The Web of Loki

by Carla Reighard

  For once, Ingrid wanted everyone to have no need of a person to be on watch while others rested or to worry if they would live to see the next day. The more she wished for this, the more her imagination created a warm cave with thick furs to rest on and snuggle under. She pictured a beautiful Norse goddess providing them with these simple comforts. Ingrid wasn’t sure why she envisioned a goddess, but perhaps it was Bjørn’s suggestion that Loki was a Norse god that inspired it. There were so many myths she had read in the past about the Vikings’ religion that her mind had started to replay the stories.

  Out from a sudden mist that started to envelop them, a mysterious woman appeared. She was similar to what Ingrid had pictured in her mind’s eye. The woman was wearing a long, flowing, shimmery white gown. Her blonde hair was almost white. Words wouldn’t have been adequate to describe her beauty.

  In a soft, feathery voice, the woman said, “Follow me. I’ll give you what you seek.”

  Hilde looked at Ingrid questioningly, but the boys seemed enamored and ready to follow the mysterious woman without question. Ingrid knew prior to the woman’s appearance that she had been wishing for a goddess to provide them with safety from the forest, but she still didn’t trust this mystical looking woman.

  Hilde was skeptical too. She asked, “What’s your name?”

  The lilting voice of the stranger almost sang her name, “I’m Huldra.”

  The name sounded familiar, but the boys weren’t concentrating on anything but following the enchantress, so Hilde and Ingrid were forced to keep up with their pace.

  “Freya’s gown, I don’t like this one bit,” Hilde whispered to Ingrid.

  “I don’t either. Do you remember Huldra in our mythology book?”

  Hilde wasn’t an avid reader of mythology. She shook her head.

  Ingrid continued, “She was a dangerous seductress that led men into caves – caves that never end.”

  “We must stop her.” Hilde hissed.

  “How do you think we can distract Bjørn and Stein? They seem to be under her spell.”

  As they continued to meander through the forest, the Web seemed to shrink back away from Huldra so there was no need for anyone to cut away at the thing as they had been. Not only was Huldra the most stunning woman Ingrid had ever seen, but she also emitted some sort of glow that lit their path better than the lamps did. The previous melancholy the group had mentioned feeling had seemed to fade with Huldra’s presence too. Ingrid caught herself falling for the mystery woman’s seducing nature, just like the boys were.

  They finally arrived at the mouth of a cave. Hilde tried to pull Ingrid back, but they couldn’t lose sight of the boys as they followed Huldra at a quickened pace.

  “Ingrid, she’ll get us lost if we follow her in there.”

  Even though Ingrid wanted to follow Huldra, her sensible side fought the urge. “I know you’re right, but how do you purpose we stop the boys? It is like they are hypnotized.”

  Hilde picked up a white rock from the ground and began scratching marks on the cave’s walls with it while they followed the boys. She whispered, “Bread crumbs,” and Ingrid understood that she was providing a way for them to navigate back to the entrance of the cave.

  The walls of the cave were various shades of brown. Ingrid expected it to feel cold and dank, but instead it felt like a natural source of heat was keeping it tepid. There was an odd smell of what she supposed were minerals inside the cave. Ingrid didn’t mind the smell since it was a break from the disgusting rotten odor of the woods. They had to be careful not to trip on uneven parts of rock formations that protruded from the ground occasionally. None of the walls were smooth. Rocks jutted out and they had to dodge them as they turned corners. They kept walking in a maze of twists and turns. It seemed like they were getting too far from the entrance of the cave. Ingrid felt mixed up and lost.

  “Stop!” Hilde unexpectedly screamed.

  Everyone turned around, even Huldra. Hilde continued, “I think I have something wrong with my foot; can you let me rest a little?” Hilde hobbled over to a flat rock that she used as a bench. Ingrid thought this was Hilde’s ploy to hinder them and that she was probably pretending to be in pain.

  Ingrid knew they weren’t safe, but the cave was better than the forest. The boys and Huldra looked a little perturbed, and Ingrid suspected they weren’t going to wait long, despite Hilde’s best efforts to slow them down.

