The Web of Loki

by Carla Reighard

  “Why did we get some of our memories back now? You mentioned something about us being outside the story Ingrid wrote. What did you mean?” Bjørn asked.

  “I thought our minds had found a way to create a new story outside of the one Ingrid had written because we shouldn’t have memories of our real lives while connected to the story transporter. Now that I think about it, that doesn’t make sense. If we aren’t in Ingrid’s story, then how could we be in a different one?” Stein looked like he was trying to figure out a difficult math problem. Then he asked Ingrid, “Have any of your memories come back about what you wrote on the story transporter?”

  “No, just what I dreamt about last night.”

  “Maybe you didn’t finish the book, and Loki put us here because he was trying to get us to the real Asgard. But how will he be able to transport us from here to another univer–”

  Stein wasn’t allowed to finish what he was saying as the room suddenly went dark.

  Chapter 15

  After the room blacked-out, the foursome found themselves outside in front of the palace near the World Tree. They all looked at each other, afraid to speak. Ingrid couldn’t remember what Stein was talking about or where they had been only seconds earlier. Her thoughts got detoured when a tall, muscular, older man with one eye approached them. The stranger had a flowing gray beard that made Ingrid think of the wizard Merlin, who was one of her favorite characters in a book about King Arthur.

  Ingrid felt a fog in her brain and she couldn’t explain the appearance of this distinguished man. She remembered their journey to Asgard and meeting Freya. She even recalled why they were traveling so far from home, but she couldn’t pull out any thoughts on what they were talking about before this stranger appeared. She wondered if her friends were experiencing the same amnesia.

  The one-eyed man boomed, “Who are you younglings?”

  “We came here from Midgard to seek answers from Loki. Our village, Tuntre, has been cursed by him,” Stein replied.

  “That doesn’t surprise me, but you’ll not find that trickster here in Asgard,” the man explained.

  Ingrid found a spark of bravery and asked, “Who are you?”

  He laughed deeply. “I’m Odin. I should be offended you don’t know that, but humans aren’t always smart. What are your names?”

  “I’m Ingrid, and this is Bjørn, Hilde, and Stein.” She bowed a little, although she didn’t understand why that was her natural response to this supposed god.

  “Did you meet my wife, Freya? She doesn’t like to stay here long without me, but I have many journeys to achieve.”

  “We met her, but she’s gone now. She got angry when we talked about Loki. We would be grateful for any information you could give us about where we could find him.” Stein said.

  Odin scrunched his one eye at Stein as if to see him better. “Young man, did my wife try to seduce you?”

  Stein turned pale and his voice cracked. “A little, but I promise I didn’t do anything with your wife.”

  Odin laughed heartily and replied, “I’m not too worried, but she does like young men who look like you two lads. That is also why she detests talking about Loki, because he tried to get her in trouble with me. Loki accused her of being an unfaithful wife. I roam the world near and far. I can’t expect my wife to not seek companionship in my absence.”

  Ingrid thought that was a peculiar thing to say. If she was married, she wouldn’t want her husband flirting with other women, but she didn’t have to worry about that now – and she didn’t think she would ever have to.

  Odin offered to take the group to see Thor at another land he was going to visit next, but Ingrid had remembered their original purpose for being in Asgard, and she used it as an excuse to decline his invitation.

  “We’re grateful for you offer, but we really need to find Loki first.”

  “Loki is a scoundrel who won’t give you what you want. Besides, how often does a human get to commune among the gods? Thor is throwing a big feast for several gods and goddesses. You will meet many of them and be left in awe of our greatness.”

  Two black ravens flew up to Odin and made an unusual sound. Odin nodded his head and explained to the group, “These are my ravens, Huginn and Munin – which means Thought and Memory. They keep me apprised as to the goings on in your world. They told me about your people and how worried they have been since you left them. A small group is thinking about going into the Beyond to find all of you.”

