Sky the Giant
The New York Giants
I ran outta there as fast as I could. I didn't even look back. If there was an explosion I would be the coolest kid on the block right now.
I kept running until I was sure he couldn't see me any more. Then I turned and ran along the walls. Eventually I could find someone who wasn't crazy. Maybe he was autistic and was taking his role too seriously? Or maybe he was guarding a troll-hunting camp! Maybe these were pro-troll hunters and they wanted to scare humans away! It seemed strange since you'd think they'd want to, I don't know, protect humans? But then again... Autistic. Gotta find someone else.
I ran along the walls until I heard something like chopping wood. I hoped it wasn't Trollie the Troll crunching on bones. I crept behind a tree and looked for the source of the noise. Peeking around the tree I saw a stringy boy in a black t-shirt and jeans holding an axe above a round of wood. He had short black hair and a lot of lean muscle. “Hey,” I said, non-threateningly. He turned swinging the axe in the air. “What? Who's there! I'll hurt you!” he yelled. Oh, how glad I was that I wasn't standing anywhere near him when he did that. I stepped out from behind the tree and presented myself. “Yo. I'm lost.”
He put the axe down and huffed. “Clearly.” he said. He turned around, picked up the axe again, and brought it up to continue cutting. “Yeah, uh, could you point me towards town?” Gods how I hoped I was somewhere near Fresh Pond, or even Pollock Pines. I'd even take Carson City at this point.
“Nope.” he said without pause. “Aaaand why not?” I asked. “Because,” he said. “There's no towns around here.” Oooookaaaaaay? I could understand not being near any towns but what about a rangers station?
“No Survey station? No archaeologist sites? Nothing at all?” I asked. “Nope.” he said.
“Nothing.”
“Nope.”
“At all.”
“Nope.” I was beginning his vocabulary was very limited. “So you guys are all just stranded up here then.” He put his axe down again and turned on me. “You ask a lot of questions.” he said pointedly. He came up to my shoulders which made him about 5'6”. His eyes were so dark that they appeared black. Actually, I thought I could see what looked like stars in his irises...
“No, I've just been asking the same question multiple times. That's all. I really just want to get out of here.” I put my hands up in a surrender motion. He pointed out to the side. “Then leave. What's keeping you here?” He turned around muttering something that sounded like, “...stupid jotunn...” and stood up on the log he was using as a platform. “Why are you still here? Y'know if my dad sees you here, he'll kill you, right?”
“Your dad?”
“Yeah. My dad. Heimdallr. We're kinda your enemies?” The boy glared at me. No, I saw no resemblance. “Enemies? Explain something to me. Is this a LARP thing? Cause if so then kudos because your 'dad' is really in to it. But clearly you're not,” I pointed towards his clothes. “so can you just break character or something because I don't know what you're talking about.”
“Stupid Jotunn,” he said. “I can see what you are, y'know. You wont fool me. You're lucky I don't have my gear with me or your head would be on a pike about now.” Okay, this was getting really out of hand. “Bro, this isn't cool. Some guy kidnapped me and I have no idea where I am. Just get me a phone or something so I can try to call someone?”
The boy looked at me like I was a freak. “Phone? Wait, you actually know what that is?” No duh. Really? A phone. I wonder what that is. And he thought I was the freak. “Yes I know what a phone is. Do you have one or not?” He laughed as he jumped down from the log. “There's no reception here. Not in Asgard. The Gods may be mighty, but they aren't exactly the most technological.” He fished out a flip phone from his pocket and opened it. He showed it to me and there were no bars. I actually kind of expected this because in most of the mountains there's no cell service. “I'm not convinced. There's no service anyways. Where's a land line. Or a radio. Something. This isn't funny dude. I really need to call for a ride or something.” I would try a signal fire but after the King Fire I wasn't about to set any more.
Suddenly he got a sly smile across his face. “Yeah, okay. You look dumb enough. There's a land line over here.” He picked up his axe and led me back towards the gate. I figured he knew about the Autistic guy so I didn't say anything.
