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Winter
(for Robert Steven Lohner)

This is the tenth and last story of
the book. It takes place during the
Christmas holidays, so the cycle is
complete and we're back where we
started in the first story: in the middle
of the Lappish winter. Theodore Troll,
the fifth oldest Troll child, is feeling
sad, and not even Christmas can
cheer him up - Christmas, with all
the presents, the decorations, the
company of family and friends, and
all the special Finnish Christmas
 foods like carrot casserole and warm
lingonberry juice! Fortunately, Grandpa
Troll is there to help Theodore. The
northern lights dance like curtains
of green mist in the sky, and the sun
finally returns after the long polar
night, bringing light and life to Theodore
and the rest of the Troll family once
again. Another year in Lapland has begun!

Several people have asked me who
Robert Steven Lohner is. (You may have
noticed that I dedicated this story to him.)
And to those people I've said - and I say to
you, too: a man has to have some secrets,
secrets, hasn't he?

Below you can see a picture of Theodore
standing on top of a Lappish fell (a big hill).
The picture is taken from the first story,
not this one, but in this story Theodore
ends up back on top of the same fell. Is
he older and wiser than he was a year ago?
What about you? Are you older and wiser
than you were a year ago?



Picture © Ulla Etto