Twinkletoes the Troll’s Compliment Contest
- LettersLetter
- Apr 30
- 5 min read
Under a mossy bridge in the middle of Gigglewood Forest lived a troll named Twinkletoes.
Twinkletoes was not a grumpy troll.
He did not roar.
He did not stomp at travelers.
No, no, no.
Twinkletoes had a very special hobby.
He danced.
Every morning, he wiggled his toes.
Every afternoon, he shuffled and spun.
Every evening, he tapped his feet on the stones under his bridge.
Tap-tap!
Twirl-twirl!
Shuffle-shake!
And Twinkletoes loved one thing almost as much as dancing.
He loved compliments.
“Twinkletoes,” the birds would say, “your dancing is delightful!”
“Twinkletoes,” the rabbits would say, “your toes sparkle when you twirl!”
And Twinkletoes would grin from ear to ear.
“Oh ho!” he would laugh. “What a wonderful compliment!”
One sunny morning, Twinkletoes had a very big idea.
He stomped onto the forest path.
He clapped his big green hands.
“Attention, forest friends!” he boomed.
His voice bounced through the trees.
Birds fluttered.
Squirrels froze.
A frog plopped into the pond.
“Today,” Twinkletoes announced, “we will have the most amazing, the most incredible, the most magnificent event ever seen in Gigglewood Forest!”
The animals gathered under the bridge.
Squeaky the Squirrel scampered down a tree.
Slowpoke the Snail slid slowly across a rock.
Prickle the Hedgehog waddled through the grass.
Croaky the Frog hopped up onto a log.
And near the berry bushes sat a tiny gray mouse named Mimsy.
Mimsy liked to listen more than talk.
She quietly watched.
Twinkletoes spread his arms wide.
“Welcome!” he shouted. “To the Great Compliment Contest!”
The animals blinked.
“A what?” asked Croaky.
“A Compliment Contest!” said Twinkletoes proudly. “Everyone will give the most wonderful compliment they can think of!”
“And the winner,” he said, lifting something shiny, “will receive the Golden Acorn Trophy!”
The animals gasped.
The acorn was painted gold and sparkled in the sunlight.
Squeaky the Squirrel bounced up and down.
“I’m going to win!” he squeaked.
Slowpoke blinked slowly.
“What… is… a compliment… again?” he asked.
“A compliment,” Twinkletoes explained, “is when you say something nice about someone!”
Croaky puffed out his chest.
“Oh ho! I can say nice things! I can say very nice things!”
Prickle shook his spikes proudly.
“My spikes deserve many compliments,” he said.
Twinkletoes clapped again.
“Let the contest begin!”
Squeaky the Squirrel jumped onto a tree stump.
“I’ll go first!” he chirped.
He pointed at Slowpoke the Snail.
“Oh magnificent Slowpoke!” Squeaky shouted.
Slowpoke blinked.
“Your slime is the shiniest slime in the entire forest!”
The animals leaned closer.
“It sparkles brighter than moonlight!” Squeaky continued.
“It glimmers brighter than ten thousand shiny acorns!”
Slowpoke’s eyes widened.
“Really?” he said slowly.
“Oh yes!” squeaked Squeaky.
“My slime… is… quite shiny,” Slowpoke admitted proudly.
The animals clapped.
Twinkletoes laughed.
“What a fantastic compliment!”
Prickle puffed up.
“My turn!” he said.
But Slowpoke spoke first.
“I… would… like… to compliment… Prickle,” he said.
Everyone leaned in again.
Slowpoke lifted his tiny head.
“Prickle,” he said slowly, “your spikes are the most magnificent spikes in the history of spikes.”
Prickle gasped.
“They are sharper than thorns!”
He puffed up even bigger.
“They are pointier than pine needles!”
Prickle strutted in a proud little circle.
“Why thank you,” he said.
Croaky jumped onto the stump.
“My turn! My turn!”
He cleared his throat loudly.
“Ahem! AHEM!”
Croaky pointed dramatically at Squeaky.
“Oh glorious squirrel!” he croaked.
“Your tail is the fluffiest tail that ever fluffed!”