When we got back to the gate he waved to the big guy standing there. “RANDY,” the guy boomed. Randy cut him off and waved. “It's cool, dad. She just needs to use the phone.” Randy opened the gates and led me in. “It's just up here in the really big hall.” I could hear the clash of metal on metal in the distance. Or maybe it was all in my head.
He opened the doors to the large hall where a square of tables were situated around a giant fire. Women clad in armor and wings were rushing around the hall with plates of food and horn-shaped.... wait, those were horns! Drinking horns if I wasn't mistaken! Piles of food littered the tables as big burly men sat on little chairs putting as much meat and drink in to their mouths as fast as they could. Was this a contest? Though with men, wasn't everything?
“WHO HAS ENTERED THIS HALL WITHOUT PERMISSION?” Another large booming voice echoed with an intense ferocity throughout the hall. I felt a hand push me towards the middle of the tables. I looked around and saw a giant oak throne with two ravens perched on two spires. Two wolves also sat at the feet of a very large man. He was old. Not in an ancient kind of way, but an ageless kind of way. He had an eye patch and a thick bearskin cape draped over his shoulders. Runes seemed to circle around the giant traveler's hat he wore. He was stern, but I didn't get the sense that he was a mad king. But right now he was angry. And he was angry at me.
“WHO ARE YOU TO HAVE ENTERED VALHALLA?” he bellowed as if showing me off as his favorite game prize to all his friends. “S-Sky.” I said meekly. “Randy brought me here to find a phone. I was walking in the forest when some troll, who was not an internet troll, kidnapped me and tried to eat me! I was able to get away and so I found this gate but there was a huge man who tried to attack me!” The man nodded, seeming to understand. “I see, little Jotunn.” One of the ravens cawed and flew to his shoulder. It reached its beak in to his ear as if it were whispering to him. “My raven tells me that you are speaking the truth.” He told you that? A raven? A raven said something other than 'nevermore'? Whispers erupted throughout the hall. I couldn't make out what any one was saying.
“SILENCE!” The old man yelled. He must be very respected because everyone was instantly quiet. “I can see into her soul, and I can see no ill-will. She is Jotunn, yet not of them.” Greeeeeaaaaaaaaaaattt.
“So, what exactly is a Jotunn?” I asked. I really wanted to know. Like, really bad. Was it an insult?
Everyone in the hall laughed. The old man held up his hand. He reached behind him and grabbed a horn from the table. A golden liquid sloshed out from it. “Here,” he said. “Sit! Drink!” he ushered me towards a stool that was over by the fire. I appreciated this since I was still wet.
“Lord Odin, All-Father, you would invite this Jotunn to drink with us?” one man said in disgust. “It looks like Lokison!” said another. I looked around at the winged women, the ravens, the wolves, the floating runes....
I almost dropped the horn. “You're all Gods, aren't you? This is the real Valhalla...?” Realization sunk in as I tried not to trip out. Odin laughed a loud hearty laugh. “Yes, little Jotunn. Although many who pass through my halls are fallen warriors from battle!” At that all the men not at the head table raised their horns and said in unison, “HAIL ODIN THE ALL-FATHER!”
“Then, am I dead?” I asked, looking hard at the ground. “No,” Odin said. “you are very much alive. And to answer your question, a 'Jotunn' is a being from Jotunnheim. The Home of the Giants.”
Giants.
Giants?
Giants.
The New York Giants.
“So then,” I said, trying to make sense of this all. “Jotunnheim is New York.” I took a swig of the gold liquid. It made a warm tingly feeling as it traveled down my gullet. Odin scratched his beard. “I think I have heard tell of this 'New York' of which you speak.” he said. I heard many 'aye's in answer from around the room.
“You have the aura of Jotunn, a giant, upon you. It is in your blood. But, you also have the aura of a human. This is a strange combination, but not one that is new to us.”
