Greetings all
Welcome back to the next chapter of Gone.
I'm sorry it has been so long since my last update and folks have been asking about my other stories. I can only keep pleading life doing its best to prevent me from writing as much as I want to. I Was on tour for a while as well which is very distracting too.
Anyway here is the next instalment which starts a small mini-arc. Folks have been asking about what's been going on back in Berk and so here and for the couple of chapters I'm going to answer some of those questions yet still turning the story in the direction I want.
If you read the title and get the references I'm making, you will get a feeling for what's about to happen as I call upon the gods of fate, time and convenient coincidence to bring this next batch of stories to you.
Just a reminder what happened last time, Fishegs after discovering and being forced to keep Hiccup's secret, made the long and arduous journey home, realising what a spectacular life Hiccup had led after leaving and that he had lost his chance to share in that life. Seeking comfort from his wife Ruffnut, he vowed to never let anyone know about Hiccup. (P.S. there was no bomb in the suitcase. Ha!) That was on a Saturday.
As always any reviews, comments or questions are greatly appreciated.
Enjoy!
Gone
Chapter 10
All roads lead to …. A Magnolia Crash Actually! (Part 1)
(Two days later, Monday afternoon, Berk General Hospital and Recovery Centre, presentation room)
"So what I'm seeing is leopard print on the curtains! …." The enthusiastic man declared as said images appeared on the screen.
"okaaaaay?" replied the man behind the desk, sweat starting to stream down his brow in horror.
"Viking runes painted on the ceiling in glow-in-the-dark paint! …" continued the man who was now gesturing at the new images with his arms like a lunatic.
"Riiiiiiiight?" said a fellow face-palming executive beside her sweating colleague as the dreadlocked blonde man continued on regardless.
"The floor decorated with inspirational cat posters, the nurses all have to wear honking clown shoes aaaaaaaaaand …. the piece-de-resistance! ….. Confetti canons hidden in every drawer and cupboard programmed to go off at random!..."
"I'm not sure we can …."
"OH OH OH! And ZIP-LINES!" the presenter interrupted as what looked to be a spiders web of cables was then super-imposed on the image of the Berk City Hospital Children's ward, "Lots of zip-lines to get from one part of the ward to the other if an emergency happens! …. So? What do you think? Is that not the greatest, totally and mind-blowingly awesome design concept you've ever seen?!"
The stunned silence that followed the question seemed to validate all of Tuffnut's ideas as he stood smirking and triumphant in front of the development committee. Winning the contract for designing and outfitting the new look of the place had been an incredible coup for Thorsten Interior Themes & Solutions Ltd. after finishing their work on the New Berk High School.
Life so far had been great for Tuffnut. After taking down his abusive uncle with Ruffnut and her Prince-of-the-Nerds-boyfriend Fishlegs in High School, Tuff had gone on to Berk State University and Aced his design courses with his crazy wild card style. Since then he expanded the family business, ploughing himself into his work, only seeing his old friends from Berk High sparingly as he chased down the best contracts and delivering unique looks to high profile clients which in turn had made him and his family quite well off. The respect he had garnered had won him several design awards which had led him to meeting and marrying his equally crazy, yet talented wife Daisy. All things told, life was amazing for Tuffnutt. He had the money, the credibility, the respect, the smoking hot wife, a better class of friends who liked him for being the unpredictable servant of Loki he was and most importantly … he had nothing to really regret in his life thus far.
Now he was certain this initial planning meeting would go swimmingly, despite the fact Tuffnut hated swimming in general. The man to the right cleared his throat and took the lead much to the relief of his shocked fellow committee members.
"Mr Thorsten …." The man began diplomatically "….. I know you are a well-respected designer …. However you have to understand this is a place of ….. of rest and recovery, not some demented funhouse that will have everyone on edge or on the verge of having seizures!"
"Hey! don't worry about it my fine fellow! The great T-man will not let you down!" Tuffnut declared charmingly yet still with a manic glint in his eye, "Did I forget to mention the constant playing of Whale-song through the ward's announcement system to keep people calm? No? Well get this! ….. Whale-song! Oooohh uuuh, splish splash, claming ocean waves, aaaaauuuuuuhhhhhh oooohhhhhhhh, calming feelings ….. healing feelings!"
