Photo by Tandem X Visuals on Unsplash "The Elk-headed man"“Are you not going to eat anything before you do that?” Ronan asked as Rune sat down on the sofa with the envelope of letters. “Not right now, but if you want to put on a pot of coffee, I’d love you forever?” She smiled, feigning flirtation even though she meant nothing by it. “I’ll make you coffee. What do you want me to do?” Ronan asked as he stepped into the kitchen and began the coffee making process. “You can see what is in that file if you want. Or, you could read the letters too—I’m not trying to hog them. I’m sorry.” Rune realized how rude she was possibly being by taking the reins of something Ronan had already had the idea to do. “No, love. Read away; find the answers. I’m just glad that we’re on the same page.” Ronan called from the kitchen. “Right.” Her response was short. She recalled how she reacted the night before when she found out Ronan had tried to look for answers. He was right, but she was afraid. She was afraid of more lies and what the truth would actually tell her. But now she had to know. It felt like too much was at stake and they needed to know what they were dealing with. Rune sorted through the letters, both Erik’s and her grans, and started with the oldest, hoping she could create a stream of consciousness between the two authors. Dearest Nora, I think it best if we communicate this way until all the chaos dies down; we don’t want anyone to know about our little secret just yet. We have to figure out a plan to integrate her into our lives and the town. I have a friend who may be able to draw up some papers for you so that you can make an adoption look legitimate, or maybe we can claim that she is your granddaughter since no one has heard from Elisabeth in years and they don’t know about what happened; they don’t have to know all of the details. Then we have to decide what to do when she wakes up because we don’t know anything about her or what she might remember. Can we help her find her way back? If she stays, will she be able to adjust? We don’t know anything about her kind, so we must be careful. And then what shall we do about the pod? I went back to find it in the daylight, but I couldn’t remember exactly where we were. I want to study it, study the meteor fragments and maybe discover where she came from, or at least where she’s been. Either way, I know you care for her already and I will do my damnedest to make sure that she, and you, are safe. But we have to be prepared for anything when she wakes up. Burn this after you read it; we can’t have anyone else finding out. ~Erik Rune reread the first letter and found the corresponding date in the replies from her grandmother to continue the narrative. Erik, This all is so strange to me. I know that you have always believed, but I kept my superstitions to the Earth. I don’t know what we have here, but I feel this desperate need to protect her, even though she could be anything. Just fell from the sky like an angel, if I believed in such things. But here she is, comatose in my guest bed and I fear for her life. I know you don’t want to be seen too frequently together for a while after the other night, but I don’t know if I can do this on my own right now. You’ve been my rock for so long and I know that it is asking a lot of you. I can’t thank you enough for this. As far as her origins go, it feels wrong to make them up for her, especially if she is coherent when she wakes, but to be prepared we should have a solid story. I like the idea of her being my estranged granddaughter, almost like I get a second chance to get it right. It sounds silly and selfish, but I still have love to give. And the pod…we should leave it. No need to draw more attention to us than we already have. I swear that someone was watching us in the field that night when we found her. I worry about how much they actually did see and what they will do with that information. Like you said, we need to be prepared and not just for when she wakes up. Write back soon, Nora Rune flipped back to the responses from Erik and the following date. It was one that she had missed when she originally went through the letters from the safety deposit box. Nora, I wonder if he has come to visit you as he has me. He didn’t say as much when he appeared on my doorstep. He looked human enough, but there was something about him that was decidedly off that I just couldn’t shake. He told me that he had seen us in the field that night, that he knew we took her. I thought that—I don’t know what I thought, but I was terrified until he told me why he came. He handed me this—stone—I guess it is, with a sort of rune etched on it. He said that it belonged to the girl and that she should keep it close, as it was a way to identify her. I wondered if it was a name, but he said he didn’t recognize it to give it a name. Maybe we should call her Rune? But—he told me there was another. A boy. He was supposed to meet the boy when he arrived here on Earth and take him to a safe place. Nora, this man is one of them. But the problem is that he can’t find the boy and he wants me to help him. He thinks he may have a lead on where he possibly went, suspects he may have amnesia or something. I suppose, the flight was a rough one. If he hasn’t come to you yet, he may soon. I will try and keep you updated this way, but he agrees that maybe we should keep our distance, at least until we can pinpoint the boy. ~Erik “Oh, that’s new. How did I miss that one?” Rune talked to herself as she squinted at the page. Ronan walked in from the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee and set it on the table next to the sofa without Rune even noticing. He decided to just let her read because she was clearly lost, deep in thought. Rune flipped through the letters from her gran till