fire snapped, its warmth holding off the night’s chill.

''Well, in the mountains above our village lived a man named Braum. He mostly kept to his farm, tending his sheep and goats, but he was the kindest man anyone had ever met, and he always had a smile on his face and a laugh on his lips.

''Now, one day, something terrible happened. A young troll boy around your age was climbing the mountain and happened upon a massive stone door with a shard of True Ice at its center. When he opened the door, he couldn't believe his eyes! Beyond was a vault filled with gold and jewels. Every kind of treasure you could imagine!

''What he didn't know was that the vault was a trap. The Ice Witch had cursed it, and as the troll boy entered, the magical door clanged shut behind him! It locked him inside! Try as he might, he couldn't escape.

''A passing shepherd heard the boy’s cries. The entire village rushed to help, but even the strongest warriors couldn't open the door. The boy's parents were beside themselves. His mother's wails of grief echoed around the mountain. It seemed hopeless.

''And then they heard a distant laugh.''

''It was Braum, wasn't it?'' asked the girl.

''Aren't you clever? Braum had heard their cries and came striding down the mountain. The villagers told him of the troll boy and the curse. Braum smiled and nodded. He turned to the vault and faced the door. He pushed it. Pulled it. Punched it. Kicked it. Even tried to rip it from its hinges, but the door wasn’t for budging.''

''But he's the strongest man ever!'' cried the girl.

''It was perplexing,'' agreed her grandmother. ''For many days and nights, Braum sat on a boulder, trying to think of a solution. After all, a child's life was at stake.

''Then, as the sun rose on the fifth day, his eyes widened, and a broad grin lit up his face. ‘If I can't go through the door,' he said, ‘then I'll just have to go through-’...''

The girl thought for a moment. Her eyes went wide as she exclaimed, ''The mountain!''

''The mountain indeed. Braum headed to the summit and began punching his way straight down, pummeling his way through the stone, fist after fist. Rocks flew in his wake, until he had vanished deep into the mountain.

''As the villagers held their breath, the rock around the door crumbled. And when the dust cleared, they saw Braum standing amidst the treasure, the weak but happy troll boy cradled in his arms.''

''I knew he could do it!''

''But before they could celebrate, everything began to rumble and shake. Braum's tunnel had weakened the mountain, and now it was caving in! Thinking quickly, Braum grabbed the enchanted door and held it above him like a shield, protecting the villagers as the mountain collapsed around them. When it was over, Braum was amazed. There wasn't a single scratch on the door! Braum knew it was something very special. And from that moment on, the magical shield never left Braum's side.''

The girl sat upright, struggling to conceal her excitement.

''Grandma,'' she said, ''can you tell me another story?''

The girl’s grandmother smiled, kissed her forehead and blew out the candle.

''Tomorrow,” she said. “You need to sleep, and there are many more stories to tell.''