The Troll Child's Lair

Every night, the security camera caught a child walking through the attic.

But the house didn't have an attic. He climbed the ladder anyway,

flashlight trembling, and there it was. A small child,

pale, filthy, sitting in the corner, smiling with teeth

too sharp for a human mouth. The child stood, its spine snapping upward,

limbs stretching like broken branches, skin tearing apart a- as thick, green flesh pushed

through, its face split wide open as a troll skull forced itself

out. It charged, massive claws scraping the floorboards, drool hissing like