she found the next in the series. Erik, He has visited me too, but only briefly. Told me that he would come calling again and gather you so that the three of us can talk before you leave. I don’t know if you agreed to find the boy or not, but he seems to think so and I think that it is a good idea. I do worry about you being gone with Rune still being in a coma, but I think this is a test of my confidence and resilience; I will keep her safe at all costs. I just ask that you be very careful, though I am sure this is the adventure of a lifetime for you. But if that boy means as much to this young man as Rune does to me, to us, then I think it is our duty to help him. I’m sure that I may see you before I hear from you again this way and I honestly prefer it. Be well, Nora “Now it’s making a bit more sense.” Rune nodded to herself as she grabbed the next letter. My Dear Nora, We found him. Our new friend did some intense tracking and found out where he is. He’s alive, but rather touched from the whole ordeal. A lovely couple found him wandering down a dirt road, confused and ill, so they took him in. But he’s got bits of his memory and what he does remember, is driving him a bit mad. Our friend wants to take him back, but after what they have told us about what is going on, I don’t think it the best idea. I think the boy needs a new home; just like the one you’ve given Rune. We can’t take him, but I may know a couple who can. The only issue is his state of mind. I will send you another letter when I know more. -Erik P.S. You can send a letter to this address if you’d like. I would love an update on Rune’s condition, if you can. I worry about her too. This letter did have a return address that was different from the others. She searched for the envelope in the pile with the matching address for the next piece of the puzzle. Dearest Erik, I’m so sorry to hear about the state of the boy. Who are you thinking might be able to take him in? At our age, people aren’t really looking to adopt a teenager, although we are an exception. Or I am. Rune is doing well. She’s actually stirred a few times, as if she is simply sleeping, but she has yet to wake up. I worry that if the boy is in the state of mind he is in, that she may be as well, if not worse due to the condition she is in now. What if her mind isn’t right? What if it causes her pain? These poor children are suffering and we don’t know how to really help them. There’s so much we don’t know and so much that could go wrong. I don’t mean to darken the mood; I guess I just need reassurance that we are doing the right thing. Now, I sort of hope that she wakes up with amnesia and doesn’t remember a thing. Is that awful of me? It feels awful. Please, keep me updated on the boy and our friend. All my love, Nora Her grandmother had been so tortured and scared over what to do about Rune in the beginning. Rune could see that that high anxiety had rubbed off on her even though the two didn’t actually share any DNA. “You ok over there?” Ronan’s voice snapped Rune out of the story she was tangled in and she looked up to see him and Vargr watching a video together on the computer; it looked like it was season two of Ina and Liza. “Uh, yeah. You not find anything in the file?” She asked. “It was a manuscript; a book Erik was writing about astronomy and local folklore. I love you, but I don’t have the attention span to read a whole book like that right now.” Ronan made a face and shrugged. She shrugged; he had a point, so Rune went back to the letters in hopes that they would give her more. Dear Sweet Nora, I think we have found a solution. I have convinced the dear couple that I am with child services and that the young man is a runaway and needs to be returned to foster care. Our friend revealed that he has a way to calm the young man’s mind and ease his troubles. He can’t wipe the young man’s memory entirely, but he can ease the damage that has been done and try to cloud what happened before. If Rune has similar issues, he said he can help her too. I know you feel terrible, wishing that she will wake up not remembering a thing, but it’s probably for the best. Our friend says that if they know, they could become targets and his people won’t take Rune in. The other one is an exception, he says, but he won’t tell me why. I apologize for my ramblings, but I am coming to a point. I contacted old commune friends of mine who have been looking to foster an older child after their youngest went off to university several years ago. I didn’t tell them what we were dealing with, but I did mention that this wasn’t exactly by the books and they seemed to be fine with it. They’re arranging a flight from England to come get him and then I will be home. Thank you for the letter about Rune; I’m glad she’s stable. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Love, Erik And on to the next letter from her gran. Sweet Erik, We can talk more about our new friend and what he knows when you return—he still hasn’t even given us a name. But I worry more about Rune now…she’s having nightmares, but she still won’t wake up. I barely leave her side because I fear of what may happen to her if I step away. She keeps crying out in this language that sounds like a mixture of yours and something I don’t recognize. I can’t make sense of anything and I don’t know what to do. When will you be back? I wish you could just phone, even if we keep it short and discreet. I just can’t wait like this for the post to deliver a letter before I know anything. I’m just exhausted and I worry that if something terrible happens, there will be nothing I can do. I know you tell me I’m strong and maybe I’ve been through worse, but I can’t lose the girl. I just can’t. I’m sorry for the tone of this letter; I just don’t know what to do at the moment. Please