Dances With The Daffodils

I rush home from the forest. Idunn. Idunn. Idunn. There's got to be a way to find her.

Unlocking the door, I let myself in. The house is quiet but it's coming up to seven am and Jake will be up soon, demanding breakfast so I'll need to be quick. But first, I examine the spear, which still sits around my wrist in bracelet form. I've hardly had the time to think about it, let alone learn how to use it. For now though, I decide to leave it there and hope it won't pop out at an awkward time.

Before I drag the book out from its drawer, I find my phone and enter a familiar number.

A tired voice echoes through the speaker. 'Palos Pines High School, how may I help you?'

I tell her I'm not going to make it in today, on account of Mom's illness.

With a sigh, the receptionist rattles through a few more questions, and I begin to wonder what happened to ruin her morning. When she finally finds my file, however, I hear a small 'oh' and the questions stop. Now I have the time I need.

Next, I check in on Jake. His small figure still sleeps peacefully under his superhero bed-covers. It's hard not to savour the moment, because, if I do figure out how to leave, I might be gone a while. I leave a note explaining how to keep the house running: how to do the laundry, change the sheets, wash up, and cook dinner without burning the kitchen down. 

I place the note on the counter and make some hot chocolate before opening the book. Now it's in front of me, the lost feeling creeps back. I may know a little more now, the runes, Draupnir, the drinking contest, but most of it's a big, frustrating mystery. And, annoyingly, the stories haven't been showing up in order so there's no way to piece together how all this started — or how it's going to end.

Flicking through the pages, I find a new story. Idunn and her apples. I remember what Odin said--the book will show me what I need to know.

I read it hungrily but there's nothing in there about how to get to Idunn. What I do learn, however, is that she'll be in Asgard. Better than Jotunheim, I suppose. 

With a frustrated groan, I look further through the book, but there's nothing else new. It's just unreadable rune after rune after rune. They are translatable, according to a page I found online, but it would take hours, if not days, to find what I need in this thing.

Someone stirs in the other room. There's not long until Jake will be in here, rushing to get ready and demanding food. I'm sure he'll wake up before I figure this out, and, when he does, it'll delay things. Worryingly, I have a feeling Odin isn't someone to keep waiting.

In a last-ditch attempt, I flick the book closed and grab my phone. But I pause when I get to the search box. What do I put in? How to get to Asgard? That's ridiculous. I do it anyway.

It doesn't turn up much. Just video game references and weird conspiracy sites. I sigh and put my phone back on the counter. More noises from Jake's room. He must be getting dressed.

Giving in, I rest my elbows on the counter and stare at the cover of the book. It stares back smugly, relishing in its untold secrets.

I wonder what will happen if I never get to Asgard, never get Draupnir. If I fail now, Odin will likely just find another champion whose life he can destroy.

My eyes glaze over as I imagine my future. A dead-end job, working nights just to keep Jake in school. He'll turn out okay. He's a smart kid, smarter than me.

My eyes unfocus and the runes on the cover begin running into each other, blurring and dancing. While I think about other things: Mum, Jake... Leah, they begin to make sense.

I lean closer, heart thudding in my ears, but that's a mistake. Like a deer bolting once it's been spotted, their meanings disappear from view.

It doesn't matter. I can try again. Except it's hard to find that kind of distracted focus, where your true goal is in the back of your mind with other distracting thoughts at the front. With a long breath, I clear my head and gaze back at the book. This time, however, my mind flicks to something darker.

It takes me back to the accident.

Smoke. Fire. Wind whipping around us, trapped in the husk of the car. My throat burns and Leah's hand is back in mine. I hold onto it tightly as the runes begin to move.

As the heat warms my back, I pay a little attention as the symbols make sense again. They don't work as words do. Each one has its own, distinct meaning that changes as it's combined with others. The front of the book isn't a title, I realise — it's an alphabet.

I pick out the ones I need, their meaning clear now, and let them rearrange themselves in front of my eyes. They dance on the windscreen of the car and I wonder if I'm going mad. First, I choose the rune for movement, for the journey I'm about to take. Then, prosperity, for Draupnir. And finally, danger.

The three runes line up and expand rapidly, filling my vision. I hear Jake's door open, and the rest of the world fizzles away.