The Huldra Hostility

by Michael Almich

  Just as he was cresting the top of the ridge, he felt an explosion in his calf!

  Shy fell with a yelp. He tumbled, but subconsciously held onto the box, even though all his thoughts were now occupied by the pain in his leg.

  The next thing he knew, they were all there. Portia pulled his head into her lap, and Ralph was questioning him. They saw the box, and knew what Shy had done. Henry and Sawyer moved to peer over the ridge, as lookouts. Penelope was looking at Shy’s leg.

  “It looks like he got sliced, right across the back of his calf. This is really deep!” She added worriedly.

  “Arrow.” Shy said as he grimaced in pain. “We gotta go.” He said through gritted teeth as he tried to stand.

  “They’re coming!” Henry added as if to emphasize the point. He and Sawyer scooted down from the top. Henry went on, “They are starting up the hill now.”

  “Help me.” Shy said.

  Portia and Henry helped Shy up, and he put his arm around the stout Sawyer. They began to move downhill, but Shy immediately knew it would be too slow. They would never make it.

  He pushed Sawyer away and gave the box to Portia. “Go! I am slowing you down too much. This is too important! Go…. Take the box and go meet Daniel!”

  “NO!” Portia practically screamed.

  Sawyer tried to get back under Shy’s arm, while Eddie fiercely whispered, “C’mon, we gotta MOVE!”

  As Shy tried to push them away again, Daniel’s group burst from the trees.

  There was Gust. Good old, silver stout, Gust! Even through his pain, Shy felt a burst of joy.

  There was no happy reunion though. Gust took in the situation with a glance, grabbed Shy like he weighed nothing, put him over his shoulder, and began to jog behind Daniel. The entire group moved off now at a swift pace. Eventually they hit the tangled forest, and Shy who was feeling quite woozy from loss of blood and from bouncing on Gust’s shoulders, heard Daniel direct Eddie to the front with his axe, and the rest of them to focus on creating a path with their mind as they has done earlier. Gust didn’t question it; Shy could only assume that he joined in. Shy tried to focus and help, but he couldn’t seem to keep his thoughts straight. Just before drifting off, though, he remembered watching for and hearing the movement of the branches and vines of the spooky forest close the path up behind them, and was thankful for it.

  ***

  Shy felt cool water on his face, and opened his eyes. He groaned at the throbbing pain in his calf. Eventually, though, he remembered what had happened, and he looked around, getting his bearings. They were all there lying on the beach by the waterfall. All fourteen of them! With Gust! Shy saw him mashing something with a rock. Then Shy realized Portia was supporting his head and shoulders on her lap. He saw a look of concern on her face and forced a smile. She smiled back instantly. Even in pain, her smile made his heart flutter a little.

  Gust approached with whatever he had been mashing up, and Shy realized it was some type of plant material. The old man plastered it over the wound on Shy’s calf. Almost instantly Shy felt some relief from the stinging pain. Gust tried to say something to Shy, but the pounding of the waterfall stole the words away.

  Shy grabbed the old man’s wrist, and Gust looked at him. Shy slid Gust’s watch from his wrist, and proudly returned it to the old man. He saw Gust look down at it, and a big smile blossomed under the full white mustache. He looked at the watch and again at Shy, and proceeded to push the watch back to Shy. The waterfall roared, and words were useless, but in this situation they were not needed. Gust closed Shy’s hand around the watch and pointed at him. Shy understood, and smiled in return.

  Gust then stood, and Shy looked around again and realized they were all resting on the far side of the pool, at the base of the waterfall. He would still need to cross that, but his calf was feeling better by the second. Shy wondered what Gust had put on it. He gave Gust the OK sign with his thumb and index finger, and began to try to stand. As he worked himself upright, he thought about how surprised Tad would be, and about what this would mean for the camp. Maybe they could get rid of Morrie now.

  At that moment, random, subtle thoughts and gut feelings connected for Shy, and slammed home into his brain so hard that he stumbled. Portia was immediately at his side. Shy tried to tell her, tried to tell Gust, but they couldn’t hear with the waterfall.