call me. All my love, Nora Rune’s heart hurt as she read this letter from her gran, a desperate plea for help in a situation where she felt completely helpless. She had loved Rune before she even knew her and their first days together were spent in fear and questioning. Rune moved on to the last letter from Erik. Dear Nora, Irena and Norman Grey came for him today. Our friend was able to stabilize his mind and convinced him that he had been through some rough years but that he was going home with a new family, one that would keep him safe and never hurt him. I have a feeling that something happened that our friend is aware of, but I won’t press the subject. He’s not happy that we are sending the boy away and he knows that he can’t follow because of his duties here. Eventually, he will explain things to us, or so he says. He is really very mysterious, but I trust him for whatever reason. He also told me that the boy and Rune aren’t related in any way and that he has no idea who Rune actually is, but he knows the young man. He told me to let the Grey’s know that his name is Ronan. He wanted him to at least remember that. I’ll be home in just a few short days; our friend wants to show me something before we come back. -Erik But this wasn’t the last like she thought. Folded and crumpled, wedged in the bottom of the envelope was a piece of paper, another note from her gran to Erik. But this one read differently… Erik, I’ve tried calling the number you gave me, but there is no answer. I can’t wait any longer and am taking this letter to the post today (note the date) and if I don’t receive a call from you in the time it takes the letter to arrive, I am taking Rune to hospital. She’s awake, but she’s not with it. I think she may be touched like Ronan and I can’t console her. She just keeps screaming at me in that language I heard her murmur before in her sleep and she lashes out whenever I get too close. I’ve got her locked in the guest room, only opening the door to give her food and water because I don’t know what else to do; one or both of us is going to end up hurt otherwise. I’ll keep trying to call until I hear from you, but I hope you find this before things escalate further. ~Nora Things made a little more sense now that the letters completed a story, but it didn’t put enough together to paint the full picture and actually left her with more questions, especially regarding her fragile state of mind. Rune sat with herself for a moment before she looked over at the computer to find the chair empty and no sight of Vargr or Ronan. She set the letters down and twisted around on the couch to see if maybe they were in her bed, but it was completely empty too. “Ronan? Vargr?” She called out as she slid off the sofa and went to the kitchen. She didn’t know what she expected to find, but no one was in there either. She walked down the hallway and peered into the spare rooms, the bathroom, and the pantry—nothing. She continued to call out their names, but she wasn’t getting a response. In a sudden burst of panic she ran towards the front door of the bunker and through the usual route to her gran’s basement and into the house. First, she went to the back porch, but no one was there either. Though, there was an ashtray on the patio table with several cigarette butts in it that wasn’t there before. “Ronan!” Rune cried out again, but tried to keep her voice down when she realized how loud it echoed over the vast space. She found Sleipnir in his stable, munching away on hay and not paying her attention; that at least afforded her some relief, but she wasn’t going to be able to calm herself until she found the other two. Rune was ready to make another raspy call for her friend when she spotted him by the front gate, Vargr not far away down the line of the fence. Ronan noticed her as she turned the corner of the house and dropped the hammer in his hand before he sprinted towards her. “Good, you’re awake. I was really starting to worry about you.” Ronan lifted his hand and brushed the wild hair from her face. “What do you mean? I’ve been awake this whole time. I never heard either of you leave.” Rune denied her slumbering. “Love, you’ve been asleep for over eighteen hours.” Ronan grimaced, waiting for what he said to settle in. “No. No, that’s not possible. I was just reading through the letters, I remember asking you if you looked through the files and you said it was a manuscript, then I went back to the letters and when I looked up, you two were gone.” Rune scoffed, not believing what she was hearing. “Rune, that may be how you remember it, but I assure you that you have been asleep for quite some time and Vargr and I were starting to worry. After you asked about the folder, we went back to watching Ina and Liza for a few episodes before we started to get hungry, and when I turned to ask you if you’d finally like to eat, you were out cold on the sofa. I tried to wake you, but you got punchy and so we decided to leave you to a nap in your nest of letters. We went to bed about an hour later and when we woke up this morning, you were still sound asleep. Tried to wake you again, but got no response. We waited and tried a few more times, but you just wouldn’t wake up. I checked your vitals, your pulse and heart rate were fine, so we let you be again. Vargr and I have only been out here maybe half an hour; we wanted to make sure all the troll crosses were nailed down good.” Ronan challenged what she knew with the retelling of the day’s events. “I don’t remember falling asleep at all. I was reading letters—so many letters—and then I looked up and…it was eighteen hours later.” Rune laughed nervously, thinking about the final note from her gran; the events were hauntingly similar. Ronan was growing more concerned, especially with the fact that she didn’t even