Brodde's Nightmare

The sky was filled with the glow of a blood red moon as I trapsed through the baren woods of the countryside. No sound filled the air, save for the whistling winds and the creaking of old, dead wood swaying back and forth. I stepped lightly among fallen leaves and twigs that made barely a rustle in the dark of night. The wind grew louder as the shadows enveloped and threatened to consume me. Yet, within the darkness, I felt the eyes upon me; bright and yellow as they always were. I turned to look in the direction the hairs on my neck pointed when standing on end, but the amber glow would fade as soon as I made contact with them. A chill ran down my arms and my spine as my legs turned to jelly. I wanted to run from them. I wanted to scream for help, but my mouth filled with dirt and gravel at the opening, and I heaved it at my feet; my throat rubbed raw from the mountain of it that fell between my teeth. The eyes were in front of me and they were beside me, and they were behind me. They were all around me, closing in, waiting for the right time to strike. I fell to me knees and prayed to the old gods, hoping they would hear my plea, and spare me the death or at least make it quick. No relief came as the growl grew from the spaces between the trees, louder and louder, until they drowned out the wind. The growling was all I knew as I felt the lunge and the stabbing pain that radiated through my chest. I closed my eyes tight against the darkness. The red sky quickly turned to blue and green as a woman sang to me her song.

My eyes shot open, and the darkness was quickly replaced by the straw roof of my old family home as it was illuminated by the rising sun. It was damp and cold, telling me the stove had gone out in the middle of the night while we slept. The sweat on my body only made matters worse as I shrugged uncomfortably in my bedclothes that clung tightly to my frame. Jacob snored loudly across the room, making it difficult to even begin thinking of going back to sleep. I decided there was no point, and made an effort to begin the day’s work tending to the animals outside. However, when I tried to sit up, I was overwhelmed by the throbbing pain in the center of my chest. I managed to swing my feet out of bed and force myself upright as I tried to pull off my undershirt. It was tiring work between the pain and the breath I did not know I had lost, but I eventually removed it to reveal my skin that had turned a deep red where the pain radiated from. It was just a dream right?

I slipped into my shirt and trousers before throwing on a thick overcoat lined with wolf fur, then headed into the cold morning. Stepping out into the day told me just how early I had woken up as the sun broke just above the trees. The hue around it was bright yellow and red, almost the same shade as the skies in my dream. I shoved the thought aside and hooked my horse to the water cart. The barrels were still a quarter full, but I knew Jacob did not like letting them run even that dry. It was a small price to ensure I avoided the hefty prices at the inns.

My legs shook as I led my horse along the short path towards the river. She fought me almost every step of the way as she tried to wriggle free of her lead. As the saying went; you could lead a horse to water, but only when she wanted to. There was something she was trying to avoid and, as we drew closer, I could understand why. I could not tell if it was the whistling of the wind in the trees, or something else, as a sweet song arose from the nearing water. The closer we drew to the water’s edge, the sweeter the song became as the reds and yellows of dawn were replaced by the blues and the greens of the water. I shook my head to try and rid myself of the song and the image; telling myself that it was all a trick of my mind and a lack of sleep, but they stayed persistent.

“It was just a dream,” I said softly to myself. “It was just a dream… it was just a dream…” I repeated the phase with my eyes shut tight against the world as a low growl arose from beside me. It slowly rose to a snarl with the song becoming deafening in my ears. They rang with an intensity that split my head and made the darkness behind my eyelids white with pain and…

A splash of icy cold water forced me to shoot upright in my bed, gasping for air. I shivered while I heaved quick deep breaths. Jacob stood over me with a now empty bucket in his hands and a gaze filled with both frustration and worry. Try as I might to meet his eyes, I could not, and let them fall to my body that was now thoroughly soaked. I coughed a couple of times to clear my throat forcing Jacob to give me a raised brow.

“What is it, cousin?” I asked. He continued to stare, trying to find his words. What felt like an eternity went by before he spoke up.

“You were screaming in your sleep, Brodde,” he finally said.

“You exaggerate, Jacob,” I said with a chuckle. “I don’t scream in my sleep.” I forced myself out of bed, but quickly fell back into it as my legs went numb.

“Well, you were,” Jacob reiterated as he tried to help me to my feet. It took a fair bit of maneuvering, but we were finally able to get my legs balanced underneath me. He let go and shoved me towards the main room. “There’s dried venison and a mug of spiced wine for you on the table,” he huffed, then escaped to his study in the back of the house.

I ate my fill of the venison and drank enough of the wine that my body began to feel warm. There was still a fair bit of hot water in the wash basin for me to escape the cold with and I took my time with it as I chased away some of the aches that still resided in my chest. After being rudely doused with water, I was hoping that I would not fall ill. The pain in my chest, as slight as it was, told me my hopes were a waste of time, and that my lungs would pay the price for it.