"There will be no whale song!" an irritated woman declared sternly over her glasses at the whale singing Tuffnut.
"The smell of freshly cut grass piped through the air vents?" Tuffnut shot back, not put off in the slightest.
"No grass smells! No clown shoes, no Zip-lines and …." the same woman snapped back again as she also noticed another part of the image on the overhead screen "….. And especially no bed-clothes with giant pictures of your face on them!"
"What?! How dare you curtail my grand artistic vision you philistine!" Tuffnut declared over-dramatically in mock outrage "And you want the kids to feel better? More like you want them to be bored out of their minds!"
"Mr Thorsten!" the man now jumped in angrily "we are not being paid to pander to you and your wild, unachievable mutton-headed ideas! Like I said this a hospital and you are expected to pitch a new interior design that matches our ethos of calm, humane, caring and healing, not an episode of Takeshi's Castle! And it must within our means. Yes your work at the school has been well received thus far but we have much less budget to indulge your flights of fancy!"
"Ugh! Fine, you bloody tyrant!" Tuffnut drawled as he hit a few buttons on his laptop "Here's the boring idea you want!" which morphed the image of the chaotic looking children's ward into something completely different,
"So, we're goona have an audio visual relaxation room for kids who want a calm space for recuperation or for kids with special needs, ceiling decorations with glow in the dark paint, neoprene anti-collision padding around the beds, built in hardness systems to assist patients in and out of beds. Multi-coloured yet hygienic bed clothes, built in VR headsets to each bed to allow children to watch videos or see the outside world as they recover and ….. a wheelchair drag strip for racing?!"
The executives behind the desk though impressed by this sudden turn still dubious with raised brows at Tuffnut's last item.
"Hey kids like to race!" he said non-chalantly, "It will let them blow off some steam and be easier to work with during their recovery!"
"And you've had this plan along?!" the woman asked
"Yep!" Tuffnut chirped
"And you didn't lead with this because ….?" The man responded rotating his hand, practically begging to be told the answer.
"Ah! I wanted to see what I could get away with …. Heh heh heh!" Tuffnut chortled as he dipped his hands into his pockets now far less manic, dare I say normal "But I figured you boring suit types wouldn't let the children have fun in an actually cool children's ward so I had this as a back-up ….. see? I can be aware of what kids need too!"
"Hm indeed 2 the woman responded obviously unhappy of being pranked by the notorious prankster "well this all seems to be in order. Do you think you can complete the project in time and within budget?"
"Hey, I'll have it done before you say "ivegotmyaxeandivegotmymaceandivegotmywifewiththeuglyfaceimavikingthroughandthrough! ….. or slightly longer depending on how many verses you know!" Tuffnut laughed as he vigourously shook each of the executives hands in thanks.
"Ohhhhhhhkay well I think that concludes our business Mr Thorsten, if your offices liaise with our facilities department to iron out the finer details I'm sure we can begin this department's renovations within the next few weeks."
"Cool! You guys rock. And here was me thinking you just a bunch of tight fisted suits with their heads lodeged firmly up their …."
He stopped seeing the unimpressed look return.
"…. Ooh uh ….. but I was so wrong! totally wrong, wrong, wrong! The King of wrongness in the land of wrongville!"
"Goodbye Mr Thorsten!" the man yelled in exasperation as Tuffnut, smiling like a madman snatched up his computer and left.
"What have we done!?" his female counterpart sighed out as she slumped down in her chair, worn out by Tuffnut's antics and already feeling the onset of a headache that would precede even more of his non-sense as the weeks drew on.
"Oh yeah Tuffnut for the win!" the dreadlocked man exalted as he strutted down the hospital corridor "Gonna be a another Tuffnut masterpiece!" he sang " ….. and they'll all be covered in … um uh … grease?! Oh Yeah!
Tuffnut was so wrapped in his own thoughts he didn't notice the two kids coming in the opposite direction until he bumped into them. Regaining his compusore he stared down at the two surly looking late teens who were glaring at him.
"Hey watch it kids!" Tuffnut drawled "Main man coming through!"