know that she had been asleep. She appeared confused as she stared past him, rocking back and forth on bare feet. It was really rather cold out, yet she didn’t seem to notice, even with naked arms. Vargr had now trotted over and nudged Rune’s hand, pulling her from her dissociation and she smiled wryly down at him. We’ve been worried about you, Rune. Ronan’s been beside himself…I’m going to take myself inside and give you two a moment. Vargr nudged her again before he loped down the side of the yard and around the back of the house. Rune managed to find the words to speak, “Do you need any help with the crosses?” “You feel up to that?” Ronan asked, starting to walk towards the fence again. “I just had an enormously long nap, Ronan. It’s not like I was ill or anything.” Rune put on a brave face as she spoke and tried to keep pace with him. When they got to the fence, Ronan handed her a hammer and told her to nail down the last few crosses that hung over the gate while he fixed ones that were barely hanging on from a rotten hole. They finished the task in just a short time, but the sun was already starting to set; Rune had literally missed a whole day. “It’s a beautiful sunset, hm?” Ronan asked as Rune stared out across the street at the cloudy pastel sky that hung over the bay in the distance. “It is, actually.” Rune replied, a dreamy smile of nostalgia on her face. Ronan crossed in front of her and leaned against the fence, his back facing the sunset to look at her. He seemed like he had something really important to say, but Rune wasn’t so sure she was ready to hear it. “You found stuff in the letters, didn’t you? Did it tell us anything?” He asked. Rune was thoughtful for a moment, not expecting him to ask those questions, “I learned more about their friend. Whoever he was, he must have seen Erik and gran when they found me the night of the original meteor shower. He showed up on Erik’s doorstep and handed him a stone with some sort of rune etched on it and told Erik that it was a way to identify me and that he should keep it close. Their friend didn’t recognize the rune and wasn’t sure if it was a name or not, but that’s why they decided to name me what they did. However, this was the lead up to him asking for Erik’s help to find—you. He was supposed to find you and bring you to a safe place when you arrived here, but you weren’t there. You had a friend here on Earth before you even arrived.” Ronan’s face was unreadable as he took in every word of what she just said. A timeline was coming together, but it was still shaky and out of order. He hoped that they would have found more in Erik’s study, but he couldn’t complain because they at least found something. “God, this is nerve-wracking. Are we aliens? I mean, that makes sense, right? How else does one just fall from space during a meteor shower?” Ronan was making a light joke, but he was clearly flabbergasted by it all. Rune went to respond when a weird sensation came over her, a low vibration rippling through the air. The feeling drew her eyes to the street again, and there standing in the middle was the Elk-skulled man. Her heart immediately leapt into her throat and she stumbled back, the action causing Ronan to spin around to see what she was looking at. “No. I don’t think so mother fucker. We are tired of your shite!” Ronan bellowed, hopping the fence without even thinking. Rune was frozen in place as she watched Ronan start to march down the drive towards the road where the creature stood. She tried to call out to him, but her vocal cords wouldn’t work. She tried to move, but she was planted to the ground, watching Ronan continue to cuss up a storm. Then it moved. The Elk man started to come forward, heading towards Ronan, speeding up so quickly that Rune almost missed him. This action from the creature broke the grip of fear that held her. She lurched forward and vaulted over the fence, running as fast as her stout legs would allow towards Ronan. “Ronan! Stop!” The words finally escaped her throat as she somehow caught up with her friend just as the creature was closing the gap. Ronan turned his head toward her voice, giving the Elk man the perfect time to strike. “Stöðva!” Rune growled as she placed herself in front of Ronan, her hands out towards the creature. Surprisingly, it obeyed. It came to a violent halt as if it had ran straight into a wall and let out a sound that caused Rune to cover her ears. “Go…GO!” Rune pushed her back into Ronan and forced him to step backwards as the Elk man struggled with his sudden stop, continuing to howl out of either frustration or pain. Ronan grabbed ahold of Rune’s hand and dragged her down the drive, lifting her up and over the fence before he hopped it himself and continued to prod her towards the back of the house. When the two were finally inside, they made sure to lock the door before they ran down the hall to the bunker, hollering for Vargr the whole way. What is with all the yelling? Vargr barked as he greeted them at the door. “It’s here. The Elk thing.” Rune’s eyes were wide with fear as she pushed past the wolf and jumped into the computer chair. She pulled up the surveillance feed to see if the creature was still there and found it just in time to see it walk straight through the front gate. “It got in. Ronan, it fucking got in!” Rune jumped up from the chair and moved her face closer to the screen to make sure she was seeing it right. Ronan skittered over to the computer just in time to witness the creature pass the front door camera and disappear out of frame as it went around the side of the house toward the stable. “Sleipnir. He’s going right for my horse!” Rune was almost hysterical at the thought. She shoved past Ronan and burst through the door of the bunker, making the trek to the surface for the second time that day