  Bjørn swore under his breath and then asked Odin, “Do your ravens know the names of those who are going to search for us?”

  “Ravens do not understand such concepts as names, but if you go back home within a day, you’ll be able to stop them before they leave Tuntre.”

  “That’s impossible. We took several days to get here; at least it felt like several. We have no way of tracking time.” Hilde exclaimed.

  “The forest and Asgard do not run on the same time as Midgard, where your village is. One day in Tuntre is many days in my realm. You haven’t been gone that long, but I’m sure your families are worried that you will be dead if they don’t find you.”

  Bjørn cursed again and then explained, “Odin, we faced a bunch of dangers before we arrived here. There is no way we can return in time safely to stop the search party.”

  “I will help you. Humans have such limited concepts of time and space. I will give you a shortcut back to Tuntre by way of Bifrost. I’m surprised you didn’t use that route in the first place. How did you arrive here?”

  Stein offered a brief explanation, which seemed to stun Odin. He didn’t believe humans could enter Asgard anywhere other than the Rainbow Bridge, which was also called Bifrost.

  Odin spoke after Stein’s summary of their narrow escapes. “Follow me. There is no time to waste. I’ll take you to Bifrost and you can enter Midgard without peril. You will feel like you have barely been away from your home.”

  Hilde and Bjørn were eager to do as Odin commanded, but Ingrid stopped them. “Wait, we need shoes. Our world has rough and frozen surfaces that could damage our feet.”

  Odin snapped his fingers and all four of them were wearing their original travel clothes, minus the dirt and smell. They looked at each other in awe of the magic that he had performed so easily.

  “Don’t stand there gaping. You have your clothes now, so let’s be on our way before it is too late.” Odin ordered.

  Ingrid didn’t like how Odin was acting, but she was afraid to let him see that. She didn’t know what other abilities he had – some of his magic might be less pleasant than giving them back their clothes. She supposed Bjørn and Hilde were concerned for their families, which gave them more motivation to follow Odin without question. Stein, however, had the same doubtful look that Ingrid imagined her own face wore. The fact that ravens could tell Odin their families were searching for them, but couldn’t understand concepts of names, seemed way too suspicious to Ingrid.

  Stein and Ingrid followed behind Bjørn and Hilde, with Odin in the lead. Ingrid got Stein’s attention and mouthed, “I don’t like this.”

  He must have been able to read her lips because he mouthed back, “I don’t either.”

  It seemed only a few miles before they came to what looked like the end of a rainbow. The group gawked at the spectacle because no human could ever find the end of a rainbow, except in legends. It sparkled with purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red stripes, but it didn’t look solid. It arched slightly in the shape of a bridge, but the surface was almost transparent.

  “Is it safe to walk on that?” Bjørn asked. “It doesn’t look like it could hold anything.”

  “That is an optical illusion. We really don’t want humans venturing into our realm, but if they are determined, we have the bridge, as well as Heimdall. Both are tests to see if the person is worthy to enter our world. There isn’t a test for exiting,” Odin explained,

  “Who is Heimdall?” Hilde asked.

  “He’s the w
atchmen for the gods. His palace is near here. I told him there would be four humans leaving our world, but he doesn’t usually pay attention to people departing – only to those who wish to enter.”

  Ingrid and Stein looked suspiciously at each other. Stein whispered, “When did he talk to Heimdall? Didn’t he just find out we had to leave?”

  Ingrid saw Odin turn around and look at them so she didn’t respond to Stein, but she had the exact same thought. She didn’t want to cross the bridge. She thought it was a trap of some kind, but it was only her intuition making her feel that way. She had no way of proving that she was right until it was too late.

  Odin nudged Bjørn to cross the bridge, and as he took the first step, his body disappeared.

  Hilde exclaimed, “What happened –”

  Odin didn’t allow her to finish her question as he pushed her towards the bridge. Since Stein and Ingrid were farther away, he wasn’t able to shove them.

  “Don’t you want to go with your friends?”