  Ingrid began to think about a million ways to divert them but none of them seemed plausible. She focused on Huldra and thought to herself, I wish Huldra was as ugly on the outside as I sense she is on the inside. Then she would lose all her charm to the boys. I believe it is her ethereal looks that has enraptured us all.

  It wasn’t long after Ingrid’s inner dialogue that Huldra began to transform. Her flowing blonde hair turned wiry and gray. Her face wrinkled as it aged, but it became deformed rather than just old. She hunched over, and her voice lost the light musical tone.

  “What’s happening to me?” Huldra had a scratchy toned voice.

  Bjørn and Stein stood there with shocked expressions and backed away from the woman. Huldra tried to woo them towards her, but she realized it was futile for she had lost her outward charm. The seductress staggered away from them, slowly backing into the mist that began to form in the cave. Her sudden disappearance made it seem as if they had just imagined the enchantress in the first place.

  “Whoa, where did she go?” Bjørn asked.

  “Do you remember the folklore of the woman who led men to caves where they couldn’t escape? Ingrid said Huldra was her name. She was going to take us somewhere worse than where we already were. Freya’s hair, you two didn’t stand a chance as you drooled all over her.”

  “We couldn’t help it. Yes, she was lovely in an extraordinary way, but I felt like I was in a trance,” Bjørn explained.

  “Me too,” Stein and Ingrid said in unison.

  Ingrid continued, “I wasn’t as caught up in her charms as you boys, but I definitely felt her pull me into her snare. I felt like I would follow her anywhere. But I kept wishing that she would show her true self. I assumed if she was the nasty Huldra of Norse folklore, that her heart was blackened. I kept thinking if we saw her true motives it would stop her from wooing us. I literally willed her outsides to reflect her insides, and that is when she shriveled up like a fruit drying in the sun.”

  “I think you have some powers we need to figure out soon,” Stein commented.

  “I think you may be right. Before Huldra appeared, I was picturing a safe haven for us to use so that we could get a decent sleep without worrying about the horrors of the forest. I even imagined a beautiful woman to help navigate us to safety. Do you think I summoned Huldra?”

  “Goddess, that’s crazy! You couldn’t get a dog to obey you,” Hilde exclaimed.

  Ingrid cringed at Hilde’s words. Though they were true, she didn’t realize her friend had such thoughts about her. Maybe the lack of sleep and hunger gave Hilde less ability to keep her opinions to herself beyond her usual frankness.

  Stein walked ahead of the group and out of sight for a short time and then returned. “I know you think Ingrid has nothing to do with what’s happening to us, but then how do you explain that?” He led the group to the spot he was talking about. Just around the corner, there were soft furs, food, and water.

  “Since this cave is in the middle of who knows where, how did all that stuff get there?” Stein asked.

  “Can we trust any of that stuff, since Huldra was leading us to it?” Bjørn questioned.

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking.” Hilde huffed.

  “I don’t think I have the ability to summon anything, but I don’t know how to explain how any of this stuff got here. Maybe I did write this all down in a magical book that now we’re forced to play out. Anyway, since we’re all dying of thirst and hunger, I can try out the food and water to see if it is tainted.”

  “No, that’s foolish. We came i
n here to help you survive. Why would we let you take that kind of risk?” Stein criticized.

  After discussing the food and water’s potential dangers, the group decided to avoid the mysterious sustenance. Instead, they ate the small bits of meat Bjørn and Stein had scrounged up by catching a few squirrels in the woods earlier that day. But the water shortage was becoming a problem, and they all stared at the inviting liquid that they didn’t trust.

  “My mouth feels like dust. I swear my head is pounding because I’m not getting enough water,” Hilde sighed as she rubbed her temples.

  “Shh, do you hear that?” Bjørn asked.

  “What?” The rest of the group said in unison.

  They listened while holding their breath so nothing would drown out the sound Bjørn wanted them to hear. Finally, Ingrid took in a small, gradual breath as she heard a faint dripping in the distance. Soon everyone heard it.

