"The final piece of the amulet!" exclaimed David, in shock. The piece laid there in a pool of the various fluids Hilda had coughed up. It was glowing a bright eerie yellow which illuminated their faces as the sun had finished setting.
"I…. feel…. much better…" said Hilda, catching her breath as she wiped her face. David got out a water bottle he had brought to the roof with him and handed it to Hilda, which she immediately chugged.
"How do you feel sweetie..?" asked Johanna.
"Uhh.. I think my fever went down… I feel good" said Hilda. Johanna felt her daughter's forehead and looked surprised.
"That's insane…" said Johanna.
"Uhhh I think the fact that Hilda just coughed up a big fucking piece of ancient metal is a tad more insane!" exclaimed David as he got on his hands and knees and tried to examine the glowing fragment.
"I'll get some paper towels to pick it up with, it could use a good washing.." said Johanna, disappearing down the stairs.
"Well… at least we didn't have to travel to get it.." said Hilda, sitting back down in her chair. She was still exhausted from the whole ordeal.
"That's true.." said David, sitting cross legged next to her. "I was worried we'd have to do something else crazy, like, kill a marra or something.." He said.
"Lord, I don't even want to imagine that. Marras are just teens.." said Hilda, when all of the sudden a loud rumbling noise came from her stomach.
"...Hungry, much?" chuckled David. Hilda blushed.
"It would seem my appetite is back…. sooo do you think we could-"
"Yes, we can order Nando's." said David, interrupting his girlfriend as he stood up and pulled out his phone.
"I love you!" beamed Hilda.
After a large meal of takeout Indian food and banana bread for desert, Hilda got out the other pieces of the amulet and placed all three on the dining room table.
"So.. do they like, snap together?" asked David as he picked up two of the pieces.
"David, this is an ancient artifact thousands of years old, it's not going to just snap together like a bunch of lego bricks." said Hilda, rolling her eyes. Her facial expression changed completely as she heard a clicking noise coming from the amulet.
"Well, would ya look at that? What's that you said about lego bricks, babe?" asked David endearingly.
"Alright alright! I stand corrected." said Hilda, giggling as she shrugged.
"I must say I'm certainly impressed with you both. I was worried finding this amulet would take you- both of you- away from me forever. I should have known my brave little girl could do it!" said Johanna, hugging Hilda. "Oh, and David, you helped too~" she added quickly.
"Helped? I got eaten by a troll and Hilda had perform a C-Section on the damn thing to get me out!" exclaimed David.
"Welp, all that's left to do is.. see where it takes us!" said Hilda as she took the third piece of the amulet and connected it with the other two.
"Well… isn't it going to do something..?" asked David, raising an eyebrow.
"Uhh.. I think? Maybe I should try putting it down." said Hilda as she placed it in the middle of the kitchen table. They sat for a moment, and still nothing.
"Well, that's a disappointment." said Johanna.
"If we went to all this trouble for a bloody paperweight, I'm going to lose it! Listen here you stupid locket!" said David, pointing an accusatory finger at the object. "You better tell my girlfriend where this 'Heinrich' bloke is or else!" he threatened. Hilda rolled her eyes.
"Oh for christ' sake, David, you can't just shake your fist at expect it to-"
Hilda was interrupted by a bright glowing coming from the amulet, followed by a sudden shock of magical energy shooting onto the table. The energy veined out and vanished quickly, much like a flash a lightning.
"Oh my!" exclaimed Johanna, jumping in her seat. Hilda and David shielded their eyes. The strike left behind a design burned into the table, creating an image.
"What is that?" asked David.
"A mountain range!" exclaimed Hilda, picking up the warm amulet and looking at the table. "The amulet etched a drawing of a mountain range onto the wooden table! Wherever this mountain is, that must be where Heinrich is! Or.. his ghost, maybe..?" exclaimed Hilda.
"So the only question is, where is this mountain?" asked Johanna.
"If I'm being honest.. it looks a little familiar.. but I have no idea where it could be located." said David.
"David, you've toured all over the world! Isn't it possible you've seen this mountain range?" asked Hilda.
"I suppose, but still, I've seen a lot of places. I'm not sure I'd remember this mountain in particular though… I do know Nessa has a whole stack of scrapbooks filled with polaroids of all the places we've visited during days off on tour. She's been doing it since we were 15 year olds jamming in her basement. She has this affinity for polaroids and old cameras and shit. Maybe she'd know, or even have a picture of it!" said David.
