Slam! Laura ran past her mom, who was making a pot of stew. But, her mom stopped her. “Laura, what’s the matter? Anyway, how was school?”

“Mom, that’s just the thing that’s wrong,” Laura replied. “You won’t want to know what happened.”

Laura tried to break away, but her mom grabbed her. “Honey, just tell me what happened.”

“Okay, it’s kind of like I got a F,” said Laura.

“You…mean,” stammered her mom.

Laura stopped her mom. “It’s not quite that bad, I got a B for my report.”

“Laura!” Laura’s mom regained herself and got angry. “Do realize what B means? It means Brat, Bad, Bumpkin, Baby, and Birdbrain! I have never had someone in this family with a B!”

Laura started to cry. “Mom, I told you that you wouldn’t want to know!” She ran up to her bedroom and shut the door. “I’ll run away,” she thought. “They don’t need me, now that I’m just a birdbrain!”

Laura pulled her duffel bag out of the closet. Grabbing her favorite clothes and a few prized possessions, she climbed out of her window. After reaching the ground by a trellis, she dashed away. “I’ve got to go somewhere where no one knows me,” she thought.

Laura started off toward the side of town where none of the kids dared to go, as they thought it was haunted. “Nobody will find me there,” she thought. There was an ancient looking lot with many rocks scattered around. Apparently no one had been there. “It’s just an old lot,” Laura tried to reassure herself.

Laura heard a small cracking sound, and a shiver went up her spine. “It must be the wind.”

Out of the brush appeared a little goblin. “I catch and eat all those that come to this part,” his voice rasped.

Laura tried to scream, but an arm grabbed her mouth. “I’ll pick the bones when he’s done,” giggled the creature that muffled her scream.

Laura was frightened now. She wished she had never run away, and had just taken her mother’s scolding. But it was too late now. She broke away from the little troll, and started to run. The goblins were close behind. Their short legs could move very quickly.

Laura found herself at a dead-end. She was at John’s Bridge, but at the other side were some more of the little sprites. Laura had to take her chances and jump into the raging river. Drowning would be better than being eaten by the unnatural elves.

With a scream, Laura leaped off the bridge. The water got into her nose. The miniature goblins snickered on the banks.

“This is the end,” Laura thought.

The swirling water rushed her toward…What? Laura was being pulled under every moment trying to struggle out of the rushing water. Finally, Laura’s hand brushed on a rock. She grabbed hold of it. Laura’s hands grasped the… bed frame.

Laura was laying there in her bed, screaming. “It must have all been a dream,” she thought. “A very bad dream.”

Laura went downstairs. “Mom are you still mad about my B?”

“I’m sorry for bursting out like that, but it’s going to be great now,” said Laura’s mom. “I’ve hired a tutor, a nice small man.”

“Thanks Mom,” said Laura.

Ding Dong!

“That must be him,” said Laura. She opened the door. There, standing in front of her was the troll!