  He was going to have to keep it a secret for a while longer. His immense realization would have to wait until they got away from the waterfall. He couldn’t tell if he was excited or fearful, but he knew in his heart that he was right. Professor Moriarty and the huldra were one in the same!

  ***

  As they sat drinking lemonade that Tom T brought them, exhausted, in the comfort of the hive, Shy explained that it was the eyes that gave Morrie away. Evil and deep, they didn’t fit that body. That, and it had bugged Shy that Morrie had been having Eddie spy on them. It made sense, though. The huldra wanted and needed to know what they were going to do with the box.

  Shy had read in his book that a huldra could take different shapes. They had all even experienced it last summer. The huldra’s ability to create a Glamour strong enough that Shy couldn’t see through the deception, prevented Shy’s brain from making the connection. Somehow seeing the huldra in person, combined with the mental stress of the rescue and the physical anguish and exhaustion of being shot by an arrow, all combined to break down barriers in Shy’s brain, and he had one of those light bulb moments.

  Tad was in awe of all that had transpired. Shy could tell that he was a little put out that they hadn’t included him. Meg was having a hard time processing everything. The two of them stayed close to each other. Shy thought of how he had seen them kissing before the adventure, and smiled inside.

  The five girls were also in attendance. They had a long walk back to their cabins, and Meg needed to escort them, but no one wanted to leave just yet.

  Gust had much to catch up on. He was angry at the stories of Morrie, and worried for Clancy. They decided she must be under the control of the huldra. He couldn’t believe that a year had passed. To him it had been less than a week. The stories of Shy’s pooka, and how they made the potion raised hundreds of questions from the old man, yet he seemed to take most things in stride.

  Shy wanted to know what happened after he had passed out on Gust’s shoulders, but it turned out that the trip back to the passage was uneventful.

  After much talk, they knew they needed to come up with a plan. First, Gust insisted, he, Tad, and Meg needed to swipe their eyes with the potion. Ralph and Henry took off at a run to get the potion from their cabin. They didn’t want to miss anything, so it didn’t take long. The two counselors and Gust took turns swiping each others’ eyelids.

  The boys enjoyed the surprised look on each of their faces as they pushed through Tom T’s Glamour. The nisse, gruffly immune to their attention, worked on chores around the Hive.

  Shy had noticed that where their quarters had always been immaculate, now they were often cluttered. That said much about how busy the nisse was defending them, and the box, from attacks. The creature simply did not have enough time for his regular chores.

  Next, they had to unseat the huldra and break its spell on Clancy, and then devise a way to deal with the box and the huldra’s ever-growing army. They spent much time discussing Moriarty, but never even got to the topic of what to do with the box, or the impending war. They agreed that the showdown with Moriarty would take place at lunch, but yawns began to take over. It was now nearing dawn, and they were all exhausted, so they headed off to catch up on some much needed sleep.

  The girls had a long hike ahead of themselves. Portia gave Shy’s hand a quick squeeze. Shy noticed Claire saying something to Daniel, and he smiled. Everyone began to pile out of the hive.

  Tom T, after bringing refreshments earlier, had slipped off, concerning himself with picking up around the Hive. Once Tad, Meg, and Gust had gotten their eyes swiped, Shy had lost track of the nisse. He
hadn’t even realized that he was still there, until they adjourned for bed. Then, the little nisse stepped out in front of Shy, blocking his way. The creature was brushing its gnarled fingers through its bushy facial hair.

  Daniel stopped to wait for Shy when he saw the nisse. He raised his eyebrows at Shy, to which Shy replied, “It’s OK.”

  Shy plopped into a bean bag, which put him at about eye level with the creature. To his surprise, the usually forceful creature plopped right down next to him and sighed.

  “Shylock, you do have something about you that makes people like you. Even with me trying to dissuade you from rescuing the white hair, even against insurmountable odds, you still forged ahead. I do think that I made a mistake in encouraging you to believe so much in yourself last summer. I am sure your determination will help you in your life in this world… if one still exists.”