in under an hour. She could hear Ronan yelling after her and the sound of Vargr whining, but she couldn’t wait for them; who knew what that unearthly creature would do to her horse if she didn’t get to him on time. Images of Ronan’s horse flashed in her mind, its cold body laying eviscerated on the muddy ground. That wasn’t going to happen to Sleipnir; she wouldn’t allow it. Rune made it to the back door and, after a few fumbled attempts, got the door open before she ran out screaming at the top of her lungs to ensure she got the creature’s attention. “Leave my horse alone!” She bellowed, running to the edge of the porch. She could just see the back of the stable and with the sound of her screaming, the creature stopped whatever it was doing and started to stride through the long grass towards her. “Get out of here! You’re not welcome on my property; you’re not even supposed to be able to get in here! Quit stalking me…hunting us! LEAVE!” Rune roared. All the pent up anger inside her, all the fear and pain, condensed itself and aimed at the unsuspecting creature. But it didn’t listen. It continued to come, the hollow eyes of the skull eerily trained on Rune as it began to climb the stairs of the porch. Ronan and Vargr had finally caught up and appeared in the doorway behind Rune. The wolf whined and let out a succession of high pitched barks to show his displeasure at how close the Elk-man was to her. Ronan tried to charge for the creature again, but Rune held her hand back, signaling for him to stay where he was. The creature was now at the top of the stairs, but when it tried to take the last step, it was shoved back as if Rune herself had given it the push. “Aw, you can’t get in, can you?” Rune cocked her head to the side as she challenged the creature, “Get the fuck off my property before I make you.” “I’m not stalking you.” It spoke and Rune felt that sensation that had rippled through the air when she had seen it out on the road. “You speak?” Rune stuttered, one eyebrow rose as she stood face to face with the thing that had been haunting her dreams for days. “And in our tongue?” She heard Ronan whisper behind her. “I do and I am not here to hurt you. I’m—I’m protecting you.” It replied. “Pro—protecting me?” Rune scoffed, “Protecting me by scaring the snot out of us where the road washed out? Or, or by posturing at me after you killed our horse? Or maybe it was when you just let the Linnormr practically kill us? I thought they had eaten Vargr!” “There’s no way they’d eat a varg that size.” It sneered and the words caused Vargr to bare his teeth. “You did n’t answer my question.” Rune pushed herself against the barrier she created, careful not to overstep it and leave herself open. “You had it handled. My intention was never to scare you. I honestly never exp ected you to see me; you never did before.” It finally answered. “Before? How long have you been watching me?” Rune choked; the thought of being followed like that without her ever knowing made her sick to her stomach. “Exclusively? Since the beginning of the year. I made Erik a promise and I’m not going to break it.” The creature spoke a name that instantly caused a crack in Rune’s toughened exterior. “Erik? You know Erik?” Rune unintentionally took a step forward on the stairs. “Erik and Nora. We’d known each other for quite some time. I am terribly sorry for your loss.” He consoled her. Then it hit her. Could it be him? She felt like maybe Erik or her gran would have mentioned their friend being an Elk monster, but never the less… “You’re their friend. You’re the one that saw them find me in the field.” Rune uttered, coming just a bit closer to the beast. “How did you figure?” It asked. There was a silken quality to the voice that she hadn’t noticed before. “It only makes sense. We know that we aren’t from here, so to speak,” Rune gestured back at Ronan, “And we know that Erik and gran had a friend, someone like us, who helped ensure our safety. You said you were protecting me and you’re t heir friend, so—” “Erik was definitely right about you; sharp like a spear.” The Elk-man crossed his arms over his bare chest, wearing a smirk that Rune couldn’t even see. “But Erik said his friend was a man and you hardly look like a man.” Rune found her confidence again, challenging the Elk to reveal itself. “I needed to be intimidating; it can be rough out there. Would you rather see me how I am?” He asked and Rune nodded. The Elk-man raised his muscled arms and gripped the horns atop the skull on his head. He slowly lifted it until a face appeared and the skull was now separate from the person. The man underneath was not much older than Rune and Ronan, with a chiseled chin and sharp cheekbones, framed by a dark beard and mustache trimmed neatly to his face. His eyes glowed back at her in the dimming twilight, icy blue like the coldest waters of winter. Dark, curly hair framed one side of his face, the other side braided back to expose his ear and neck, a long scar running from behind the lobe to his collar bone. The man was beautiful and not even close to frightening like his Elk-headed counterpart; he was quite the opposite. “That’s much better.” Rune breathed softly, suddenly finding herself enamored with the stranger who claimed to be her protector. “I’m glad you approve. Are you going to let me in?” He asked as he stepped forward. Rune could feel the heat radiating from his body and realized that she had completely stepped outside the barrier of the porch. Had he noticed? “I don’t know if I trust you yet. We don’t even know your name.” Rune replied, carefully trying to take a step back. “Einar. My name is Einar.” He offered his name freely. Rune had taken another step back and was now safely inside the barrier again as she asked Vargr silently, What do you think? Can we trust him? He