Stone Circle öðruvísi

they would depart the waterline together. sanja half-carried, half-struggled, but did not complain for the presence of her daughter. they came to a dry place of clustered grass and tall white-barked trees. there were golden leaves around them rather than above, as the autumn had swept this place with furious winds the day before.

she sat, and aided bjarna to lay there too, grooming at her head as a mother would a cub. when she felt the moment had calmed somewhat, sanja breathed deeply while holding her, and pulled back for the story.

there was once a little girl who was born too late. she began.

her brothers before her, being almost twice her age, had gone on to become adventurers, and warriors. they met kings and saved princesses from all manner of things. but the girl, she only knew them in stories. she wanted to one day be an adventurer too. as she spoke sanja plucked at the grass, clearing a place so it was only dirt, where she placed two large stones and one tiny one.

when she was old enough she left home, this girl. she went many places, but there were no more princesses to save, because her brothers had rescued them all. one day she came to a new realm, and she thought herself alone forever. the larger stones were cast aside and the little one moved back and forth, as if travelling. she climbed mountains, crossed a sea made only of grass and high hills, chased birds as they flew across sand, and one day found herself still alone, surrounded by a valley.

sanja arranged sticks to form a circle with an open mouth, and there she placed a little flower she had plucked from the weeds. and it was there that she found a little girl. this girl was as pale as snow, and as small as could be. and she was very much alone, too. had bjarna recognized this, yet? sanja watched her carefully, stealing glances as she spoke.

the adventurer felt so badly for this little girl, because she knew exactly what it felt like to be lost and alone, and to be forgotten. out of all the world and all the places she had been - this was the first one with another person in it, and the lady knew she could not abandon the little one the way the rest of the world had. her throat became thick, suddenly. sanja could not continue.

she looked upon her daughter's face and felt her heart ache. so she called that little one, bjarna. and she took that little one and said, i will love you forever. you will be safe with me. you will never be alone again.

did she see, now?