  “I should go investigate where that is coming from. It could be a water source,” Bjørn volunteered.

  “I’ll go with you. We should always stay in pairs for safety reasons,” Hilde offered.

  Ingrid agreed with her and wished she had volunteered to go with Bjørn first. She held on to those feelings she had for Bjørn even though the longer their group was together, the more she found herself drawn to Stein. He was attractive, but there was more to him than just that. Ingrid wished she could recall what Stein thought he had remembered about the two of them. She admitted, if she was to be honest with herself, she probably didn’t love Bjørn in the same way a married couple loved each other. Perhaps her love was more of a friendship’s affection. Bjørn was the guy who had always been kind to her. Since no other male had been nice to Ingrid, she felt an automatic adoration for him. She wasn’t sure she fully understood what true love was, but she knew all of her fellow travelers had shown her a type of love. They had sacrificed their semi-comforts from Tuntre to help her search for Loki, even if they didn’t believe he existed.

  Stein and Ingrid sat down upon the furs and wrapped themselves inside their warmth. It was the first time Ingrid had felt warm in days. It didn’t take away the other pains of hunger and thirst, but it definitely made her glad they followed Huldra, even if the woman had ulterior motives. Ingrid only hoped that they wouldn’t regret having this small comfort.

  “While Hilde and Bjørn look for water, I need to ask you something.”

  “I’m afraid what that may be.” Ingrid felt that Stein had too many questions she didn’t have the answers to.

  “Do you think my theory is stupid? You know the one about you making things happen with your thoughts?”

  “I don’t think it is stupid. Even though it’s hard to believe, I can’t deny that I have wondered if my brain is creating all of this. I’ve been trying to understand what that book said about Loki and me. It told me to destroy the book. Did I write all this down somewhere? Then I think that maybe I just have an extra special intuition. Perhaps those things were going to happen despite what my mind conjured up and it was just a coincidence. I don’t know what to believe.”

  “Maybe, but you could try to test it on something safe.”

  “Like what?”

  “Think about a rainbow or unicorn.” Stein smiled at Ingrid.

  “Now you’re mocking me. You know that was just the first thing that came to my head at the time.”

  “I know, I was teasing a little.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes, and Ingrid began to think of what Stein had said about knowing her. “You said you see images of us being together like we knew each other before. What do you think you remember about us?”

  “I’m too embarrassed to say.”

  “Why?”

  “Because, well, we weren’t just friends.”

  “What were we?”

  “You ask a lot of questions. If I tell you and they end up just being dreams instead of memories, don’t treat me differently. Okay?”

  “I can’t make any promises, but now you really have me curious.”

  “A part of me worries that, even if they are memories, we won’t ever be able to have what we once had. I’m afraid telling you about it will stop it from ever happening.”

  Stein moved close enough to Ingrid so that he could touch her scar. She jerked away at first, but the touch was tender and comforting. “Let me be your friend, and someday we can discuss my memories. I hope that eventually you will look at me like you do Bjørn.”

  Ingrid felt her face warm at the realization that Stein saw through her facade. “I don’t know what you mean. Yes, I admire Bjørn because he has always been my friend despite what others think of me. He’s always stood up for me when others wanted to criticize me, but I don’t think I look at him any differently than anyone else.”

  “Are you sure he has always been your friend, or is that just an assumption?”

  “Truthfully, I don’t recall much, but Bjørn and Hilde are the only ones at school who talked to me before you came. It feels like we’ve known each other our whole lives. I can’t tell you stories of things we used to do together, but I’ve always felt less of an outcast around them.”

  “How do I make you feel?” Stein continued to stroke Ingrid’s face and it warmed her to her toes.

  “You make me feel – what’s the word? Umm – unbalanced? No, that’s not quite right, but I’m unsure about my feelings around you. I want to like you, but you say things that make me afraid.”

  “Afraid or excited?”

  Stein’s mouth began to close in on Ingrid’s. The words afraid and excited began to mean the same to her as her heart raced. She thought she should pull away, but she also wanted to go toward him. Before their lips touched, Hilde’s hastened footsteps startled them out of the moment.