"Whatever mister," the dark haired boy snapped as he eyed Tuffnut up and down scornfully, "you must be heading to the psycho ward dressed like that! Ha ha ha!"
"Hey!" Tuffnut yelled back to stop both the little punks laughing at his flawless attire "This coat … I'll have you know …. is genuine, fake, purple, alligator skin! You're just jealous!"
"Yeah right!" the other boy snarked back as he dragged his cohort around Tuffnut and continued on their way through some double doors, speaking over his shoulder, "Come on Ulric, we need to get back to our folks, let's leave these losers!"
"No-one calls Tuffnut Thorsten a loser!" the blonde Berkian yelled, now genuinely irritated "well except you just now, but no-one else you hear me?"
But they were gone. All that remained was their fading belligerent laughter and the smell of disinfectant and Tuffnut left standing alone and in defeat.
"Punks!" was all the male twin could mutter as he turned to get out of there before something else soured his triumphant mood completely. Only to bump into yet another kid who just stared up at him.
"And what's your problem tiny?" Tuffnut growled.
"Please mister I need help. I'm, I'm uh …. Lars and ….. they…. I – I I mean they took …" the kid stammered, teary eyed, as he looked past Tuffnut fearfully. He was obviously a lot younger than the last two kids, maybe only 13 or so, his voice was soft and quiet while he had icy blue eyes that suddenly disappeared under very light blonde hair as he dipped his gaze, fixed on the floor in defeat.
"Well come on kid!" Tuffnut urged less forcefully this time, softened by the kids pathetic body language, "the main man aint got all day!"
"Those guys …. They took my prosthetic ….. and ….. put it up there" lars muttered quietly as he brought what was left of his amputated right arm into view and pointed it at an air vent high up in the wall. "Can you get it back for me?"
Tuffnut though usually jovial and laidback now suddenly felt like he was frozen solid. His gaze was fixed on the missing part of Lars' forearm which ended about 6 inches below the elbow. The skin around the stump was smooth and flawless with no evidence of scarring. Whatever had happened to this kid had either happened at birth or a long time ago. Tuffnut frowned as his mind involuntarily took a moment to consider all the myriad of circumstances that could have led Lars to losing his appendage. Though he was no stranger to violence and pain, especially in the Thorsten family, he shuddered to even contemplate the idea of the screams Lars might have made or pain he would have felt during whatever circumstance caused such loss. His mind drifted to putting his nephews and niece in that same scenario, making him gulp in terror at facing such a thing in his own family and wondering how he would deal with it then.
Sure he'd seen bad stuff happen to people before, seen blood and accidents and stuff. But this kid, this lost, lonely, injured kid brought the reality of what actually happened in this hospital slamming back into him like a ten ton truck! He wasn't uncaring or unfeeling to the patients here. He was going to make their time here more enjoyable and less stressful. But there was something about this kid that made him feel seriously uneasy.
Like he somehow knew him despite the fact he had never met him before in his life.
For all of his fancy talk and dramatic posturing all Tuffnut could say was "Uh …. Um …. yeah sure kid?" as he stood on his tip toes and pulled the artificial limb from the air vent and handed it back to Lars with as little ceremony as possible
"Thanks mister you're super nice!" Lars mumbled gratefully as he cradled the prosthetic which looked like it had taken quite a bit of punishment if its bent back fingers and dented sides were anything to go by. Obviously those little punks had done far more damaged than he realised. He was going to say something comforting to help lift the kid's spirits when ….
"LARS VON ULRIC!"
….. the loud voice of an older man broke the silence instantly drawing the attention of both designer and amputee. The man, Lars' father Tuffnut figured, strode up and snatched the broken limb from the boy's grasp and looked angrily at it then back at the now quivering child.
"What in Migard did you do it this time?!" the father growled, eyes wide in rage and exasperation, "First you wandering off after me telling you not to …. and then you do ….. THIS! …. to your prosthetic! Do you have any idea how much these things cost?! Lookt at it ….. it's practically useless now!"
"I'm …. Sorry dad!" Lars stammered, breaking out in tears "I …. I didn't mean to … I …"
To see Lars in such obvious distress pretty much broke Tuffnut's heart.
