The Boy Who Had an Eating Match with a Troll

An illustrated tales story from Wonder Tales — free to read, with narration.

The Boy Who Had an Eating Match with a Troll — an illustrated tales story. 10 illustrated pages, free to read on Wonder Tales.

The Boy Who Had an Eating Match with a Troll — book cover — Wonder Tales
The Boy Who Had an Eating Match with a Troll — an illustrated tales story. 10 illustrated pages, free to read on Wonder Tales.

Page 1

In a forest where even the squirrels wore spectacles to read their hefty tomes, lived a boy named Bram. Bram was known throughout the woods for his insatiable…
In a forest where even the squirrels wore spectacles to read their hefty tomes, lived a boy named Bram. Bram was known throughout the woods for his insatiable appetite, a desire that dwarfed even the hungriest badger. One day, word reached Bram of a fearsome troll, Grok, who guarded the Whispering Caves, a troll famed not just for his strength, but also for his bottomless stomach.

In a forest where even the squirrels wore spectacles to read their hefty tomes, lived a boy named Bram. Bram was known throughout the woods for his insatiable appetite, a desire that dwarfed even the hungriest badger. One day, word reached Bram of a fearsome troll, Grok, who guarded the Whispering Caves, a troll famed not just for his strength, but also for his bottomless stomach. It was said Grok possessed a magical larder, always full, daring anyone to out-eat him — a challenge Bram couldn't resist, for it promised both glory and an end to his perpetual hunger.

Page 2

Old Man Hemlock, a wizened badger with spectacles perched precariously on his nose, tried to dissuade Bram. "'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a…
Old Man Hemlock, a wizened badger with spectacles perched precariously on his nose, tried to dissuade Bram. "'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,'" Hemlock wheezed, quoting Lao Tzu as he adjusted his spectacles. "But some steps lead to trolls with bottomless stomachs. Grok's hunger is not merely physical, Bram, it's a symbol of insatiable greed.

Old Man Hemlock, a wizened badger with spectacles perched precariously on his nose, tried to dissuade Bram. "'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,'" Hemlock wheezed, quoting Lao Tzu as he adjusted his spectacles. "But some steps lead to trolls with bottomless stomachs. Grok's hunger is not merely physical, Bram, it's a symbol of insatiable greed. Best to be content with what you have!" Bram, however, was already halfway to the caves, his stomach rumbling louder than Hemlock's warnings.

Page 3

Deep within the forest, Bram discovered a peculiar sight: a patch of luminescent mushrooms, their caps glowing with an eerie light.
Deep within the forest, Bram discovered a peculiar sight: a patch of luminescent mushrooms, their caps glowing with an eerie light. A wise old owl perched nearby, its eyes gleaming in the dim light. "Those are 'Truth Shrooms'," the owl hooted softly, "They reveal the true nature of things. Eat one, and you'll see yourself as others do." Bram hesitated, torn between his hunger and a sudden fear of self-knowledge.

Deep within the forest, Bram discovered a peculiar sight: a patch of luminescent mushrooms, their caps glowing with an eerie light. A wise old owl perched nearby, its eyes gleaming in the dim light. "Those are 'Truth Shrooms'," the owl hooted softly, "They reveal the true nature of things. Eat one, and you'll see yourself as others do." Bram hesitated, torn between his hunger and a sudden fear of self-knowledge. The mushrooms seemed to pulse with an inner light, beckoning and warning him at the same time.

Page 4

Driven by his insatiable hunger, Bram ignored the owl's implicit warning and devoured a Truth Shroom. A wave of dizziness washed over him.
Driven by his insatiable hunger, Bram ignored the owl's implicit warning and devoured a Truth Shroom. A wave of dizziness washed over him. He staggered back, clutching his stomach as a vision bloomed in his mind: He saw himself not as a hearty, adventurous eater, but as a gluttonous, thoughtless boy, his endless hunger consuming everything in his path, leaving nothing for others. Ashamed, Bram vowed to change.

Driven by his insatiable hunger, Bram ignored the owl's implicit warning and devoured a Truth Shroom. A wave of dizziness washed over him. He staggered back, clutching his stomach as a vision bloomed in his mind: He saw himself not as a hearty, adventurous eater, but as a gluttonous, thoughtless boy, his endless hunger consuming everything in his path, leaving nothing for others. Ashamed, Bram vowed to change.

