The Huldra Hostility

by Michael Almich

  "They don't like me."

  Shy froze on the step above him.

  "Who?" he asked.

  "The others," Eddie said angrily. "I can tell by the way they look at me, the way they ignore me."

  "Well, you haven't been the friendliest person we have ever met either," Shy flung back as he rounded on Eddie. "You can see by now that this isn't your average camp. There are big things happening. It takes a while to build trust, and you are not doing a good job of that!"

  "Why? I haven't done anything. You all think you are soooo important," He said as he pushed past Shy and continued up the stairs.

  "Was that you listening to me tonight? Eavesdropping?"

  This time it was Eddies turn to freeze mid-stride.

  "I thought so," Shy continued. "That's not how you get us to like you. Aaaand, what was that look that Morrie gave you at dinner? We all saw that. There is something evil in his eyes, Eddie. Don't get mixed up with him. Open up to the guys and give them time. Treat us how you want to be treated. Stay away from that Morrie. Do those things, and the guys will come around. Things may get weird this summer. We need to know we can trust you, or we won't include you."

  Shy was more forceful at the end than he would have been a year ago. He had to be. Gust's life was at stake, and much more, if he believed what Tom T had told him.

  Shy read late into the night, under his blanket, with his flashlight. He heard Eddie as the boy huffed into his hammock. He ignored his sighs. They were obvious attempts to start conversation. Shy had too much to learn. He had to memorize all of The Faerie, the faster, the better.

  ***

  Shy read and reread what The Faerie contained on the Lesidhe. It appeared that indeed they would be a difficult creature to deal with. All the advice the book provided was to avoid dealings with the creatures. Yet, the book hinted at their power and the fact that as guardians of the forest, there was a possibility for acquiring their assistance if it was aimed at helping their home, the earth. The book stated that they could move like a whirlwind, and could take the forms of wolves and owls. Often, one could hear their cries in the northern forests at night, the book claimed. Supposedly their power in the Glamour was very great, unrivaled in fact, Shy read. If only he could contact them, he knew he could get them to help… it was for the good of the fairy world too.

  He continued on, reading on the huldra, the fossegrimen, trolls, goblins, and many others. He reread the sections on the lindworm, nisses, and will-o’-the wisps. He tried to find information on the fiery horses that chased him last summer, but was stumped.

  It was more reading than he had ever done in one sitting before. As his eyelids started to droop, he wondered if he could get credit from his English teacher for all the reading. By the time he had drifted off to sleep, Shy's head was so full of creatures that his mind conjured bizarre dreams. Often in the dreams, he was a wolf, and then he was a pooka, like Shep. Inevitably, he would howl long and hard, trying to call on the Lesidhe. They never answered, and he would come to one horrible end or another. First, he was eaten by the lindworm, then dragged off by trolls, and finally, he was grilled up by drooling, boar-snouted, black goblins. He awoke from the last dream twisted in his sleeping bag and hammock to the point that he could not move his arms or legs, sweating in a stream of morning sunlight that shone on his head.

  He began the long process of untangling himself. He felt tired and worn out. Eddie was gone from the Raven already, so Shy checked the box, to make sure it was safe. He hid the book next to it, still in his pillow case.

  As he dressed he breathed in the fresh air wafting through the screens. As he moved, he started to feel better. He let out a little whoop as he dropped through the trapdoor of the Raven. To his surprise, it was answered a short distance away. Daniel waved from across an expanse of forest. He was with Sam, Sawyer, and Finn. They were on a rope walkway higher than Shy, and to the east. Slowly they worked their way towards each other. Sawyer, still short and stocky, jumped on Shy's back and wrestled him to the platform.

  "Really?" Daniel asked as he pulled Sawyer off. Both boys were smiling.

  "Where are we going?" Shy asked. "It seems early," he added as he squinted at the sun's position through the huge pines.

  "Tad woke us and sent us to get you and that turd Eddie," Sam spoke in his gravelly voice.