He hated seeing the kid get unfairly blamed for something that was the result of some scumbag bullies. He inwardly promised if he saw those two smirking mutton-heads again he would make them pay dearly, maybe he'd even break their arms, so they could know just how powerless and wretched they had made Lars feel. That would be some Loki-sanctioned poetic justice … that would serve them …..
'Wait!'
Instantly the frozen feeling that had consumed Tuffnut's body now drove it's ice-cold tendrils deep into his heart and memory. Flashes of a similar defenceless kid being accosted by similar smirking bullies, slashed out from Tuffnut's brain and across his eyes as he remembered.
'Ice-blue eyes dissolved to green, light blonde hair darkened to brown'
'He had been one of those scumbag bullies once'
'He had done damage to an already damaged arm, bringing its owner to tears in front of an angry father'
'He had been the cause of that look of wretchedness and powerlessness as a young man tried desperately to hide his arm'
'He deserved to be on the receiving end of Loki's revenge'
'Is that what this was?'
'Oh. My. Gods.'
"Excuse me sir!" Tuffnut said firmly. The father who was now crouched and hugging his despondant child, his anger swept aside by the sight of Lars breaking down in tears, look up at Tuffnut as if noticing him for the first time. The older man's eyes narrowed in suspicion as to who this oddly dressed man was.
"There's more to this than you know, it wasn't the kids fault."
It didn't take long to explain the situation. Once he had calmed down, the father whose name was Hoark, turned out to quite an affable man and very caring father. Times had been tough for the Ulric family recently, resulting in his unacceptably short fuse. Listening intently to what the Thorsten designer had to say, Hoark apologised profusely to Lars and the two made up very quickly as they made their way back to the ward to see about another replacement prosthetic. They had thanked Tuffnut for his help but had unknowingly left him holding the damaged artificial limb. Looking at it again brought a cold sweat back to Tuffnut's brow and a shake to his hands.
It felt great to help Lars but all the while Tuffnut was deeply disturbed by what had just happened.
He needed to get out and clear his head.
Dropping the fake arm to the floor with a clatter, he swung about in a random direction, sprinted down the corridor and somehow he made his way outside. Finding himself on a nice solid, and most importantly secluded, fire-escape, Tuffnut flung himself over the edge using his ankles to wrap around the stair's framework to stop him from falling to his death.
Lighting up a cigarette he let his thoughts drift off with his exhaled tobacco smoke and kept coming back to the destroyed prosthetic arm and the heartbroken look in the boy's face as his father unfairly scolded him for damaging it.
The mangled limb kept reminding him about terrible things he had done long ago, his vindictive actions came back to haunt him. The name calling, the shoving, the pushing, the unfair hating of someone who had done nothing to deserve save be born into what he perceived as the 'perfect life' while he and Ruffnut wrestled with their own traumas. Tuffnut remembered the whimpering and the begging, the struggling and the writhing as he put his artistic skills to such hurtful use. The thin nasally voice, the stooped shame piled on his lean shoulders as he painfully shuffled away cradling his vandalised appendage and the painful awkwardness that poisoned the rest of his graduation day.
Tuffnut had done that. He had played a part in ruining what was supposed to have been the best day of that young man's life.
A life that Tuffnut knew nothing about as he hadn't seen that person since. He was just ….. Gone.
He had never apologised or sought forgiveness.
It brought a question his mind now.
"Whatever happened to ….. " he began whispering to himself drawing more Nicotine ….
"Tuffnut?!"
The familiar voice of his friend stopped him from finishing the question.
He exhaled a fresh cloud of cigarette smoke.
"oh hey Astrid!" …
(The same time (ish), Berk General Hospital and Recovery Centre, Therapy offices)
BANG!
"AAAARGH! … Sons of a ….. half-troll …. Rat-eating …. Munge bucket … urgh! … no no ….. just NO!"
The dark-haired Doctor snapped his head up from his files, knowing exactly what had happened.
The first time he'd faced this problem, he'd just barely escaped with minor bruises from flying stationary.
The second time, he was nearly thrown out of the window.
And now, the third time?
He'd already hidden anything breakable, locked the windows and had the best restaurant in town on speed dial to confirm their commiseration dinner reservations.
