The Way Home

Drunk

Onifer's first drunken night ended up with her waking up in another world.

The night before she had left home and driven to the beloved family summer cabin in the forest without saying were she was headed. She'd even left her phone behind. She'd felt the urge to get away, spend a whole day bowling and screaming the injustices of the world to absolutely no one without having to explain herself or worrying her parents silly.

She left the sheets on the furniture when she got there. The only thing she touched was the drink cabinet in the dining room. She knew she would find a bottle of scotch her father had stashed in there. She didn't even bother to take off her jacket. She simply sat on the floor and drank from the bottle waiting for the sobbing and whining to begin. But she waited and drank. Not a single tear fell. She kept thinking of her failed plans to go to college, her failed plans to move away, her failed plans to live the life she'd always dreamed about. She conjured up the image of her best friend telling her that she was leaving the country to live with her future husband. She obsessed over the fact that she no longer had a job and that she still lived with her parents in her childhood home at age 22. Still no tears came.

All of a sudden there was a warm felling running through her limbs, a weird sensation that made her get up in a rush. The room span and she had to hold on to the cabinet making the bottles and glasses tinkle and jingle. With an unexpected sense of purpose she walked over to the front door and stepped out into the night. There was a voice in the back of her head telling her that what she was doing was incredibly stupid but that voice sounded way too sober and boring, so she ignored it.

She knew these paths like the back of her hand. She'd spent every summer of her childhood here, pretending she was a lost princess while her brothers fought each other with wooden swords and tried to rescue her and take her back to the castle. She heaved a sigh at the thought of her brothers while she stumbled over roots and loose rocks on the ground. The trees didn't grow so close to each other here allowing the moonlight to illuminate her way. Still it was pretty dark and on the next fork on the road she wasn't sure if she had to turn right or left to head over to the tree house. That's where she wanted to be right now. It had been her haven when she was a little girl and she craved for that sense of security right now. She needed to feel she was ten years old again. She chose to turn left. It felt right to head that way. Even though she had to keep a hand on the tree trunks to avoid falling teeth first on the dirt, she felt confident in what she was doing. Nothing bad could happen in the cabin.

Her brain was filled with a storm of memories, bitter regrets and painful disappointments that swirled around each other over and over making her dizzy and confused. She wasn't paying attention to where she was going any more, confident that she knew the way perfectly. The darkness didn't intimidate her. She kept going until her feet stepped on slippery ground. The stream. She had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she hadn't realized she was so close to the water. Turning around, she intended to head back the way she'd come but a creature she couldn't see clearly darted off from the bushes near her feet and spooked her so much that her feet slipped away from beneath her making her fall back into the water. She only had time to realize that she was going to end up in the freezing water and that no one would find her. Then her head hit something very hard and everything was a blank canvas. She slid into nothingness with relief.

****

Frey was heading for the river to catch some fish when he heard the whimper. In any other occasion he would have pinned the noise to an animal in the woods but the hair rising on the back of his neck and on his forearms made him stop on his tracks and wait. The sound came again, a bit fainter this time but distinctive nonetheless.

Frey followed the unfamiliar noise. He stepped over some boulders in the way, slid down the treachery undergrowth and made his way through spiky branches and thorny bushes. He did this with the ease only the adventurous at heart can muster.

Soon, he came into a clearing that opened on the bank of the river. His eyes glued to a fallen log that was halfway in the water. There he could see the source of the sound he was after.

A girl was clinging to the log for dear life to avoid being swift away by the torrent. Another weak whimper slapped Frey into action and he dropped his fishing pole and bucket to rush into the water.

It was so cold that his feet immediately started to ache as he waded the short distance towards the girl.

Whispering empty reassurances he grabbed her waist and raised her toward him. With one arm under her legs and the other on her back he stumbled and strode to the bank. With utmost care he laid her on the ground and stared. He had no idea what to do. He considered running back to the inn to ask Hob for help but the pale face with the purple lips lying next to him suggested that by the time they came back it might be too late.

Frey drew his face on top of the girl's and put his ear against her nose. After an eternal moment there came a soft sigh through her lips. She was alive.

With resolve and without much thought as to what he was getting into, Frey lifted her once more and leaving his fishing pole behind, he walked out of the clearing.

With the girl in his arms, the trek took twice as long to tread. He advanced with too much care, afraid of tripping over the roots and rocks. He was relieved when the trees retreated and the green grass took over the land at his feet. Now he could pick up the pace.

It was already noon and people were coming to and fro on the road that led to Nale. Of course, everyone gaped at the scene he was making. He ignored the looks and continued toward the tall gate of the village. Nar, the ancient guard, was waiting for him in the middle of the road. Evidently, he had seen Frey approaching from afar and was attempting to stop him to question his actions. Frey flew past him almost knocking him out of the way.

"I'm terribly sorry, Nar!" he yelled as he passed and preferred to not pay attention to the insults the old man yelled back.

As he negotiated the narrow, muddy streets of Nale he was aware of the gasps and the fingers pointing at them. However, there was an urgency that pushed him forward like a hand against his back. He had to help this girl.

"Hob!" he called as he shouldered the inn's door open. There were some men in there already, drinking and laughing too loudly but they fell silent as soon as they noticed what he was carrying. Hob appeared from the kitchen alerted by Frey's call.

The innkeeper only stood for a second looking at his assistant with wide eyes but then he said, "The room with the fireplace is available," and he led the way toward the stairs.