Broken

It's a Beautiful Day

I put the final dish on the draining board and stared out the window, absent-mindedly pulling out the plug and letting the soapy water swirl down the drain. It was a perfect day outside, beautiful blue skies and a shimmering sea. I could hear the wind whistling through the grasses on the gulf. 

An old man stood at the edge of the sheer cliff, and I frowned. He was a little too close to the edge for my liking. I set aside the scrubbing brush, took off my apron and headed out to the old man with a pleasant smile on my face.

"Good morning sir, hvordan har du det? How are you?" I chirped, coming to stand beside him and looking out over the gulf.

"It's a beautiful day," he said quietly, turning to face me. "A beautiful place."

"Yes, it is." I agreed. The old man was wearing an eyepatch and strange white robes. Perhaps he was from the morning mass. I concluded that he couldn't speak Norwegian. I switched to English.

"What brings you here, father?"

"I am waiting," he said, almost wearily. "My time is up. I must see my sons one last time before I join Frigga in Valhalla."

That didn't sound so good, but I nodded. 

"I assume you want some space, then. I will take leave of you." I turned to go but his hand took my wrist, quite a firm grip for an old man. 

"Please stay. I have not talked to another for a long time." He let go of my wrist. "I am Odin. My sons will be here soon but I would be honoured if you would wait with me. What is your name?"

"Emilie, and of course I will remain here." I agreed and turned back, looking out at the beautiful sea, telling Odin all about my life. He seemed so lonely and sad. I could feel his emotions like I usually could, yet they were blurred. He seemed to be feeling, overall, a determination to finish the job. I sighed quietly.

I had been born with certain powers that made me different from others. I could feel people's emotions the way I could feel waves washing over me in the sea; I could ask someone a question and know what the answer was before they said anything at all. These had been both blessings and curses all my life. 

"Here they are." said Odin, not moving an inch. "I thank you for your comfort. May the gods always protect you."

I recognised the dismissal and walked away, back to the cottage. I couldn't help myself and watched from the kitchen window as two young men walked up to stand beside Odin. One was blonde-haired and very bulky; broadly built with a grey hoodie and an umbrella. The man on the other side had shoulder-length black hair, pale skin and a black suit. He was decidedly slimmer and less muscular then his brother. They talked for a few minutes, sitting on a rock; and then stood up and I saw Odin disintegrate into golden light and drift away on the breeze.

"What the...?" I said, leaning forward and opening the window a crack to listen. The blonde man was shouting.

"This is all your doing!"

He shoved the dark-haired man, the blue sky turning grey and thunder rumbled overhead. 

"Calm yourself, brother!" retorted the other, moving away from the cliff as lightning spiked through the air. 

I suddenly noticed a black wisp of smoke appearing only metres from my cottage. It grew until a woman, dressed all in black, stepped from the smoke. Both brothers turned to face her. The blonde hit the ground with his umbrella, his clothes transforming into armour and a long red cape, his umbrella taking the form of a hammer. His brother glimmered green and was wearing dark green armour. I immediately knew who they were.

Perhaps the name 'Odin' had sparked some memory of my primary school life in Australia; learning about the Norse Gods. I had always loved Loki, God of Mischief and Lies, because he was so much more fun than the others. He was the adopted son of Odin the Allfather. His brother was Thor, God of Thunder and heir to the throne. They were real!

The woman stepped toward them.

"I am Hela, rightful ruler of Asgard and Goddess of Death. Kneel."

"I beg your pardon?" -that was Loki, of course- he was usually the one asking others to kneel.

"Kneel and your lives may be spared."

"Never," growled Thor, throwing his hammer at the goddess. I expected it to shatter her on impact, but she caught it and the hammer burst into shards of metal. Both Gods stared at her in panic. 

"Take us back!" cried Loki, without thinking. 

Thor roared "No!" but it was too late; Heimdall had activated the Bifrost and rainbow light picked up all three of them. A moment later the only traces I could find was the shards of Mjolnir. 

I had been dreaming, surely.