The Adventures Of Merrick The Viking

Contents

Chapter 1.  A Dragon Waits To Be Born

Chapter 2.  The Escape

Chapter 3.  The Waters Are Alive

Chapter 4.  Next Stop – The Trading Lanes

Chapter 5.  What’s A Viking Doing Here?

Chapter 6.  Kira’s Power Of Dancing

Chapter 7.  The Sword Odin Created

Chapter 8.  The Hero Floats Home

Chapter 9.  It’s A Matter Of Life Or Death

Chapter 10.  What’s In The Basket?

Chapter 11.  Time For Recovery And Time For Growth

Chapter 12.  The Merchant Port Was Alive With Activity

Chapter 13.  There’s A First For Everything

Chapter One

A Dragon Waits To Be Born

As Merrick slowly wakes on a very soft bed of hay in a strangely quiet barn just off the side of a small but fortified village near the sea, he slightly lifts his head to the side and realizes what a calm, comfort has overcome him a feeling he's not used to. In fact a feeling he's longed for but just feels awkward.

The feeling was so strange; he was confused where even to place his head.  So he lowers his head again on the makeshift pillow made of old brown goose feathers and an old tattered barn blanket with just enough shifting around, he props his head on the pillow in a way to expose his ear to take in everything, even his ears felt calm, and he could hear everything now.  He spent enough time on the water; he could hear off in the distance remarkably calm waters gently rolling onto the rocks on the beach and the soft vibrating sounds of seagulls in the distance.  Then he could hear the gentle breeze weaving through the rafters of the old barn in one slightly open window and circulating out the other just slightly through enough of the openings to carry in the taste of the sea along with each wisp of air.

The morning sun rays start lining the barn noting every crack through the barn walls onto the floor next to the stall dancing and flickering next to Merrick the rays finding its way fixed onto a mysterious one of a kind peculiar object; in fact a very rare and unique object that now starts to murmur with a soft scratching sound enough noise to make Merrick open his groggy eyes to see a thick yellow ray of a sunbeam streaking across a large egg then he remembers this is no ordinary egg – this is his egg – and will soon to be hatched.  In fact, Heloise, the egg’s occupant’s surrogate mother the largest hen in the village is probably out eating away from her duties as the egg’s keeper and mother hen that is awkwardly sitting on top of this monstrous egg.  Clooney, one of the village elders, said he has only seen an enormous ostrich egg that he thought was amazingly large till he saw this egg that was almost three times larger.

As Merrick lays there just staring at it - this fantastic grossly oversized rock that’s alive yet has a thin layered shell.  Merrick is surprised just to feel so very comfortable, and he thought to himself as if this was meant to be and he was the only one that should be there at this time. Having a power, he still does not understand is gently forcing him to pay attention to this event of the hatching of this mysterious creature as one of those moments he will never forget.  And, in due time, no one will ever forget.

Heloise he whispers, then looks around and a little louder again Heloise, where are you? You’re supposed to be sitting on this egg ‘till it's hatched. Then just around the corner, the shuffling of the hen’s feet can be heard, she's just coming back from the coop probably gossiping about her duties to the other hens and carefully sits back atop this odd monument clutching the top third of the egg if that.

Glad to see you’re back to work you moody, broody Merrick says with a slight grin.

As the morning lingers and his shelled companion still sits unbroken and resting in a small indentation of loose straw and dirt just enough to keep the egg standing upright as it’s resident wiggles restlessly inside, he knows now it’s a matter of time and any minute, hour or maybe even a day or days, Who Knows – who really knows? he whispers to himself.

He ponders who does know the incubation period of something like this and how many people have ever seen the hatching of... 

Then out loud away from his thoughts, he mutters with a slight laugh, The hatching of ... a Dragon’s Egg!  And what to do once it’s hatched what do you feed it and how often does it eat?  Again, he quietly laughs to himself and leans in towards the egg and says to it, So what do you eat?

Merrick thinks to himself, well I guess it’s either finely ground feed or maybe will it like small fish like sardines? There’s not exactly a store to shop at for baby dragon food.

With the noon hours arriving, Merrick has no urge to get out of bed, well if you call it a bed; it’s just a layer of aging straw covered with brown worn, shabby potato sacks.  Strangely, he still lies there unwilling even to move or stretch an odd relaxation like he's never felt before, yet now his mind awakes, and skips through memories like he hasn't ever had a chance to remember his past in a quiet setting.

Visions of the past, his journey, and his accomplishments – yes – he thought accomplishments for a boy of his age that’s now a young man with a lifetime of experiences but yet barely entered the unknown future as an adult.  He can’t help but wonder how did he get here and why him.

Why me? he tiredly asks himself, Me? then slowly falls back again to sleep.

Arm’s stretched full and sitting up feeling the aches of his journey’s he comfortably shifts up with his feet crossed and back resting against an old wooden beam.  He looks around and can’t help but laugh this strange but uncomfortable easiness in a very cozy old barn and he thought this was his castle, this is all he needs, this meant everything to him.

Still watching the egg, he reaches for his wooden canteen of water and a broken half piece of wheat bread for breakfast; which he now realizes isn't breakfast at all but lunch.  Yes, lunch.  He is so happy to have a lazy day, and boy, did he earn it!  Boy oh boy if anyone at his age earned it he sure did.

