Authors note: Just a heads up that the whole story isn't written as incoherently as this chapter. I was trying to emulate the thoughts of *Spoiler Alert* someone dying from dehydration. Anyways, enjoy.
I am a newborn. Rocking in a crib. The world shimmering before me. I could sense it but not live it. Then the shimmering world blurred, or did it focus.
I was hallucinating. I shouldn't be hallucinating as a newborn.
The shimmering world became a deep ocean. I became a young girl about 14, no 15 years old. I was in a crib? No I was on a crate, a wooden crate bobbing on a calm sea.
It looked so real. I almost wanted it to be real, wanted to see the world as a teen. To travel and live my life to the fullest. Wait. No it can't be real I am in a crib. Any moment now my parents will come in and stare in awe at their baby girl. There was something in their, something in my head that caused doubt. What was it? Then it came flooding, gushing from the inner layers of my head to bask in my conscious mind.
THIRST.
I shifted on my crate dismissing my hallucination of being a newborn. Looking down into the sea I caught a glimpse of another teenage girl under the water. She was looking up at me with hazy grey eyes. She had red hair that came down around her shoulder blades and was let down in a horrible condition, pale ivory skin that was caked with dried salt for the oceans spray, her lips, probably at one time a full and lush red, were white and cracking.
I reached down and tried to connect with her. She was reaching a hand towards me as well and our hands touched. As soon as we had touched she disappeared as the world between us ripped and distorted her into nothing.
I would have wept for the the loss of my only companion if I could remember what weeping was. Why would I weep for that loss of companionship? What was loss?
This was it. I could feel the lights going out. Soon all their were only a handful of them left. Less than that handful were even coming to mind. One of them must be THIRST and then. COLD. AFRAID.
THIRST. COLD. AFRAID.
Then bliss. A shadow enveloped me. Then I was floating. Lifted above the sea by a black talon. A beat in my ears. WHOSH. WHOSH. WHOSH. I was leaving. Going into the clouds. To Valhala. I closed my eyes and waited for my rebirth.
I was laying down. A few of the lights were back but the old ones were still there. I could open my eyes but I didn't want to. I was just being prepared, that was it, to go to Valahala. Until I was there I wouldn't open my eyes.
Slowly THIRST became dimmer but did not fade. I could hear the valkeries around me talking about my preparation. One sounded like a boy who asked a voiceless spirt "Is she going to be okay?".
He was answered with a series of scraping noises. A different voice of a girl spoke now "Where did you say you found her?"
The boy said "A fair distance south, clinging onto a piece of driftwood in the middle of the sea."
The girl gave a single sound laughing at the boys statement.
"Something funny Astrid?"
"Convenient ..." stated the girl.
"What?! Please explain to me how being lost at sea with nothing but a crate to stop you from drowning and being saved within a inch of your life is convenient?" the boy said in a frustrated tone.
The girl explained "I'm just saying she is going to have some explaining to do when she wakes up. Hiccup, you remember what happened with Heather don't you?"
The boy immediately retorted "That was ... kind of ... different Astrid."
The girl gave another solitary laugh at the boys statement and finished with "Not different enough if you ask me."
What was taking so long? Shouldn't the trip to Valhalla be blissful and and quick? Now I could feel my head being moved. There was sensation again. I could feel the hand on my neck and then the hard unrelenting structure of a cup being placed near my face. The contends of it poured down my throat. WATER! I have not felt it slide down my throat for such a long time it choked me. My body acted on instinct. I sprung up from my position and inhaled deeply. I opened my eyes as I started coughing up the water. Wherever I was this had better not be Valhalla.