  “We found water! Delicious, refreshing water!”

  Stein and Ingrid pulled apart, but Hilde gave them a strange look. “What were you two doing? You look like you ran a race. Your faces are so flushed.”

  Ingrid spoke first, “I think these furs are finally making me hot.” She moved one off her lap and pretended to fan her reddened face. “Is the water far from here?”

  “No, I came to get our empty water pouches to fill them up. Bjørn needs water quickly. He’s losing energy after being so dehydrated. I told him to wait back at the pool while I fetched the containers to put the water in.”

  “Pool?”

  “Yeah, it isn’t big, but we’re guessing snow melts into the cave through cracks and that’s why there is water. There are also a lot of cool looking stalagmites and stalactites.”

  She left Ingrid and Stein quickly with the containers draped around her neck. They offered to go with her, but Hilde wanted them to keep the furs safe, like they would disappear if they left them behind. The little nook was going to be a comfortable place to sleep and help them get re-energized. They all assumed it was going to be a challenge to find their way out of the cave so they needed the rest before they attempted it. Hilde had told the boys that she scratched marks on the walls whenever she could so that she could lead them back to the entrance. Yet even Hilde was distracted by Huldra’s magic, and she hadn’t always thought to mark at every turn.

  Alone again with Stein, Ingrid felt the flush return to her cheeks as he turned to speak to her. “Please don’t think just because we supposedly have only known each other for a short time that my affections for you are less than that of Bjørn’s or Hilde’s. I care deeply for you.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Don’t say anything that isn’t true and we’ll be fine.”

  Stein lied down and tucked his body beneath the furs as if he planned on sleeping. He spoke like he was drugged. “I think I just need to rest a little. We can discuss where we’re going next after Bjørn and Hilde return. I suddenly feel that if I don’t sleep, I will faint.”

  “You’re probably dehydrated. We all are. Go ahead, and I can take the first watch tonight.”

  Stein turned his b
ack to Ingrid so that she couldn’t stare at his face. She wanted to gaze at him when no one else was around. As if soaking in every inch of him would help her remember what they had meant to each other before their minds went blank. Before Hilde interrupted what Ingrid assumed was going to be a kiss, she sensed his words were true. She was glad their lips hadn’t met. To Ingrid’s recollection, she had never done that with a boy before. The thought of it scared her. Yet if her memories were expunged, maybe she had already kissed Stein multiple times.

  Ingrid thought, Did my heart belong to Stein before the Web? Were Stein’s memories of our relationship true or only dreams? Why would Stein dream about ugly me?

  Chapter 10

  Hilde shook Ingrid. “Time to wake up, you sleepyhead. It’s my turn to rest.”

  Ingrid must have fallen asleep before Hilde and Bjørn got back with the water; Stein hadn’t been the only one too tired to keep his eyes open.

  Hilde yawned and handed Ingrid the pouch. “Here, the water will help you feel better.” She then proceeded to curl up under the furs and snored.

  Ingrid was surprised by how fast each of them was able to fall asleep, but it had been days since any of them felt safe enough. She speculated that while they slept in the forest, it wasn’t a true rest. Bjørn and Hilde were zonked out immediately, and Stein was in the same position she had last remembered. She felt a little like a stalker, the way she had stared at the back of his head. Had he not been under the covers, she would have looked over his whole body, trying to take him in and see if she could remember any times they had spent together before their memories were removed.

  Bjørn sounded similar to Hilde, which made Ingrid laugh quietly. She didn’t know her friends snored, because up until now they had never slept deeply enough in the same space. She didn’t know what their futures would bring, but she couldn’t imagine Bjørn and Hilde living separate lives. The more Ingrid thought about their relationships, the more she thought they had to belong together. Instead of making her jealous or sad, it gave her hope for a brighter future. She pictured a possible time when Bjørn and Hilde’s family would be friends with hers. Their children could be a part of each other’s lives. Hope had never seeped into Ingrid’s imagination quite like that before, and it gave her a sense of joy to think that it was possible to find happiness.