Page 5

Reaching the Whispering Caves, Bram found Grok, a hulking troll with a belly that strained against his tattered tunic. "So, you've come to challenge me?" Grok…
Reaching the Whispering Caves, Bram found Grok, a hulking troll with a belly that strained against his tattered tunic. "So, you've come to challenge me?" Grok boomed, his voice echoing through the cavern. "I hope you've brought a bigger appetite than your brain!" Before them lay a table laden with food beyond imagination: mountains of meat, rivers of ale, and endless pies. "The test is simple," Grok grinned, "Eat all that I eat! If ye lose...ye become part o' the meal!"

Reaching the Whispering Caves, Bram found Grok, a hulking troll with a belly that strained against his tattered tunic. "So, you've come to challenge me?" Grok boomed, his voice echoing through the cavern. "I hope you've brought a bigger appetite than your brain!" Before them lay a table laden with food beyond imagination: mountains of meat, rivers of ale, and endless pies. "The test is simple," Grok grinned, "Eat all that I eat! If ye lose...ye become part o' the meal!"

Page 6

The eating match began. Grok devoured mountains of food with savage glee, meat bones flying, ale sloshing everywhere. Bram, remembering the vision from the…
The eating match began. Grok devoured mountains of food with savage glee, meat bones flying, ale sloshing everywhere. Bram, remembering the vision from the Truth Shroom, ate slowly, carefully. He watched Grok's eyes grow wider, his face redder, his breathing heavier with each bite. Bram realized Grok's hunger wasn't about satisfaction; it was a desperate need to fill an emptiness within.

The eating match began. Grok devoured mountains of food with savage glee, meat bones flying, ale sloshing everywhere. Bram, remembering the vision from the Truth Shroom, ate slowly, carefully. He watched Grok's eyes grow wider, his face redder, his breathing heavier with each bite. Bram realized Grok's hunger wasn't about satisfaction; it was a desperate need to fill an emptiness within. "Perhaps 'the unexamined life is not worth living'," Bram thought, recalling Socrates' wise words.

Page 7

Grok's greedy feasting continued, but a change came over Bram. Instead of trying to match Grok bite for bite, he started offering the troll words of kindness…
Grok's greedy feasting continued, but a change came over Bram. Instead of trying to match Grok bite for bite, he started offering the troll words of kindness and gentle encouragement. \"It is not meat that sustaineth man but his words,

Grok's greedy feasting continued, but a change came over Bram. Instead of trying to match Grok bite for bite, he started offering the troll words of kindness and gentle encouragement. \"It is not meat that sustaineth man but his words,

Page 8

Grok paused, a half-chewed pie clutched in his hand, and tears began to well in his eyes. \"No one... has ever been kind to Grok...\" he mumbled, his voice…
Grok paused, a half-chewed pie clutched in his hand, and tears began to well in his eyes. \"No one... has ever been kind to Grok...\" he mumbled, his voice thick with emotion. The mountain of food before him suddenly seemed repulsive. He pushed it away, his massive frame shaking with sobs. \"I... I don't want to eat anymore.\"

Grok paused, a half-chewed pie clutched in his hand, and tears began to well in his eyes. \"No one... has ever been kind to Grok...\" he mumbled, his voice thick with emotion. The mountain of food before him suddenly seemed repulsive. He pushed it away, his massive frame shaking with sobs. \"I... I don't want to eat anymore.\"

Page 9

Bram led Grok out of the Whispering Caves, away from the endless larder and into the sunlit forest. Together, they began to share the food with the other…
Bram led Grok out of the Whispering Caves, away from the endless larder and into the sunlit forest. Together, they began to share the food with the other creatures, the squirrels, the badgers, even the grumpy old owls. Grok, for the first time in his long life, felt a sense of fulfillment that no amount of food could ever provide. And Bram, finally satisfied, understood that true hunger could only be quenched by kindness and sharing.

Bram led Grok out of the Whispering Caves, away from the endless larder and into the sunlit forest. Together, they began to share the food with the other creatures, the squirrels, the badgers, even the grumpy old owls. Grok, for the first time in his long life, felt a sense of fulfillment that no amount of food could ever provide. And Bram, finally satisfied, understood that true hunger could only be quenched by kindness and sharing.

Page 10

And so, the boy who dared to challenge a troll's hunger discovered that true wealth lies not in endless consumption, but in the boundless generosity of a full…
And so, the boy who dared to challenge a troll's hunger discovered that true wealth lies not in endless consumption, but in the boundless generosity of a full heart. The larder in the cave was never full because it existed only to fill the emptiness inside.

And so, the boy who dared to challenge a troll's hunger discovered that true wealth lies not in endless consumption, but in the boundless generosity of a full heart. The larder in the cave was never full because it existed only to fill the emptiness inside.

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  • Audience: kids (ages 6–12)

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