Bumpus the Bridge Troll

Bumpus has a paper crown. It is crumpled and a bit torn, and he keeps it in the Playroom dressing-up box. When he puts it on, he becomes the Troll.

It started by accident. One Saturday, a three-year-old called Tali was walking a toy horse across the rug, over and over, from the shelf to the window and back.

Bumpus, who is eleven, had tried Following. He walked a horse too. He had tried Waiting, which was nice but quiet. Then, without really planning it, he lay down on the rug right in the horse’s path.

“Who’s that walking on my bridge?” he growled.

Tali froze. Her horse stopped in mid-air.

For a second Bumpus worried he’d scared her. He was ready to sit straight up and say “only joking.” But her face wasn’t scared. It was thinking.

“It’s my horse,” she said.

“Nobody crosses my bridge,” said Bumpus, “unless they give me…” He tried to think of something silly. “…a sandwich.”

Tali looked around the Playroom. She went to the toy kitchen, came back with a plastic slice of bread, and held it out very seriously.

“Thank you,” said Bumpus, pretending to munch. “You may pass.”

The horse walked over his tummy. Tali laughed so hard she sat down.

Then she walked the horse back to the start and came again. “Who’s that walking on my bridge?” Bumpus growled.

This time he wanted his boot shined. Then he wanted a song. Then the password, which turned out to be “banana.” Each time, Tali solved the problem. Each time, she got braver about it. By the end, she was telling the troll what he wanted before he could say it.

“You want a hat!” she shouted, and put a teacup on his head.

That’s the Obstacle move. When a little kid’s game goes round and round the same way, a gentle, funny problem in the middle of it can get them thinking. They have to look around, make a plan, use words, try something. And because the problem is silly and they can solve it, it feels like winning, not like being told no.

Bumpus has rules for being a good obstacle, and he teaches them to every new Sidekick.

One: make it silly, never mean. A troll who wants a sandwich is funny. A troll who takes your horse away is not.

Two: make it something they can solve. If they get stuck, give them a clue, or just let them pass.

Three: watch their face. If they look worried, cross or close to tears, stop being a troll straight away and become a friend again. “It’s all right, I’m only pretending. Here’s your horse.”

Four: always let them win in the end. The fun is in getting past you.

Sola says the Obstacle move is one of the hardest to get right, because it’s easy to push too far. Bumpus agrees. Some little kids love trolls. Some just want to walk their horse in peace, and that’s fine too. You can always try another move.

But when it works, it really works. Tali still runs straight to him every Saturday.

“Troll!” she shouts. “I’ve brought you a sandwich!”