  “Where did they go?” Ingrid asked.

  “They are on the bridge. It is an optical illusion that makes them seemingly disappear into the rainbow. That is just another way to discourage people from entering Asgard. Only the brave will be able to cross over. I suggest you hurry or you’ll be separated from your friends. Remember, time is different beyond here.”

  Stein grabbed onto Ingrid’s hand and they walked towards Bifrost. It was evident that they didn’t want to, but they were afraid of Bjørn and Hilde’s fate without their help.

  Just as they took the first step onto the bridge, Stein whispered, “I won’t let go.”

  Ingrid instinctively closed her eyes and moved her feet as she trusted Stein’s words. Immediately, she felt her body fall, but not as if she was tumbling down a hill or inside a hole. It was as if she was flying downwards as a bird would do, seamless and graceful. They were surrounded by darkness, but it didn’t come with a pungent smell as they had been accustomed to. Ingrid thought it felt like her body was weightless, as if it wasn’t completely there. Her mind imagined how it may feel if one were to go between time, not on the second or minute, but somewhere in the middle. A place no one ever sees because, normally, they move through it faster than the speed of light.

  Stein’s fingers were still wrapped around Ingrid’s hand, but it was an airy feeling rather than that of skin on skin. It was as if he were a breeze touching her, almost imperceptible. She caught herself squeezing his hand tightly in hopes the sensation would go back to normal, but it didn’t until they finally stopped falling.

  Ingrid and Stein landed in front of the World Tree in what appeared to be Tuntre. Bjørn and Hilde were standing nearby, looking around with startled expressions.

  “Where did all the villagers go?” Bjørn asked.

  The four walked down the middle of town, and there were no people in sight. They made their way near the homes and they still didn’t run into anyone.

  “What in Freya’s gown is going on? Did everyone go into the Beyond to look for us already?” Hilde questioned.

  “I doubt it.” Stein replied. “Do any of you remember the conversation we had just before Odin appeared?”

  “No, and I thought it was so strange. I remembered our whole journey, but I couldn’t remember what happened after I fell asleep last night. Then Odin magically showed up. I don’t even remember walking outside or even getting out of bed,” Ingrid said.

  “Well, I temporarily forgot too, but our little journey across the Bifrost Bridge triggered my memories. We need to find a way out of here before it is too late.”

  “What in the goddess’ name are you talking about? Before what is too late? Are my parent’s going to die?” Hilde questioned nervously.

  “No, the parents you remember aren’t really your parents. None of the people are what they seem to be here.”

  “That’s some freaky stuff you’re saying. What does that mean?” Bjørn had an edge to his voice.

  “We’ve already discussed this before Odin appeared. We talked about the dreams you all had last night. They revealed who you really are and where you belong. This place is just part of a book Loki and Ingrid wrote.”

  Hilde looked at Stein with furrowed brows and asked, “Did you bump your head on your way through the Rainbow Bridge? Freya’s gown, Stein, you’re talking crazy. I don’t remember talking about any dream or that we could be different people. So far we’ve survived the Beyond and all its nasty creatures, but I’m not sure I can survive losing my family. What I do remember is that we went through a cave and found Asgard, and then we ran into Odin, who sent us back here. The only book I know about is the one that sent us on this journey in the first place.”

  Stein looked as if he was pondering something important, and then he said, “Okay, let me prove that my memories are more complete than yours. I know that you and Bjørn have feelings for each other. In fact, you’ve wanted to kiss each other the whole time you’ve been in Tuntre and you don’t understand why you have those impulses since supposedly you grew up together and are only friends.”

  Ingrid felt a flash of jealousy, but then she always suspected Hilde and Bjørn would end up together. It was just a matter of time. She didn’t remember a dream or a previous life either, but she knew her attractive friends belonged together.

  “How did you know my true feelings for Hilde? I’ve avoided revealing them because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship,” Bjørn admitted.