  Daniel looked at Sam, and then continued the story, "Yeah, and then we were supposed to meet near the base of the Unicorn Horn, so we could decide who is going to do what event for the camp games."

  "I don't know where Eddie went. He was gone when I woke," Shy said.

  "Too bad for him," Sam said over his shoulder as he turned in the direction of the hidden spiral staircase they had named the Unicorn Horn, or the Horn for short.

  The other boys followed, with Sawyer and Finn trying to trip each other continually. As the group moved on, the two tired of that, and proceeded to harass Sam. Daniel, meanwhile, dropped back to speak with Shy.

  "So, how has that new kid been?"

  Shy shrugged. "He said he doesn't think you all like him."

  "Well, I don't think anyone does really. He is not very friendly, you know."

  "Yeah, but neither was I at the beginning of last year," Shy countered.

  "You weren't crabby like him though."

  They walked in silence and watched Sawyer and Finn badger Sam.

  "Did you notice that Morrie, and how he kinda nodded at Eddie last night at dinner?" Shy asked.

  "Yeah… I was gonna mention that." Daniel had stopped mid-stride. "That guy is creepy. He had better watch out, I think Sawyer already has some plans for him!" Daniel smiled, and Shy couldn't help returning the look.

  "Sorry I didn't email last year…" Shy began his apology, then drifted off, waiting for Daniel to say something.

  The tall dark-haired boy glanced at Shy before he began to climb a rope ladder to a higher platform. They were almost to the Horn.

  "I wondered what was going on. No big deal though." Daniel said, although his tone didn't match the words.

  "I had problem after problem. Little things with fairy creatures kept happening at school and at home, and I kept getting in trouble. I think I got detention like nine times, for stupid fairy pranks that I didn't do. They were trying to get to me, and there was nothing that I could really do. I couldn't tell anyone. If it wasn't for Shep, I would probably have been captured. I think he had to work really hard to protect that box, and I didn't even realize it."

  "You know," Daniel began, "it seems kinda… well… weird."

  "What?"

  "Having a pet that turns into a man…"

  "Well, he's not really. He can only take that form one day a year. November first. It has something to do with harvest time. I didn't really have much time to talk to him, but you can tell that he is not really human. He thinks about things differently. He saved me before school, and then after I only had time to talk to him before my mom got home from work. He talks with a really weird accent… Sorta like Irish, I think…" Shy spoke the last in a whisper since they had arrived at the horn.

  The other three were waiting now, for Shy. They had all done it before, but they didn't have the ability that Shy did. They weren't able to see through the fairy Glamour, the magic that could change appearances.

  Shy thought for the hundredth time how much easier it would be if they could all see through it. Shy looked at the tree and his vision blurred slightly. There was the hidden spiral staircase, same as it was last year. Shy stepped forward, and directly into the image of the tree. He disappeared from view from the others. He started down the stairs in silence. Even if he yelled, they would not hear him from inside the stairwell, this glamour prevented it.

  He stepped out onto the orange pine needle carpet, from the Horn, and there was Tad, Henry, Ralph, and sulking against a tree trunk, stood Eddie.

  Henry immediately ran up to Shy and asked, "Dear Chap, what took you so long?"

  Shy couldn't help giggling at
the goofy look on Henry's face, and the horrible British accent the boy attempted. Ralph and Tad were also smiling. Shy guessed that Henry had been entertaining them while they waited for everyone to show up.

  Shy looked over to Eddie and said loudly in greeting, "Hey, Eddie!"

  The loner by the tree looked startled to be spoken to. He stammered out a quiet hello in response. Shy looked at Tad, and could tell that the counselor had noticed the exchange. The other boys now poured from the Horn in a jumbled scramble. They evidently had raced to the bottom, but the staircase was really only wide enough for single file. Sawyer emerged riding on someone's back for the second time that morning. They were all laughing heartily.

  "All right!" Tad quieted them all. "Let's pick some events, and then we can get started practicing after breakfast today. It's already decided that Shy will do the wolf call."

  "Caw… Caw!" Henry blurted out. "I want to do the bird calling!"

