Chapter 7
1200 Words
7
I watched in silence as Zen tucked her grandpa back in his stuffy bed. The man protested, but she didn’t seem to listen to him. Instead, she pushed him down on the pillow and flattened the blanket around him, almost like tightening a straightjacket.
Poor guy. Even if he was grumpy and didn’t believe in the gods, he didn’t deserve to be stuck in this dark cabin with all the sick.
When the teen was satisfied he wasn’t going anywhere, she stomped towards me. She let out a low, animalistic growl as she grabbed me by the arm and dragged me outside.
“Ouch, what’s your problem?” I huffed, yanking my arm out of her grip.
“You!” Her eyes blazed as she glared at me. “You said you wanted to help take care of everyone.”
“And I did,” I protested.
“By jailbreaking my grandpa?”
I scoffed haughtily. “He tricked me! He said it was his morning walk. Besides, he’s not even sick.”
A strenuous pause hung between the two of us before she let out a long, deep sigh. “Is that what he told you?”
“Yes, he was very quick to explain that he’s not actually ill.”
She slowly shook her head, the disappointment clear in her eyes. “He always says that, but it’s not true. He has growths.”
Growths… That sounded ominous, but I had no real idea about human illness. I couldn’t admit that though, that would seem weird. “And those are… bad?”
“Duh.”
I looked back at the infirmary cabin. “But he looks so healthy?”
“He has his good days.”
“What about his bad days?”
She swallowed audibly. “I don’t want to talk about those. They are… I can’t put words on it.”
The defeat in her voice, the pain in her eyes, they were clear as day. She was struggling, there was no doubt about it.
I cast my eyes down. “I didn’t know.”
“It’s fine.”
“Is there no cure?” I asked. From what I heard, humans were smart and inventive. There had to be medicine available to help him.
She pulled a face. “I told you about the rebels and the war. We barely have enough food to survive the winter.”
“So…”
She looked at me, the tension crackling. “No medicine is getting here.”
I thought so. That was not good. “And if no medicine gets here?”
“Grandpa will have less and less good days until there are only bad days left. After that… He’ll die. I know death is not supposed to be a sad occasion, I mean, he’ll go to the golden halls where he’ll see grandma again. But… It’ll be sad for me.”
“I…” I wasn’t good at consoling people. What was I supposed to say to help her sadness when I thought the best part of the human adventure was what came after life?
“It’s alright, I’ve heard everything in the book.” She looked down at her hands, her slender shoulders slummed down. “He’ll die. That’s reality.”
Poor old man. I had no idea what growths he had, but from the beaten-down attitude Zen had, it had to be bad.
Awkwardly, I scratched my ear. “Valhalla awaits those that are worthy though.”
“You believe in the afterlife?” She looked at me, surprise twinkling in her eyes. “It’s rare to meet other believers.”
“Really?”
She shot me a bittersweet smile. “Yes. Everyone always tells me the gods don’t exist and that it’s pointless to believe in Valhalla, Valkyries, or Odin.”
“Oh, no… Wait, people don’t believe in us— I mean, Valkyries?”
With a defeated sigh, she ushered me along through the snow. “Mamma doesn’t think they exist. She says it’s all just old legends and tales from times when people had nothing to do but twiddle their thumbs. She says it’s not for desperate times, but I think that desperate times are exactly when you need to believe in them. Don’t you agree?”
It was good to hear the adoration in her voice when she talked about us, about what we did. Being a Valkyrie was the highest of honours and humans better understood just what we did for them.
I smiled. “I think you can always count on the gods and Valkyries to come through.”
“I know so.” She puffed a cloud of white smoke as she looked up. “It looks like it’s going to storm again.”
“Again?”
“Yes. It’ll be a big one.”
Great… More snow. That was exactly what I needed. Not.
Zen looped her arm through mine. “Let’s just go inside, hmmm? Oh, maybe I can convince Mamma to make cookies.”
I stared at our interlinked arms. She was treating me with such familiarity, as if we were friends or family, not people that only met days ago. It was different from the usual stiffness and while it was foreign, it was kind of nice. Even if Zen’s upbeat attitude was a little buzzy, I didn’t mind it as much as I thought. Almost like having a little sister, or what I imagined it to be.
“I could eat cookies,” I said, letting her drag me towards their cabin. I was trapped here, but there was no reason I couldn’t make the most out of it.
“Mamma’s are the best. She makes a massive one in a skillet, it’s delicious.”
“Sounds nice.”
As she pushed the door open, a shriek sounded and the young boy, Alf crashed into Zen’s legs. “Zen! You’re back.”
She gave her brother a kiss on the cheek and ruffled his hair. “Hello, little man. Did you have a good day?”
“Yes. Mamma made me a button cat.”
“A button cat? Really? Show me!”
The two laughed as they ran inside where a fire crackled happily in the hearth. The mother was seated at the table, with a vast array of scraps of fabric and buttons strewn around. She greeted her daughter with a tight hug and invited her to sit down.
I lingered on the doorstep, slightly weirded out by the homey feel of it all. A mother that actually spent time with her children? A brother and sister happy to see each other?
I’d never seen anything like that.
“Ylva?” The mother called. “Are you coming? Lunch is ready.”
A strange warmth coiled in my stomach, which I shoved deep down. I didn’t know these humans, I didn’t need family besides the one that I had. My cold, but powerful mother was all I needed.
Zen waved me in. “What are you doing? It’s going to snow!”
She was right, it did look like it was going to storm again. Bah. If one more flake of snow landed on me, I would riot. I’d had enough.
Something moved in my pocket and a little bunny head popped out. “Hfff?”
“Hi. Look who’s awake.”
“Hfff.” She twitched her ears as she yawned.
“You’re nice and cosy, aren’t you?”
She twitched her ears, which I took as a yes.
“Stay, Pickles.” I gave her a little scratch as I studied the little family inside. They were warm and inviting, but that didn’t mean anything. They were strangers, unknowns, and even if they saved my life, that didn’t change the fact that I didn’t know them. They could try all they wanted, I wasn’t going to play family with them.
With a grim look at the dark sky, I pulled the door shut behind me. For now, I had no choice but to play along with the little charade and join the little family while the snow trapped me in the Deep Mountain, far away from everyone I knew.
- Writer