seems truthful, but I don’t like the way he smells. Rune didn’t know what that last part meant as Einar smelled just fine to her, but she figured it was the wolf nose that told him something she didn’t pick up on. “You know me?” Ronan finally spoke, stepping forward so that he was side by side with Rune. Rune watched Einar take a heavy breath and hold it as his eyes fell on Ronan. There was something strange about the way he looked at him, but Rune couldn’t gauge what it was. Ronan had rendered him speechless because it took Einar some time before he finally replied. “I do. I do know you.” Ronan went on, “How? Why were you here before us, waiting for me? “Who—who told you this?” Einar became flustered. “It was brought up in letters between Erik and Nora. We found them and Rune pieced together a timeline as best she could. You were looking for me; you cared about me—but you left me behind with that family. You messed with my head and made me forget who I was and you just—abandoned me.” Ronan’s tone of voice changed. He had been holding something in that he wasn’t even aware off until just that moment. “I didn’t want to leave you behind, Ronan. Sending you as far away as we did has tortured me for the last twenty years. But I had to do it to keep you safe.” Einar divulged. “Really? I have no fucking clue who I am, mate. And that’s on you. I’ve gone my whole life believing one thing when the truth was far more fucked up. You let me believe that I had been bounced around the system where I was abused and mistreated, but is any of that actually true?” It was now Ronan’s turn to step forward as his voice rose in volume. “You have to let me explain, to both of you. A lot has changed since then and the reason I have been keeping such a close eye on you is because of that change.” Einar pleaded with them to listen. “Oh, you mean the whole fucking world disappearing? Or the fact that the road has been washed out for a month and Ronan managed to still get in here to save me? The Linnormr and their little buddies? Vargr and the fact that we can read each other’s thoughts? And the talking metal box that tried to get me to murder Ronan? All those weird changes that we never had to fucking deal with until some six months ago.” Rune spoke bitterly. “Well, that’s a lot to unpack all at once, but yes? And we can discuss all of that and whatever else you’d like to know, but I’d rather not stand here like this and do it.” Einar stepped closer to the barrier, putting his hands out to feel for where it started. “You have seen a bit of what we’ve been through so, you can understand our apprehension. You have to give us something more before we know we can trust you.” Rune wasn’t going to give in for the sake of knowing, she was going to use it as a bargaining chip. Einar considered it before he spoke, “Alright, then. We’ll start with the night you all arrived. I knew that our clan was expecting a transport within the shower. My hope was that it was Ronan, it was supposed to be him, but I was fearful that our arrangement had been found out. The landing wasn’t supposed to be so rough, but my fears had been justified as something tried to intervene with the landing. You both crashed into the Earth, off course, and I had to hunt you down, but I never expected to find Rune. She wasn’t on the roster for refugees and I couldn’t identify her. But I saw Erik and Nora find her and take her home while I continued to look for Ronan. The only thing I found was the orb that Rune was in when she crashed and the rune stone that was affixed to the inside of the hull. I brought it to the elders of the clan and they didn’t recognize it; they said that she would not be welcome within our ranks because we couldn’t identify her. After I contacted Erik and Nora, I continued to look for Ronan and eventually was able to track his orb down on the other side of the forest and, with Erik’s help, found him at a nearby farmhouse. From the sound of it, you know what happened afterwards.” Einar finished his story, but there were still so many details left out. “Orbs? What the hell is that?” Ronan asked as he pulled up a chair from the patio table. Einar gave in and settled against the banister as he spoke, “They are organic vessels that can withstand immense speeds, intense heat, and the vast distance it takes to travel between worlds.” “Well, alright then.” Ronan looked flabbergasted, his eyes blinking rapidly as he considered what was just said to him. “Ok, so you basically told us what we already know, albeit with a few more details, but you’re still not giving us anything. What are we? And why are we ‘refugees’ as you put it? Where did we come from? I want answers to questions like that.” Rune demanded, pacing closer to the porch stairs. “This is going to take a very long while. Can’t I just come in and get out of the cold? Then we can talk all you want.” Einar begged. “You know, the more you push to come inside, the less I trust you. If you really mean us no harm, you would quit with the whining and just fucking answer our questions.” Rune spat. “Jaysus, Rune!” Ronan blurted in response to her outburst. “I’m tired of beating around the bush; we deserve to know the truth.” Rune remained defiant. Einar didn’t want an argument to occur so he intervened, “You’re right; I’ll talk. You are not human beings, not from this planet, but this much you know. Ronan comes from a world called Asgard and from last we knew, that world was in utter turmoil. I won’t get into the details, but there were those that were trying to escape the conflict, an impending war that spanned many worlds with the only safe place being here, Midgard.” Rune knew the names he mentioned; she knew them from the stories Erik and gran had told her. But they were just stories, myths from long ago peoples that no one believed