  Tad sighed mightily.

  "Fine Henry… everyone else OK with Henry doing the bird call event?"

  Tad received only mumbled, jumbled responses as the boys were all now laughing at Henry, who was circling the group with his arms wide, diving at Sam occasionally and getting punched in the wing as a result.

  "Hank!" Tad yelled. "Stop! It is bird calls, not acting like an insane eagle. Settle down guys… we will never get through this at this rate."

  Shy had been watching Eddie closely out of the corner of his eye. The boy had not been able to help himself. He had laughed at Henry's antics.

  Meanwhile, Tad continued, "Ok, how about noodling? Who is up for a little hand fishing?"

  "Oooo… Me, ME!" Sawyer pushed into the middle of the circle. "I can eat more noodles than any of you chumps!"

  "Sawyer," Tad began with another exasperated sigh, "noodling is fishing without a pole. I should have called it trout tickling. You use your hands and reach into a stream to grab the fish. This is probably our hardest event."

  "Oh… alright. What the heck, I'll still do it. I am almost as good at tickling as I am at eating noodles… at least that is what all the girls say."

  Henry chuckled out loud.

  "Anyone else?" Tad raised his eyebrows. Shy was also surprised. Last summer many of the boys had wanted to do the same events. This summer it almost seemed like they had discussed it ahead of time.

  "OK," Tad said, "Onto the next.

  Finn stepped forward. "I want to do the kayak racing," the dark skinned boy with the close cropped hair said.

  "Yeah, and I wanna do the animal track identification, " Daniel added quickly.

  Tad furrowed his brows and looked around. It was just dawning on the usually quick thinking Tad that they had already made their decisions.

  "Anyone else?" Tad asked while he scratched the stubbly growth he was letting grow on his chin. He looked pointedly at Sam and Ralph, who were both sitting on a huge boulder, then he glanced to Eddie leaning against a tree.

  Eddie looked a bit bewildered to Shy, and he surmised that they had all picked their events when Eddie and he had gone ahead to supper the day prior.

  "I will do the firestarting, and he will do the plant identification," Sam said as he spoke for Ralph and jabbed the quiet boy with his finger. Ralph nodded as he rubbed his shoulder.

  Tad made notes on his list, and looked up.

  "OK Eddie, I guess that leaves log chopping to you. Can you do that?"

  Eddie shrugged and Tad took that as a yes.

  "Done! Let's head to the Lodge for breakfast, but I want to take you there the long way." He smiled. "We are going to go by the Shore cabins. I bet many of you haven't even been down there. We didn't get around last year as much as I would have liked."

  The counselor started off in a southeasterly direction, and then paused waiting for them to follow.

  ***

  The boys were surprisingly quiet as they made their way through heavy forest on a thin path. Shy guessed they were all tired from getting up early, plus it was hard to talk when you had to walk single file. That path was becoming increasingly rocky also, several boys narrowly escaped tripping and falling.

  At one point, they heard some giggling and laughter quietly off to their left. Shy became nervous. Last year, on a different path, but very near to where they now were, Daniel and Shy came face to face with the powerful and cold-hearted huldra. She was very strong in using glamour, and had appeared as a little girl to the two boys. Remembering the episode made Shy's hair stand on end at the base of his neck. He stopped and looked back at Daniel and could tell he was having similar thoughts.

  Shy heard rustling and more giggles through the trees, and thought he saw a flash of red move in the distance. Tad had now also stopped and was looking in that direction. He motioned all the boys forward to him.

  “Let’s stay closer together,” he said quickly. “We are almost to the shore cabins.”

  Again there was giggling, in the trees, just beyond seeing. It seemed to be coming from all sides now. Tad had a frantic look in his eyes for just a second, and then he took a deep breath, smiled at the boys, and motioned them forward. They crept silently now over the rocks and fallen trees.

  All of the boys had heard the evil sounding giggles, and their minds began to play tricks on them. The birds were out and chirping their northern forest songs, but every flash of a wing, and every hop through the leaves made the boys jump. Shy saw that Eddie had worked his way ahead in their line to be right next to Tad, and smiled to himself. Eddie wasn’t as tough as he pretended to be, Shy thought.

