"Thank you," said Mrs. Jackson, and she led them down a hallway. There were several doors, and she knocked on one and was opening it when a voice said, "Come in."
There were chairs and a desk in this room, as well as a woman dressed all in white clothes, who stood up and came around her desk as they went in. "Norma, thank you for seeing us so early," said Mrs. Jackson. "Mrs. Slinurp, this is Nurse Norma Dodge. And this is Baartock."
"I'm glad to meet you," said Nurse Dodge in a cheerful voice. "Please come in and sit down." After she shut the door and went back behind her desk, she said, "I understand Baartock is to start going to our school."
Baartock didn't know anything about that, but his mother said, "Yes."
"Let me tell you about what I do here," said Nurse Dodge.
"I explained about medical records and shots," said Mrs. Jackson.
"I'm sure that you did, but I would like telling about it anyway," said Nurse Dodge. To Baartock's mother she said, "I see most of the school children here and many of the adults too, and I try to keep them healthy. I give the shots that will keep them from getting sick. But I understand that Baartock has never been sick." "Yes," said his mother proudly. "Baartock never sick. Little trolls never get sick. Big trolls not get sick, too."
That wasn't really quite true. Many young trolls get sore throats when they first start to practice their screaming. That was because they would shriek instead of yelling or screaming. Their mothers would make them gargle with warm salty water and that would usually make them better right away. But other than that, young trolls never got colds or fevers or were ever sick.
"But if you never get sick," asked the nurse, "how do you know about being sick?"
"I see humans sick before," answered his mother. "Not same for trolls. Maybe break arm, break leg same as humans. There are troll ways to fix trolls. Trolls never get human sick."