in any more. How could any of that be, unless he was lying to them? “Liar. Sure, call earth Midgard because of the myths, but there is no such thing as Asgard or Vanaheim or Jotunheim. No Alfheim or Muspell or Nidavellir, Niflheim, or Svartalfheim. They’re just stories.” Rune rebutted, an uncomfortable sensation settling in her stomach a she listed off the worlds. “Stories that you apparently know well from the sound of it.” Einar didn’t seem rattled by her accusation. “Of course I know them; look where I grew up. Just because I know them doesn’t mean I believe them to be true.” She argued. “I know some of the stories,” Ronan interjected, his voice soft and quiet, “But I’m not from here. Should we really be so bold as to call him a liar with everything we’ve seen and experienced?” Now, it was Rune’s turn to receive Ronan’s ire. But he didn’t unload on her like he did with Einar and instead waited patiently for a response. “Nine worlds? Nine worlds all connected by some impossibly large world tree. You mean to tell me that seems plausible to you?” Rune was incredulous. “It makes about as much sense as everything else!” Ronan abruptly stood from his chair and held his arms out wide, a smile on his face, but he was clearly not happy. Rune sat with herself and considered it, looking from Einar to Vargr as she mulled over the events of the past weeks and the months prior. The thought was absurd, but so was everything else and even in her distrust and doubt for herself, it still seemed crazier than she was. “Go on, then. Tell us more.” Rune settled in, crossing her arms over her chest. “All of those places you named are real; they exist. For example, I was born in Asgard, but my lineage lies in Svartalfheim.” Einar tried to convince her by letting slip just a bit more about himself. “Fine. Let’s say you’re telling the truth, that you and Ronan come from Asgard and there are nine worlds and all that. What about me? Where do I come from? Do you have a story for that?” Rune asked. She didn’t fully believe, but the thought of just a taste of truth about who she was, pushed her to ask more questions. Einar’s face dropped at her question and he didn’t respond. He looked to Ronan, and then to Vargr, before his eyes finally settled on Rune and he replied, “I don’t know. Like I said, there was nothing to identify you, just that runestone. Our clan keeps track of those that are trying to escape and come to Midgard. When they get here, we check for their birthstones and that tells us all we need to know about the passenger. Yours was nothing but a symbol and I didn’t recognize you, nor did anyone in the clan. It seems that you were—a stow-away on the meteor shower.” Nothing. He could tell her nothing about herself that she didn’t already know. She was nameless, homeless, an unknown. Einar had been expecting Ronan, and at that time, Ronan knew where he was headed and that someone would be there for him, but Rune didn’t have that. There wasn’t anyone here to vouch for her, to introduce her to others of her kind and show that she wasn’t some stranger. “Well, that’s unfortunate. At the very least, Ronan can get answers, right?” Rune almost swallowed her words as she pretended not to care. “Ah, yes. Not all at once, though; I don’t think that’s a very good idea.” Einar suggested. Ronan nodded his head in agreement, “You’re probably right, mate. Too much of a good thing can actually be a bad thing.” He lit a cigarette and kicked back in his seat, staring up at the ever-darkening sky. Vargr hadn’t said a word as he lay near Rune’s feet. He seemed like he was asleep, but she figured that he was still listening even if it didn’t appear that way. “What else would you like to know? Maybe there is something else I can give you.” Einar spoke as he moved from his relaxed position and fixed his icy eyes on Rune. “The runestone,” Rune thought out loud, “Where’s the runestone? I want to see it; maybe it will help me remember.” “We’d have to ask Erik, but I haven’t seen him in months.” Einar admitted, shaking his head. “Seriously? You do know that all of human civilization just up and vanished, right? Erik went wherever they did.” Rune snapped. She couldn’t believe that this man could be so daft, but she didn’t know anything about him. She also failed to mention that he had come back somehow and now he was dead… “No, Rune. Erik didn’t go with the others. He was down in his bunker when it happened. There was no warning or anything like that, it just—was. We had a feeling that something was going to happen and soon, but there was no way of really knowing exactly what. All of human life native to Midgard was taken that night; to where, we aren’t sure yet. But Erik was left behind.” Einar’s eyes never left Rune’s as he spoke. His words shocked Rune, the implication causing her to waver in her speech, “Erik wasn’t from here either.” Einar nodded, “You’re right on that in a way. I didn’t know, honestly. He never told me until after it all happened, but Erik came from Viking stock. He was a strong and powerful man in his time, albeit not without faults, and part of that was due to his parentage. He was raised by a Midgardian man named Thorvald, but his true father was one of the Aesir. Erik did not die with his sword and was instead swept up by an epidemic that killed many. There was no going to the halls of Valhalla for him, for he did not die in battle, but Odin made an exception, for Erik was steadfast in his devotion to the Gods and never wavered, despite one of his sons and his wife turning to Christianity. He was given his own army in Valhalla and a position in Council Hall as an advisor to Odin himself. I heard stories about him when I was growing up, but he was already long gone at that point. He had been branded a traitor and exiled from Asgard before I was born. I