"Well, we have to call her immediately and ask!" said Hilda.
"I'm on it!" said David as he took out his phone and snapped a picture of the image etched into the table and texted it to Nessa. "I'll go call her right now." He said, standing up and walking out of the room to make his call.
"Sooo… you and David are just going to.. go wherever this mountain or whatever ends up being? And what, climb it?" asked Johanna, a hint of anxiety in her voice.
"Mum, please. I've been climbing things since I was in diapers!" said Hilda.
"Don't remind me. I had practically had a heart attack the day I found you climbing our bookshelf. I had no idea an 11 month old could have such upper body strength.." said Johanna.
"Mum, it's nothing we can't handle. David survived being swallowed by a troll to get one of the fragments, I'm pretty sure he can hike up a mountain!" exclaimed Hilda.
"He got swallowed by a what!?" Johanna said, flabbergasted.
"Not the point! The point is that we've made it this far, and we're still alive! We can see this through to the end, it's all going to be just fine!" said Hilda. Johanna was about to open her mouth to rebuttal when David came back into the kitchen.
"So, I've got good news and sorta bad news." said David.
"Well, what's the good news?" asked Hilda.
"The good news is that Nessa says the mountain range on the table looks familiar, and that it's possible she has a picture of it!" said David happily.
"That's great!" beamed Hilda.
"Wait wait, what's the bad news?" said Johanna.
"The bad news is that we're gonna have to go to Oslo. Nessa has over 100 scrapbooks piled up in her spare bedroom, all of them overflowing with pictures she's taken over the last 15 years. She says at least 80 or 90 percent of them are band related things- tours, shows, places we've visited, recording studios- she basically has all 8 and a half years of Sola Manor's existence documented in polaroids. She's gonna need our help if she's to go through it all to find a picture of one specific thing. There's no telling how long it could take!" explained David.
"So, you guys are gonna drive 13 hours, take a 4 hour ferry ride across the channel to Oslo, to find a picture that may not exist?" asked Johanna.
"Don't be silly, I'm booking a flight. There's no way we're driving all that way in Hilda's used 2001 Toyota Corolla." scoffed David.
"Mum, I understand your skepticism, but this is kind of all we've got to go on… and leave Jerry alone! He's not much of a looker, but he's mine, and he's reliable!" said Hilda, getting defensive of her car.
"...You named your car Jerry?" asked David.
"Look, you two, I just need your word- or, words rather- that you won't do anything too dangerous while you're finding.. wherever this is!" said Johanna, gesturing to the image on the table.
"You have my word, Mum." said Hilda, putting a hand on Johanna's shoulder.
"Mine too!" chimed in David. Johanna smiled at them.
"Well then it seems that you two have a flight to book!" said Johanna with a smile.
The following day was frantic. David booked the next flight leaving for Oslo, and it wouldn't be until 9 pm that night. David made arrangements to have a rental car waiting for them in the airport parking lot, and called his Dad last minute to let him now that he and Hilda would be coming to Norway for a bit and needed to crash in David's old bedroom. David also had to run by his penthouse- which he still hasn't been able to officially move into, on account of all this amulet business and Hilda being sick- so he could leave a key and a cash tip under the mat outside his door so the movers his Dad sent could get inside and put all of David's crap inside. There was definitely no chance he was going to be in town be there in person now. It was no big deal, he thought, he'd just unbox everything whenever he and Hilda got back to Trolberg.
Hilda packed a bunch of clothes into the biggest suitcase she had. She had no idea how long she was going to be gone, so she made sure to pack accordingly. She was anxious- she had never been on an airplane before. Hilda had no idea what to expect. David did his best to calm her worries- he was a much more frequent flyer than she was, so he tried to offer some comforting insight.
There was no international airport in or around Trolberg. There was, however, a municipal airport in the south side of the city. It serviced flights to surrounding European nations; namely the big cities. Prague, Oslo, London, Munich, Paris, and several others. Anyone needing to go to Asia, North America, or wherever else would have to get a connecting flight from one of those European cities. It's a real pain, and turns a lot of Trolberg's citizens off of flying to other continents. Still, people often take business trips or vacations to closer locations. For this reason, the Trolberg Municipal Airport was rather small.
