Chapter 2

Where am I?

'Hello? Is anyone in there?'

A deep voice rumbled in my ear. I wondered who it was sleepily. I'd have to tell Jenny about the funny dream I'd been having. I'd been having a really weird dream that all of these beefy men had dragged me out of the sea and took me to a huge elaborate medieval building and put me on a straw bed with a very fancy quilt. I rolled over laughing to tell Jenny, but she wasn't there. I suddenly sat up.

WHERE WAS I?

The deep voice chuckled. 'Looking for someone?' I opened my eyes.

A huge man was standing above him. He was wearing the finest Viking armour I'd ever seen. He was looking at me in a un-easy yet, kind way. 'Where the heck am I? How did I get here? And way on earth are you dressed in that weird costume?'

The large man rumbled again. 'So many questions! You are in Valhalla, how you got here is unknown and I will kindly ask you not to insult my armour, it is the very finest money can buy'. I thumped back down. This cannot be happening. This was all because of that stupid Viking Idol, it'd said something about on the sword I had found which had told me about the Idol, dying if you touched it. I had never thought that that part was real.

'Are you done with your questions? Because I have a few of my own'. I dumbly loooked up at him and nodded. 'Right then!' He pulled up a carved foot-stool and sat himself down with a mighty thud. ' I am Sven the Large-Hearted. I died on the 8 June 793, one of my men struck me down with an axe, because I didn't want to raid that poor abbey. Oh well, I ended up here and they didn't'. He chuckled again. 'Now who are you, now that I've explained myself,?

I thought for a second. Could I trust him? He seemed kind and nice, trying to save that abbey and all, but he could be lying, I was after all in a place I knew hardly anything about. I pondered these things for a while, concluding that he couldn't do me much harm considering I was already dead. 'My name is George Slobodkin, I  am one of the Professors of Archaeology at Oxford. I was on a expedition way up north to find a treasure of treasures. All of my companion died from different reasons...' I choked up here, I was still very upset about that whole thing. 'Go on it's alright, everyone loses friend's, but you'll see them again'. I took a shaky breath, promising myself that I would ask him more about that later. 'I kept myself alive only by the thought  of returning home...Will I ever see my wife again?'

That was what I had really been wondering.

Sven took a deep breath. 'I don't know,that all depends on her, you see the only way to get here is to die for a worthy cause or having lived a good life serving others, if you wife does these things, then yes you will see her again, if not...no. But carry on!'

I shook my head sadly. I fell through the floor and... I found it... I touched it and landed here, I know nothing more then what I've just told you.'

Sven was wide eyed. 'You-you found THE IDOL? I cannot believe it! A weird guy like you cannot just swoop down and steal our Idol just like that! The years, money, LIVES even, which were spent on find the blasted thing and you just strutt in and glance round and spot it! It's absurd!' He was on his feet now and looking as though he might lose it any second now.

'Hey, hey, hey! I don't like it any better then you do! I wish that I'd never even heard about the thing! You can't just go blaming me for it!'I was on my feet now too.

'I've lost my beautiful wife thanks to the cursed thing! I've lost every thing! And all you can do is yell at me!! I yelled in his face.

Sven stopped looking at me as though he was going to pull a axe and instead gave me one of pity. After that uproar of my emotions I started to sobb uncontrolably.

Sven took a few steps back and studied me. 'Go on! Taunt at me! Laugh at me!'

Then Sven did something that earned him my instant friend-ship. He embraced me and whispered; 'I have no intention of doing anything like that, beacause it happened to me.' He stepped away from me. 'After my death, My poor Ingrid and small son, had to run that horrible little farm. A neighbor had wanted my land for years and took advantage of my death and killed them both. Now, They are both here with me, but you can still imagine my anger and upset...' He thought for a second. 'Why am I telling you this? I've bearly known you for five minutes. The others should be along soon with Odin and your breakfast.' He then turned his back to me and stoked the fire.

I sat back down on my bed. I felt sorry him now and also felt bad that I'd yelled at him. I then started to wonder what he had meant by Odin coming...

I started to drift off. 'I'm sorry that I yelled at you Sven...' I fell asleep.