guess, he decided to come back here, but he never really told me much more than that.” Rune and Ronan took the information in slowly, their eyes both lighting up as what Einar told them started to settle in. It was impossible what he was saying, but somehow it made more sense than anything else. As Rune really thought about Erik, how he looked with his vibrant red hair and beard, his ruddy and worn complexion, his love for folklore and the stars…it all made sense. “Einar…was—was Erik, Erik the Redd?” She felt her nose get hot and her eyes start to sting as she asked. “You really do know your stuff, hm?” Einar gave her an amused smile. “Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.” Rune shot out of her chair, disturbing Vargr as she did, and began to pace. She was breathing heavily and Ronan was afraid she was going to have another panic attack, but when he got up to help her, Einar held his hand up for pause. “Let her handle it on her own. She’ll be ok.” “I can’t believe this. My neighbor, my surrogate grandfather, was Erik the Redd?” Rune turned to the men, a slight smile creeping across her face that slowly faded as she considered everything, “Wait, Erik was alive this whole time…that’s why the body looked so fresh.” Tears started to well in her eyes as she sat back down and Einar gave her a perplexed look as he pushed against the barrier. “What happened, Rune?” Einar asked frantically. Rune looked up at him from her hands in her lap, her eyes still fresh with tears, “Erik’s dead. Ronan and I found him a few days ago in the shed. Something killed him, Einar. I thought it was you at first because I didn’t know who you were, but I have no idea who actually did it. He had been dead for at least a week, if not a bit more…looked like something had slit his throat, but that’s all I could see; it’s all I could bare to look at.” “No.” Einar growled, slamming his fist down on porch railing. He abruptly turned and skipped the staircase, landing hard in the yard before he started to walk off towards the fence to the pasture out back. “Einar!” Rune called after him, forgetting about the protective barrier as she bounded down the stairs and followed him out into the yard. “Leave me alone, woman. I don’t wish to talk right now.” Einar grunted, waving his hand at her. “I left the protection of my porch to come check on you, don’t patronize me that way.” Rune scolded Einar, placing herself in front of him so he was forced to look at her. His features softened as his eyes connected with hers again and he reluctantly spoke, “I hadn’t seen him in months. I was actually looking for him when I ran into you by the road. I had been away for some time and when I returned to the village, I was told he had left about two weeks prior, but didn’t say why.” “He was living with you?” Rune was surprised at this, considering she wasn’t welcome to. Ronan had now come down and joined the conversation, catching the tail end of what was being said. Einar knew that this was bound to come up and he’d have to address it, so he did, “Yes. Once the meteor shower was over and he had assured that you were alright, he came to find me. He was rambling on about ‘they’re coming for them’ and my assumption is that he meant you two. Erik felt that the closer he was to you at this point, the more you would be in danger, but he didn’t say why. I had the sneaking suspicion that he had done something that I was unaware of and that it was better if you were on your own. He hoped that you’d find the bunker, but he didn’t have time to explain anything to you. I asked the clan if he would be allowed to join us and when he identified himself, they welcomed him with open arms as if he were a hero in their eyes, and not just one from Midgard. I’m sorry, Rune.” Even though her anxious mind tried to tell her otherwise, she knew that Erik cared for her like one of his own and would never do anything that would hurt her in anyway. He obviously had a good reason for leaving, but it didn’t make it any easier on her, especially since he was welcomed into the fold that she was rejected from as a child. “It is what it is and that can’t be changed, but Erik was hiding something and I think it got him killed.” Rune commented as she leaned up against the fence. “We can talk more about that later, but for now I think we all need to rest. If you aren’t going to let me in tonight, that’s fine, but I need food and sleep now. I can come back in the morning if you’d like.” Einar had seemingly cleared his head of negative thoughts, but he did appear to be rather tired. Rune figured he had proved himself enough with his reaction to Erik’s death; he was a friend, or at least not an enemy. “No, I’m not going to put you out like that. I think you’ve shown your true colors and we can trust you. I’ve got food and a warm place for you to sleep if you’ll forgive my lack of hospitality to begin with.” Rune offered, trying to make amends for her initial impression. Ronan agreed, “Please, mate. Come in and get something to eat, have a shower, clean clothes, whatever. I don’t know what you’re used to, but we’ll do our best to make you feel at home.” A slight smile appeared on Einar’s face as he nodded in thanks. “Come on, then. I’ve got some more frozen lamb stew that needs to get eaten and I can whip up a loaf of soda bread or something to go with it.” Rune waved them on as she headed back towards the house. Vargr was waiting patiently on the back stairs and had something to say when Einar crossed the threshold on the porch. You think he’s truly an ally? Rune looked down at the wolf and nodded solemnly as they all entered the house for the night.
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E.M. MoonStories from the World Wide Weird Archives
December 2021
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