And yet he knew it would take at least an hour of talking down the ferocious blonde that was now rampaging around their shared office space, before he could even broach the subject of food. With a sigh Dr Eret Eretson slid out of his chair, discreetly closed the blinds and warily made his way over to his co-worker who had resorted to beating the living daylights of her desk, scattering papers and files everywhere.
"Can't …. THWACK … believe …. SLAM …. Them! …. CRUNCH"
"Hey hey hey!" Eret soothed with his arms up and most placating soothing voice, "The desk didn't make the decision ….. No need to be going all Valkyrie on it now … is there?"
A few moments of silence passed, punctuated by Astrid's heavy frustrated breathing through her gritted teeth as she leaned her balled, white knuckled fists on the desk she had been ruthlessly pounding. Her immaculately braided hair was starting to fray, matching the nerves of its owner, as it shakily rose and fell with every inhale and exhale.
Tentatively Eret placed his large hand on Astrid's shoulder and turned her toward him. The visiting English Doctor had to suppress a gasp as he saw she was on the verge of tears, her most recent rejection obviously hitting her harder than she wanted to admit. Before he knew what was going on Astrid buried her head on Eret's wide chest and sobbed quietly.
"I really thought ….. this time …. this time for sure!" Astrid ground out between sniffles.
It was always tough for Eret to see Astrid like this. She was always so fierce and strong, facing down any challenge set before her until she won. It was her indefatigable and at times ruthless attitude that had made her one of the best physiotherapists in the state. Every patient she had treated always left her fitter and stronger than when they arrived. She had catered to world class athletes, a few minor celebrities and now war veterans at Berk state Hospital. It had been a glittering and prosperous career and she hadn't even reached her thirties yet.
Eret was only five years older than her and he hadn't even come close to achieving some the things Astrid had. The stunning woman before him had every right to be proud of her accomplishments. And yet Eret had noted pretty much since the day he met her that something was missing from Astrid's life. No matter how she hard she worked, she could never be satisfied, always looking for something, always moving forward and not letting anything stop her. It was a gap Eret himself was currently trying to fill and for the longest time he thought he had been enough.
But now, here she was, stepping back from him to dry her tears, hurt and embarrassed by yet another repeated failure to secure a position, Eret couldn't understand why, she wanted so badly.
"Did they say why they wouldn't give you job this time?"
Astrid heaved another sigh to clamp down on the emotions that were currently overwhelming her. Perhaps she could understand better if she actually talked things out with Eret instead of hurting him this time.
"Ugh! …. They said that ….. they felt … I didn't display an attitude … that was 'conducive' to …. working in the field of children's physiotherapy …"
"Ah." Was all Eret could say, already regretting it. That one syllable had just dropped him right in it as a set of narrowed blue eyes locked on to him.
"What do you mean …..Ah?" Astrid growled her anger rising again.
"Now Astrid you gotta understand that you are a little bit of a …. Perfectionist" Eret smoozed in order to quell the rising tide of Hofferson rage he could feel filling the room.
"Of course I am! I am the best at what I do and sometimes I have to deal with conditions that aren't very nice" Astrid snapped back, gesturing to the many framed photographs behind her desk of her most notable clients, "you don't get results from the best in the world by not giving it everything you have! I didn't hold their hands and they in turn learned how to stand strong on their own!"
"True …." Eret began nervously "….. But having said that …. the kids here aren't the best in the world … not yet ….. they're just … well ….. kids!"
"Yeah! You said it Eret!" came a female voice from the open door. Astrid and Eret snapped to the brown haired doctor who leaned in the door frame smirking into her coffee mug.
"What do you want Phlegma?!" Astrid snarked at her rival.
"Oh nothing!" Phlegma replied sarcastically, "just wanted to offer my commiserations on you not getting the job ….. again …. Nice going Valkyrie! Ha ha ha!"
Before Astrid could scream and charge at Phlegma's sassy retort Eret shooed the irritating woman away and shut the door placing himself in front of the seething blonde.
"Don't listen to her Astrid, she's just jealous of your success." Eret intoned sympathetically.
"How can I have success if I don't get the job I want!?" Astrid retorted, the bitterness heavy in her voice, prompting Eret to return to her side.