Jacon sat in his study, mulling over his books by the light of a small window that sat encased in bookshelves. He was nose deep in something related to old myths and legends. It was something that had always fascinated him since his youth and was a constant teasing point between all of our cousins. While we were out hunting and fishing in frigid weather, he was back at home in front of a warm stove with a book in his lap. It was not unsightly, but it was strange. He read much more than I did, yet I was the one who decided to study abroad in the colonies at King’s College; something that was paid for using my cousin’s unwanted funds.

“How many nights?” Jacob asked, his face still turned down as the pages. He still had not given me a morning greeting.

“Good morning to you too,” I huffed with a chuckle.

“How many nights, Brodde?” he asked again. This time, he looked up with frustration in his eyes.

“It’s only been a week,” I lied. Little did I want for him to know that it had been two full moons since I started having the dreams.

Jacob sighed and went back to his book, skimming through pages upon pages of mythical creatures I did not even know existed. One of them was a picture of a woman with her eyes just above the surface of the water as she threw out an alluring gaze. Sjora was the name she was given on the page, and cousin Jacob looked on at her as if fascinated by her existence. To me, she was just another tale told to us as children to keep from playing too close to the water’s edge.

“It seems to me that you may have an attachment,” he mumbled.

“Is that so?” I asked sarcastically. “And you believe that creature is what I am attached to?” I asked pointing at the book.

“Yes…” he grumbled, waiting for the proverbial teasing he would usually get.

“Well, eyes like those, I can say that I’m happy for the attention.” I tried to get out a laugh, but the slight throbbing in my chest turned quickly into a sharp pain with the deep inhale, causing me to cough uncontrollably.

“You should worry for yourself, Brodde. A Sjora is no joking matter.” Then, in a more serious tone, “These kinds of things are incredibly dangerous.”

“Honestly, Jacob,” I huffed, rolling my eyes. “Next, you’re going to tell me you believe in the Nuckelavee!” I snatched the book from his hand, closed it, then let it fall to the desk with a large thud. He jumped in his seat, and rushed to make sure the binding was not damaged.

I returned to my room and began collecting my things to make the journey back to the colonies. Jacob stood in the doorway, watching me, making sure I did not keel over from the pain in my chest. It was nothing a broth of pine needles could not fix, and, with the long journey, I would have plenty of time in the rack to rest and regain my strength before resuming my studies. The pain was extensive, however. It was like a sword made from the coldest of ice had been plunged deep into my lungs. Regardless, I persisted in preparing for the long trip ahead.

“Where are you going?” Jacob asked. I could hear the pensiveness in his voice.

“I am going to stay at the inn closer to the docks,” I said, trying to keep the mild irritation out of my voice.

“At least allow me to go with you then,” he said with a sigh. “Even if you don’t believe, you should still have someone with you.”

“I will be fine, Jacob,” I said. I turned and grabbed his shoulders, giving him the best face I could muster in attempts to ease his mind. It took him a moment, but he finally caved.

“Fine,” he said. He wrapped me in a hug, and I returned it, giving three comforting pats. He gave me the same and sent me on my way.

Later that night, I laid in bed, tossing and turning, unable to properly get to sleep. Jacob’s warning was seated in the forefront of my mind, despite my skepticism towards the idea. To think that he believed I had business to take care of with a Sjora. It was as simplistic an idea as the next, and I forced myself to ignore it the same way I had done so time and time again. I repeated the phrase in my head; It was just a dream… it was just a dream. Slowly, but fortunately, I found myself able to slip easily to sleep as I closed my eyes and…

The moon sat high above my head, full and bright while the trees whistled in the steady wind that carried only the sounds of the forest. I walked steadily in the pale blue light, making sure to keep my footing on the path ahead of me as I wandered towards the river. The closer I got, the more the blue faded to a light shade of green until it had enveloped everything. I stepped beyond the tree line and closer to the riverbank. A pair of eyes lifted from the water’s surface with a gaze that had me mesmerized. Only this time, she showed her face. She was even more beautiful than the crude drawing in my cousin’s book and her voice even sweeter than the last. A hand came slowly from the water and beckoned me closer. I felt nothing but the urge to obey and stepped towards the river’s edge. My legs felt weightless, yet weak, as I fell to my knees directly in front of her. She continued to sing to me as she cupped my face in her hands and pulled me towards her. Her hand was cold to the touch, but inviting nonetheless. I leaned in, closer and closer to her, until our noses barely touched then tilted my head to allow her to pull me in. The pain in my chest flared with a vengeance as the green and blue of the world turned to the deepest red. Pale green eyes that had seemed so alluring before turned to eyes of greed and determination, filled with anger and pleasure. My breath caught in my throat, choking me. I looked down to see the clawed hand plunged deep into my chest, gripping at my still beating heart. Everything was nothing as the red world faded around me and turned as black as obsidian. The only sound I could find amongst the darkness was the demonic chortle of the Sjora that held my life in her cold hands.