The last crumbs are eaten, the water drank, all the final sunbeams have moved on to the next corner of the stall, he again falls into a nodding as his eyes droop, again, he realizes a small gray cat is watching him it’s Tove the old friendly farm cat.  She moves over to the larger mound of hay that has a full ray of sunbeam for the most warmth of the sun, then gently assembles the straw for a soft bed, stomping and shifting while circling three times and then immediately lies down and falls asleep. And as the cat naps so does Merrick. 

This is when his mind wanders and what for many are imaginative dreams, or even folklore stories his thoughts are actual happenings from his past wanders through his young mind in and out and again in and out.

The last he remembers just slightly whispering to himself before falling asleep is Who am I – Who am I, really? Did this all really happen – and did this really happen to me?

Flashbacks, dreams, visions and partial images bounce in and out as Merrick shifts on the hay, he finally has the rare opportunity to remember the journey – the almost forgotten beginning as if his teenage years was a short step into retirement.

The scent of the sea again dances through the open windows and also through sleeping nostrils, then again the sea salt lands on his lips.  Causing his memories to bring him back to his childhood, of course, he still has many as a young boy.  How the sad thoughts of his childhood ended and how he escaped by himself, lonely, desperate, tired and scared but something not sure was a strange feeling that pushes him to survive still keeps him just awake enough to not fall into a deep slumber.  Always on guard!  Always! He always tells himself.  A young Viking orphan in a small worn barn just trying to survive to live to see another day, another day to hopefully see his pet dragon’s egg hatch.  He falls deeper into enough sleep and relaxed enough to remember, to remember everything, as if it was just yesterday.

Chapter Two

The Escape

The fire burns as stacks after stacks of hay are set ablaze by the invaders.  Merrick realizes from their helmet insignia that they are possibly a raiding party from a distant German land, his father once showed him an old mariner's map their location.  The aggressive raiding party was armed with spears, swords, axes, and round shields very dominating and yet strangely still wore rather short kilts, of course, and Merrick didn't have time to notice the awkwardness of their attire. Instead, he knows a dominant raiding party on the surprise attack usually wins, and this means wins mostly with many losses for the other side. 

He looks over and sees his mom reach and grab for his younger brother Svenson and twin sister Sove, the same age and same weight for both three-year-olds with her arms lifting off a full bearing weight and intense quickness. She only has time to back up quickly and look around for an escape route and then with her large open fully awake eyes looks over at Merrick, who just turned sixteen that week and all he hears is his mother screaming RUN!!!

Heather, his mother with arms full and no room to even slightly let go and grab onto Merrick, she only has one option, and that’s to run out through the fields and start running towards the forest.  She’s strong – very strong and very brave as she holds on to her younger children running, crying, weeping, gasping for every ounce of energy she can muster and makes it to the edge of the forest clearing to hide for safety. 

Then, Merrick looks up to see the fire now in front of him.  To avoid the flames, he broke out the other direction from his mother and was running towards the landing where all the villagers’ boats were docked.  Then quickly looks back just long enough to see the long blond hair of his mother flop wildly into the shadows.  Three tightly clenched figures get lost and fade into the shadows of the pines.  He doesn’t have time to think about it; this is where and when he loses his family.

The attacking men have the frames of giants covered in large oversized clothing, wielding large swords now covered in soot and blood, many with only spears and some with shovels chasing and attacking all the villagers – his villagers – his family – his friends into a scurry and chaos, many not able to escape and survive. He hears the screams, and now the crumbling of buildings and innocent families’ dwellings to large fires everywhere and Merrick just keeps running.  Running towards the sea, his only chance is the docks, the boats, and tools.  The same boats he and his family and other families help build with tools passed down for many generations. 

Now, scattered everywhere and just about every boat was hit and cracked open with axes by the ruthless invaders.  Almost every sized boat was destroyed, and others were sinking or on fire.  The sheds and boat buildings, barns filled with many unfinished boats and the entire marina engulfed in smoke, then Merrick thought of one boat that might still be left untouched and can still float.  One boat – his boat.  The pride and joy craftsmanship of his experimental gently handcrafted like no other one, of a kind strong, tall new age, Viking long boat; he helped to design and was just recently finished.  This is said to be the fastest boat on the waters, and now he had to save it, and it had to save him.  Or, she had to save him because every man's ship had a woman's name and his name for her was ‘The Merica’.

He runs off to the very edge of the bay when he thought just yesterday, believe it or not, was the first time they placed her in the water, tied her off and loaded her full of rocks to test for leaks overnight.  To his surprise, she has been untouched and such a great ship, she was off to the edge away from the boats just alone unscathed but barren of needed sailing materials. 

Quickly running to the edge of the beach over slippery rocks, he grabs the rope of where she was moored off next to a darken oversized buoy and Merrick pulls as hard as he can slowly and steadily; he tugs and tugs with his back arched to withstand the weight, he finally pulls her into shore just enough. He immediately jumps in and starts to throw out the rocks to the beach and in the water scattered everywhere.  Then realizes he needs to be as quiet as possible while emptying his boat, so he moves in such a manner his hands has never lifted so much weight so fast and