  “What do you mean? If what exists?” Shy was confused.

  “If this world still exists as you know it.”

  Shy didn’t respond; he knew now where this was going.

  “So you have rescued your friend, but you still have the box?”

  Shy nodded gloomily. He could feel the box digging into his leg from its spot in the pocket of his cargo shorts. He had tried not thinking about the situation that they faced now, hoping that Gust would be able to help them out of it. Shy knew that Tom T was intimately invested in the situation, and would not let the topic drop.

  “Shylock, what will you do now? I cannot, simply cannot keep the box safe here much longer. Possibly until the end of the games that you all insist on playing, but what then? She does not stop. Just because you were lucky, and brave, enough to recapture the box, will you allow us to all fall into war?”

  “I have a plan…” Shy said a little too quickly.

  The nisse turned his head slowly and quizzically stared at Shy.

  “I am going to call the Lesidhe!”

  “Still with that? We are doomed then.” With those words the small creature slowly stood and dejectedly walked out. He did not look back at Shy.

  Shy walked back to the Raven with anxiety in the pit of his stomach.

  ***

  Eddie and Shy woke up about the same time. Shy twisted in his hammock to try to see the wound on his calf. It still ached, but it felt worlds better than it had, and looked like it was beginning to heal. He had forgotten to ask Gust just exactly what he had put on there.

  “Does it hurt?” Eddie came over to inspect it.

  Shy thought about how this was his first time waking up in his cabin with the new, friendly, Eddie. He hoped the other boys didn’t judge people right away from now on. A new thought struck Shy while Eddie stepped away to get ready for lunch. The old saying about never judging something by its cover applied not only to Eddie, but to Moriarty also. The boys had judged him correctly, but had probably underestimated him. Shy thought back to when Morrie had him cornered in Clancy’s office in the Lodge. What would have happened if the boys hadn’t come back for him? Shy shivered.

  “How can you be shivering? It’s hotter than Hades in here!” Eddie exclaimed.

  “I know… usually we are awake long before this.” Shy replied. “The sun has been out now for a while and I am starving. Let’s go eat, and hope that Morrie just isn’t there.

  ***

  Shy’s hope came true. Morrie was indeed not there. Clancy about had a heart attack when Gust walked in. She started screaming and raving. Shy suspected that there may have been some sort of romantic involvement between the two in the past. Now, seeing her lost love back in the flesh and blood, she broke down. While Tad, Meg and Gust had her go lay down in the little room of the Lodge that was set aside for sick kids, the Cave and Shore cabin counselors took over serving breakfast. Shy got through the line quickly and sat down at their table. He noticed all the boys tore into their three egg omelets with gusto. Adventure made one very hungry, Shy thought with a smile.

  It wasn’t until after he had cleaned his plate, and the boys were joking around a bit, that Daniel said, “Soooo…. What are we going to do about Morrie… the huldra?”

  “We need Gust to help make a plan.” Ralph said.

  “What if he doesn’t come back?” Shy asked. “I mean, does it think we don’t know about its disguise? Does it still have power over Clancy? What will happen if Morrie comes back now? Clancy is already in shock.”

  Sam chimed in, “The biggest question is does the huldra know that we know?”

  To Sam, Daniel answered, “I don’t think so.”

  “Then Morrie will probably be back.” Sam said.

  “Not necessarily…” Shy began. “It would know that Gust is back too, so maybe it just wouldn’t risk coming back.”

  “Who cares?” Henry now chimed in. “If it comes back, we just capture it!” Henry said, full of bluster.

  “Oh, and how are you going to do that?” Claire asked as she and many of her cabinmates joined them. “Instead of worrying about a fake professor, can we talk about how Shy ran down the hill by himself into a horde of nasty creatures and stole the box right out from under the huldra?”

  Shy felt the old familiar blush creeping onto his face. He could see Portia smiling at him, and everyone else looking at him.