"Hey come on, don't be like that. It's gonna be alright. Next time ….. next time you'll get the job."
But Astrid was beyond any kind of consoling now, she wanted answers. She had always been proud of her medical nickname 'the Valkyrie'. It was a virtuous name that brought hope, strength, determination, perfection and worthiness to every task she set herself and her patients. But Phlegma, who already worked in the children's ward, had used her nickname in the most derisive tone ever. She wanted to know why. Why had the interview board consistently barred her from moving into that area of treatment? why had it been like that wherever she worked.
Surging past Eret and ignoring his questions as to where she was going, Astrid marched resolutely down the corridor and took the elevator to the third level.
BUZZ …. CLICK …. HISSSSSSSS
The doors to the children's ward opened slowly before Astrid and she walked proudly past cubicles and rooms where doctors treated the demographic she wanted so much to include in her list of patients. Astrid smiled as she saw one child tried hard to show no fear as she inspected the metal pins that where protruding from her leg and then even giggled at having to dodge out of the way of two children racing their wheelchairs from one end of the ward to the other. The whole atmosphere of this floor was different from any other level. It was definitely looking a little aged, but such things were easily overlooked. Astrid attributed it to the youthful effervescence of the kids that were working towards fulfilling their potential with the assistance of their physical therapists.
'I'll work here one day…..' Astrid mused, her trademark fiery spirit kicking back into gear '….. and I will be the best physiotherapist on this ward ….. and every kid I help will have the best life they can possibly wish for … they will be the best and won't take any crap from anyone, I…'
"Astrid?" a firm male voice interrupted her musings.
"Oh! Professor Stevens!" Astrid exclaimed as she turned to see the tall thin man in a smart suit accompanying a fellow doctor with a different child in a wheelchair and his parents. The older man was an incredible therapist, part of her interview board and was also in charge of the entire floor. He would be her future boss if the fates where kind.
"What are you doing here? This isn't your department!" the older man stated in a fashion more bluntly than Astrid was expecting. In true Astrid style she went on the defensive. As in aggressive defensive.
"Well I do work in this hospital, the children's ward is part of the hospital and once the board recognizes my worth and gives me a post here, it will be my department. So there shouldn't be a problem with me paying a visit!"
"There is, when it's my ward and you have yet to secure such a post" the professor shot back tersely, "I don't need you coming in here like a sore loser and upsetting the children."
"but I haven't done anything! I'm just standing here, looking around and willing to lend a hand if required!"
Astrid hadn't noticed she had raised her voice in her defence and it was attracting more and more attention. Professor Stevens narrowed his eyes as he spoke firmly.
"Your assistance is not currently required and that will quite enough of the shouting As….."
"….. NO! I am not leaving until you tell me why you won't let me work this ward! …. and it's Doctor Hofferson damn it!"
The stunned silence brought in to sharp clarity what Astrid's angry interruption had just done. Not only had she yelled at a senior member of staff but she saw the stern glares of her fellow therapists as they tried to alleviate the now scared children in their care.
"Beard of Thor! It's the Valkyrie!" whispered one scared child to another as they shrunk away from Astrid's bewildered glance. Was this the meaning her nickname carried amongst the patients she so desperately wished to treat? Was this her reputation? Were people afraid of her?
Looking back at the head of the ward and his stony, disappointed gaze, Astrid got her unspoken answer from the people beside him
The parents beside Professor Stevens were angling themselves away from her, polite forced smiles on their faces just hoping to ignore the awkwardness until it passed. Astrid looked on horrified at the terror on the face of the child staring up at her from his wheelchair. The boy had wonderfully expressive green eyes, a genetic trait common amongst Berkians. He had casts on his arm, and legs and Astrid now realised that if he could move, then the boy would have sprinted away from her in panic. But there was something else coming from deep within those emerald depths. An ignition of Astrid's memories that not been stimulated in a very long time.
Those beautiful green eyes also belonged to another boy she knew, green eyes that over ten years previously had also looked up at her from the ground with mixtures of awe ….. and terror ... and pleading … eyes that belonged to ….. someone … someone who had disappeared without a trace … someone called ….