  Up ahead now, Tad dropped out of sight. As Shy continued walking, he saw Eddie and each subsequent boy pause at an opening in the foliage, and then drop out of sight. He approached the opening, and he too paused as he looked out over the multiple shades of the blue expanse of Lake Superior spread before him. As he looked for the rest of the boys, he stepped down onto the dark gray basaltic rocky shelf that forms the shore of much of the greatest freshwater lake in the world. Tad had gathered the boys off to the left and was pointing and gesturing emphatically. Shy walked up, and pushed to the front. The giggling in the forest was now all but forgotten.

  Off in the water, in the direction Tad had drawn their attention, was a series of cabins placed on what appeared to be thick, log-like stilts. Shy was amazed and could tell the others were also. This must be the Shore cabins. Shy could see one particular brown-haired girl that he had seen the night before at the lodge, standing now outside one of the cabins watching them.

  Immediately Shy began to wonder how they could possibly have any secret entrances, like the Forest cabins did. These Shore cabins appeared to be completely freestanding yet they were protected on one side by rocky cliffs that extended out into the Lake and wrapped behind the cabin to an extent, forming a small bay that would be shielded from the worst of the Lake Superior storms.

  Tad was now pointing slightly above the cabins. He said, “There… right there… just above the farthest cabin… on the left side. Do you see it?”

  “A wire! There is a cable! It blends in with the rock, but I can just see it,” Sawyer yelled.

  “They must zip line down into the cabins from the cave up on the cliffside,” Sam’s gravelly voice expanded on what Sawyer had noticed.

  “Shhhh…” Tad scolded. “Remember, we are not supposed to know about others secret entrances. I discovered this one quite by accident… Well,” he paused, “maybe I was spying… just a little.”

  The boys all turned to hear the story they felt coming on. Shy often forgot that Tad was once in his very same position, a camper rather than a leader.

  So, the boys knelt or sat on the sun warmed basaltic rocks as Tad, quite obviously enjoying himself, dove into a story from when he was a camper.

  Shy tried to focus on the story, but he felt his eyes pulled back to the cabins, stilted above the sparkling waves of what seemed like an immense ocean. His eyesight began to blur. Looking at the shoreline, all the way out to the first cabin, what he
saw appeared like a foggy thickness. It reminded Shy of when he would put on his dad’s glasses and everything went out of focus. He knew instantly that he was looking at fairy Glamour. It was strong magic, too, because it took several seconds to pop back into focus. When it did, he saw what looked like a path, or a bridge of sorts. No, Shy thought to himself, it was more like a dock. A crazy, zig-zagged dock that extended out from one particular jutting rock on the shore, all the way to the cabins. The path of the dock changed at crazy angles.

  At first Shy could not understand it, but then it dawned on him. If someone stumbled upon this by accident, there would be no way they could follow its haphazard path without ending up taking a swim in the cold water. It was another hidden entrance! Shy wondered if the campers and counselors even knew about this one, or if it was only used by their nisse.

  He stood, and Tad glanced up from his story briefly, but then continued. Shy wanted to try the dock, but as he began to walk around the group of boys, he heard giggling again from the edge of the forest. Just for a second, then silence. He had stopped walking and was staring at the treeline.

  “Shy?” Tad questioned.

  Shy realized now that all the boys were looking at him, and Tad’s story was either done, or interrupted by his actions.

  “Sorry,” Shy began, “I thought I saw something… you know, through the Glamour…” He self consciously paused as he saw Eddie squinting at him in the bright sunlight.

  “But, when I got up to go see it,” Shy continued, “I heard the laughing again… coming from the trees.”

  No one said anything. Shy saw the concern on Daniel’s face as he looked into the trees, obviously remembering their run-in with the huldra.

  “OK!” Tad popped up, with renewed confidence. “Enough on the Shore cabins. Off we go to breakfast!” His brisk tone got the boys up and moving.