  “Really? You like me more than a friend?” Hilde blushed and continued, “Me too, but how did Stein know?”

  “I know because I remember where we came from and who we really are. This life in Tuntre isn’t real. We haven’t been here since birth as we thought. That’s why you really can’t pull out any specific thoughts about your childhood; it didn’t happen here.”

  “How is that even possible? I’m sorry Stein, but you do sound like a crazy person right now. I’ve been supportive of your ideas that Ingrid may have produced some monsters with her thoughts, but this world being fake is too far-fetched. Maybe the fact that I can’t keep my eyes off of Hilde made you figure out that I liked her, but you can’t convince me it was because we were a couple in another life,” Bjørn said.

  “I can try to explain – even though I already have – but your memories got messed with again. I’m not sure what is exactly going on, but Loki has something to do with it.”

  Bjørn looked at Hilde and smiled shyly. They weren’t going to act on their exposed affection for each other, but they were obviously pleased about the revelation. Ingrid tried to be happy for her friends, but her own erased memories made her only recall liking Bjørn.

  “I will try to explain more to you, but let’s first figure a way out of Tuntre.”

  Ingrid suddenly had a brief flash of memory return to her. She recalled having a conversation with Loki about Tuntre, a sacred tree. He had named the village after it. She didn’t understand the memory, but Stein did say Tuntre wasn’t a real place, so perhaps she had talked to Loki about it before he erased her mind.

  “I think the World Tree may have a way for us to escape,” Ingrid blurted out.

  “Why do you say that?” Stein asked.

  “The tree was our passage to Asgard, and it has been the source of the Web – or at least that is where it originated. I say we go back to it and look for another passage out.”

  “I’m up for checking out the tree. Maybe we can get inside it again like when we were in the cave. Maybe our family went that way to find us. Anything is better than standing around here talking about stupid dreams and memories we supposedly lost,” Hilde said with snark.

  The four went to the center of town to explore the Yggdrasil. They never could see the top of the tree, and yet the Web seemed to shoot out of it like part of its branches. The width of the trunk made it possible for the Web to easily attach itself to nearby buildings and other trees so, in time, it had invaded most of the village. To be able to investigate the whole
diameter of the trunk, they split up, and each of them took a section to look for an entrance to the inside of it.

  “I think I found something,” Hilde yelled so everyone could hear her across the fifty-foot width.

  Ingrid was closest to Hilde so she ran over to check it out. “What did you find?”

  “Feel this. It’s smoother than the rest of the bark.”

  Ingrid rubbed her hand over the spot Hilde had indicated, and she knew immediately that it was a lever to a door. She began to pull on it, but Hilde stopped her.

  “Wait, what if it’s a trap?”

  “Hilde, my brave friend who tries to kill monsters, is being cautious,” Ingrid teased. “We won’t know unless we try it.”

  “Let’s wait for the boys to get here first.”

  “Wait for what?” Bjørn approached the girls.

  “What did you find?” Stein appeared, and asked.

  “Put your hand here. It’s a lever. I want to open it. Something in my mind is telling me this leads to an important place,” Ingrid explained.

  Stein pulled on the lever and a door camouflaged in bark opened for him. He was the first to walk inside. “You’re not going to believe this.”

  Bjørn, Hilde, and Ingrid followed Stein inside the door and they were stunned into silence.

  Chapter 16

  Inside, they found a large room full people – which included Stein, Hilde, and Bjørn. Ingrid’s body, however, was not there.

  “Holy goddess! Is that us?” Hilde asked.

  “If I wasn’t wide awake, I may think I had passed out and was hallucinating,” Bjørn exclaimed.

  Everyone but Stein had mixed expressions of disbelief and horror etched on their faces. Looking at a room full of lifeless bodies that looked like themselves was beyond surreal. No one could have prepared them for this and everyone but Stein looked like they had just seen a ghost.

  “I told you, Tuntre isn’t real, and this is my proof,” Stein said.