"Doctor Hofferson!" Professor Stevens declared coldly, halting Astrid's reminiscence "I think it would be best if you left. You are obviously upset, take the rest of the day off and I will overlook this little outburst!"
There was no arguing with the man. Astrid had crossed the line, driven by her own single-mindedness and quite frankly she needed to get out of here as quickly as possible before she was incinerated by all of the eyes burning into her. Turning on her heel Astrid walked quickly back to the main hallway where she saw Eret waiting for her, a worried look on his face.
Astrid didn't want to deal with his looks of pity or concern any longer, regardless of how close they had become over the years.
She needed to be alone.
Seizing her chance to escape, Astrid lunged to the right and slammed all her weight onto the release bar of the fire-escape door and started down the outside stairwell the few flights that would take her to the staff parking bay. The sudden sunlight and brisk breeze made Astrid wince as she made her way down the steel staircase, a journey not made any easier by her heeled shoes clanking loudly and threatening to jam in one of the many holes in the metalwork.
When she got to the first floor balcony however, she was shocked to see a pair of legs hanging over the edge of the bannister and the rest of a person's upside down body facing out toward the clear blue sky. At first she thought someone had had an accident or was trying to kill themselves and prepared to call for back up. But as she got closer she saw the person was not only breathing, but also smoking a cigarette, the smell of tobacco hitting her nose.
There was only one man who would do something this stupidly insane, not to mention illegal (especially while dressed so flamboyantly). Looking over the bannister she saw the long face and dangling dreadlocks of her old friend.
"Tuffnut?!" she called out "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, Hey Astrid" came the gravelly monotone reply, devoid of the usual Thorston sass. The man took another drag from his cigarette, "I'm just thinking is all."
Okay this was just too weird. She needed to get out of here fast and obviously she was going to drag Tuffnut with her for his own safety as well as everyone else's.
'Because when Thortons think, the ship's gonna sink!' had been one of the countless nonsensical mottos the twins had come up with over the years and Astrid had sunk enough today. The only thing she wanted to sink now was her sorrows, drowned in a nice glass of Meade.
"Come on muttonhead!" Astrid said as she hauled the unusually quiet Tuffnut back on to the stairs and continued walking, leading them down to the ground level and towards her car, "I need a drink and you are going to join me!"
As the two blonde Berkians crossed the quiet concrete parking lot, dodging wing-mirrors and tailgates as they slipped quickly between the many other vehicles to reach Astrid's bright blue S.U.V. Tuffnut finally spoke up.
"Hey, Astrid?"
"Yeah?"
"I was thinking ….. Whatever happened to Hiccup Haddock?"
And in that moment Astrid remembered exactly why that child's frightened green eyes haunted her so.
In that moment, a ghost of her past reached out over ten years of silence and grabbed her by the throat, in turn silencing any response she could possibly vocalise, leaving both her and Tuffnut Thorsten at a loss for words at how they were both thinking exactly the same thing at exactly the same time.
Neither of them spoke as they got into the car.
Astrid drove quickly, the need for something to douse this burning sensation in her throat, heart and mind, getting more desperate as the minutes ticked by.
No sooner had they entered the bar, Astrid dumped herself on a stool with her dreadlocked companion beside her.
"Two pints, now!" was all she could gasp out. She promptly drained her first glass before Tuffnut was even half way through his, ordering another. After some more heavy breathing and reclaiming her senses, Astrid felt Tuffnut poking her shoulder. Looking up and following to where he was pointing, Astrid noticed something very strange about her fellow patrons.
For a quiet Monday afternoon in the Meade Hall Bar there were quite a few people in the place …
….. like her, drowning their sorrows …..
…..and she knew every single one of them!
Hope you liked that and I got Astrid and Tuffnut right.
In life we do things to other people, some good, some bad. In the good we are thankful to make a positive impact. In the bad we can only pray we get the chance to make amends.
Life goes on. those chances to reconcile can and do leave us forever, flying from our memories until they blindside us randomly on some dull Tuesday morning. When that happens, you can live with the things you did or dismiss them and not even care. What I'm saying is, give folks a chance or in other words ...
... Be excellent to each other!
Til next time.
Razor95