  “What about Eddie?” Shy came back with. “I think that you all owe him an apology.” Shy said while looking each of the other boys in the eyes one by one.

  “Whaddareya talking ‘bout?” Henry was the first to speak up. “Edgar and I’ve always been tight.” He said with a smile as he put his arm around Eddie’s shoulders.

  “Shy is right.” Daniel admitted. “Eddie, like I said before, we never really gave you a chance. It must have been hard trying to fit into our group, plus understanding all the weird stuff that goes on around here. I mean, Tom T alone would be enough to make most people think they were crazy. You really came up big for us in that nasty forest. Thanks.” Daniel stuck out his hand towards Eddie.

  Shy was happy to see that Eddie took Daniel’s hand and shook it.

  Claire and the girls all said, “Awwwww…”

  Eddie blushed furiously, and Shy was selfishly happy that it happened to others too.

  “So, I don’t think you ever told us how you got the potion that Ralph was supposed to be guarding…” Daniel sat down on the bench as Eddie began to relate his mini adventure. The campers from other cabins began to file out. Portia grabbed Shy’s arm briefly as she was pulled out with Claire and the rest. He gave her a smile that said he would see her later.

  Tad came out of the back room with Meg. They walked over to the Forest cabin campers and said, “Clancy is gonna be OK. Gust is trying to explain now, but it is tough going. It’s hard to accept that someone you have said your goodbyes to, is still alive… aaaaannnnd it’s tough to explain where he has been. I mean, it’s been a year. I think he is considering giving her some of the potion also. The only thing is, he is worried that she will shut down the camp.”

  The boys picked up their previous conversation, about how things should be handled, and what they should do about the huldra.

  Shy, however was dwelling on what Tad had said. If Clancy shut down the camp, what would happen? He needed to either get the help of the Lesidhe or return the box. If she shut down the camp, and Tom T was right, there definitely would be huge implications for all of humanity. Shy felt the immense weight of his predicament settle onto his shoulders again. They needed to keep the camp open, so he could do what needed to be done, one way or the other. Although, after seeing the dried up lake on the other side of the waterfall, Shy was beginning to think that even if he sacrificed himself and returned the box, it was too late to simply return it.

  He had to take one step at a time, he told himself. He needed to make sure they kept the camp open. That meant keeping Clancy in the dark, and ensuring the camp games took place.

  Tad had just started to talk again, when the screen door slammed open. Morrie walked into the Lodge.

  He stepp
ed slowly, and glared at them all as he moved. Shy could see the immense hatred in the eyes. They were the eyes of the huldra. The boys began to back off, and at that moment the huldra realized that the game was up, that they boys knew.

  He turned towards Eddie and began to move towards the boy, with his hand outstretched. To Shy’s surprise, Eddie stood and turned towards the huldra. He began to step forward strangely. It almost looked to Shy like Eddie was fighting himself. Then it hit Shy. That was exactly it! The huldra was controlling Eddie!

  “Eddie, stay back!” Daniel yelled.

  Shy, knowing what was going on, rushed forward to grab the boy by the waist from behind and try to pull him back. He squint his eyes from the effort, but then opened them when the huldra let fly an evil laugh.

  “So, boy,” the huldra twisted Morrie’s face into a sneer, “you finally made friends with the troublemakers… just what you always wanted.” The voice dripped with hate. “Too bad it was short lived. Now it is time to pay for your disobedience!”

  Eddie peeled Shy’s arms from his torso and began to step again towards the huldra. The boy’s long nose dripped the sweat that was beading on his forehead. He was obviously fighting the huldra’s control, but was failing.

  Shy wasn’t sure what would happen when Eddie came within arms’ reach of the most powerful fey creature in camp, but he was sure it wouldn’t be good.

  “Guys, tackle him! Help me!” Shy screamed as he fought Eddie’s arms.

  Shy felt a big body join in the fray. It was Tad! The counselor had joined Shy’s fight. He felt others now too. Shy slid to the floor and focused on wrapping up Eddie’s feet.