Squeaky froze.
“Fluffier than clouds!”
“Fluffier than pillows!”
“Fluffier than three hundred fluffy feathers!”
Squeaky’s tail puffed twice as big.
“Wow,” he said.
The animals started chattering.
“That was amazing!”
“No, mine was better!”
“No, mine was best!”
Soon compliments flew everywhere.
“Your shell shines brighter than the sun!”
“Your hopping shakes the mountains!”
“Your snoring could wake the clouds!”
“Your whiskers are longer than spaghetti!”
The animals shouted louder and louder.
Croaky croaked.
Squeaky squeaked.
Prickle strutted.
Slowpoke tried to talk, but everyone talked over him.
The forest became noisy.
Very noisy.
Very, very noisy.
Twinkletoes waved his arms.
“Order!” he shouted.
But no one heard him.
“ORDER!”
Still, no one stopped.
Just then, a very small voice said,
“Um… excuse me?”
The animals paused.
They looked around.
The tiny voice came from the berry bushes.
It was Mimsy the Mouse.
She stood quietly with her little paws folded.
“May I give a compliment too?” she asked softly.
The animals grew curious.
“Of course!” said Twinkletoes.
Mimsy slowly walked to the center of the clearing.
The animals leaned down to hear her.
She looked up at Twinkletoes.
Twinkletoes smiled kindly.
“Well?” he said.
Mimsy took a small breath.
“Twinkletoes,” she said gently, “I like your dancing feet.”
The animals waited.
That was all she said.
No giant speech.
No shouting.
Just those simple words.
“I like your dancing feet.”
The forest grew quiet.
Very quiet.
Twinkletoes blinked.
“My dancing feet?” he said.
Mimsy nodded.
“They make the forest feel happy,” she said.
Twinkletoes looked down at his toes.
They wiggled a little.
He smiled.
“That,” he said softly, “is a very nice compliment.”
The animals thought about Mimsy’s words.
Squeaky scratched his head.
“I guess,” he said slowly, “Slowpoke is very patient.”
Slowpoke smiled.
“Thank… you,” he said.
Prickle looked at Croaky.
“Your singing makes the mornings exciting,” he said.
Croaky puffed happily.
“Why thank you!”
Croaky looked at Mimsy.
“You are very brave to speak up,” he said.
Mimsy’s whiskers twitched.
“Thank you,” she squeaked.
Soon, the animals began sharing more compliments.
Not giant ones.
Not silly ones.
Just kind ones.
“I like how you help carry berries.”
“You tell funny jokes.”
“You share your snacks.”
“You are a good friend.”
Twinkletoes watched them all.
He felt warm and happy inside.
Then he stood tall.
He lifted the Golden Acorn.
“Attention!” he boomed.
The animals turned toward him.
Twinkletoes grinned.
“I have decided something very important.”
Squeaky bounced.
“Who won?”
Prickle puffed his spikes.
“Was it me?”
Croaky cleared his throat proudly.
Twinkletoes laughed.
“Oh ho! The winner is…”
He paused dramatically.
“Everyone!”
The animals gasped.
“Everyone?” asked Slowpoke.
“Yes!” said Twinkletoes.
“Because the best compliments are not the biggest ones.”
“They are the kindest ones.”
He handed the Golden Acorn to Mimsy.
“You started it,” he said.
Mimsy held the acorn carefully.
Then she looked around.
“I think we should share it,” she said.
So they did.
The animals passed the Golden Acorn around the circle.
Everyone touched it.
Everyone smiled.
And then Twinkletoes did what he loved most.
He danced.
Tap-tap!
Twirl-twirl!
Shuffle-shake!
The animals laughed.
Croaky sang.
Squeaky spun.
Prickle wiggled his spikes.
Even Slowpoke swayed a little.
And Mimsy watched with a quiet smile.
Because sometimes the smallest compliment
can make the biggest happiness.
Especially when it is true.
And under the mossy bridge in Gigglewood Forest,
Twinkletoes the Troll danced his happiest dance of all.
The LettersLetter "Free Bedtime Stories Club" Team
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