Johanna drove the couple to the airport and dropped them off at their terminal at around 7:30. After some hugs and good-bye's, Johanna got in the car and drove off. The couple entered the airport, suitcases in tow.
"I've lived here for over a decade and I've never even seen this place.. it's big." said Hilda.
"If you think this is big, you'll shit a brick when you see Oslo International. This place is easily one of the smallest airports I've ever seen." said David. Hilda snickered at his words and gave him a look.
"If that's true, I suppose it's a good thing I packed plenty of extra pairs of knickers. Also, where are we going exactly..?" asked Hilda.
"Oslo. I thought that was clear..?" said David.
"No, you clod! I mean where in the airport!" She said, laughing.
"Ohhh, yeah well, first we've got to check in, then go through security, then to our gate, and then wait to board." said David.
"Sounds simple enough!" said Hilda, confidently.
"I'm just glad this is a small airport that isn't too busy. Sometimes getting through an airport can take houuurs because of all the long lines.." said David.
"That sounds dreadful.." said Hilda.
"I know!" said David.
David and Hilda proceeded to check into their flight and check their baggage. The airport worker helped their luggage onto the conveyor belt to be loaded into the plane and handed them their boarding passes. They walked onward towards security. Hilda wasn't very used to the process of it all; taking off your shoes, taking everything out of your pockets, any purses or carry-on bags going through a huge scanner, having some tired airport security guard pat you down, it was all odd and a bit tedious. Luckily, since the airport wasn't very crowded at 8 PM during the week, it was over quickly. The two walked hand in hand to their gate. Upon finding it, the first thing Hilda noticed was a big window next to the jetway entrance. Outside the window was their plane, preparing for boarding. Hilda had never been so up-close to an airplane before in her life; she immediately went wide eyed as she scurried over to the window and pressed her face against the glass like an excited child. David smiled as he walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Hilda smiled and leaned back into David's chest as she continued gazing out the window.
"First time seeing a plane up close, I take it? It's neat, innit?" he asked.
"Yeah, it is. And a little daunting I'll admit.." replied Hilda.
"Don't worry. It's only a 2 hour flight. You have nothing to be afraid of, I fly all the time!" said David, proudly.
"I suppose I really don't have anything to fear if King Scaredy Pants isn't afraid~" teased Hilda, turning around and tickling his chest playfully.
"Hahaha, stop it you!" said David as he picked her up and twirled her around once as they both laughed. David put her down and then went back to looking out the window; the sun had almost completely set, and the sky was a deep orange-ish purple.
"Y'know, these are nice little moments. I'm glad I'm spending it with you.." said Hilda, resting her head on David's shoulder.
"Cheesy much?" said David with a smile.
"I'm serious, you dork!" laughed Hilda, playfully shoving him.
"I know, I'm just playing with you. I'm glad I'm spending this moment with you too.. It's not everyday you spontaneously get on a last minute flight with pretty girl." said David, grinning cheekily. Hilda rolled her eyes and smirked.
"Because nothing screams romance like airport security, yeah?" she said sarcastically. David brushed the bangs from Hilda's face and gently took her cheek in his hand.
"Sometimes even the most mundane shit can be a pleasant experience if you share it with someone you care for deeply.." he said as he pulled Hilda into a kiss. The two stood there for a moment in their lip-locked embraced, when a foreign noise brought the nice moment to a screeching halt.
"Oh, my, god! I'm sorry, but are you David from Sola Manor!?" asked an unknown voice. "Mum, it's the singer of that band I love!" the voice called back to what the couple presumed to be the person's embarrassed mother. David and Hilda separated immediately upon hearing said voice and saw a teenage girl, who couldn't be much older than 14, looking starstruck at David.
"Oh, uhh, I'm not-"
"Yes! Yes he is David from Sola Manor! See babe, I told you that you'd get recognized here!" said Hilda, as she looked at David with a devilish face; it was a face that said 'you're not escaping this one, Mr. Rock Star.' David rolled his eyes. What the hell. He could do the whole talking-to-fans thing for a bit.
"You caught me!" said David, smiling. "It's nice to meet you!" he added. The girl's mother ran up behind her and interjected before the girl to could get another word in.
"Maven, don't run off like that! I'm sorry if she scared you Mr. Stoff, my daughter is very.. Uh.. passionate.. about music." said the mother.
"Oh, it's no trouble! Are you guys waiting to board the Oslo flight as well?" he asked.
"Yes, we are!" said Maven, excitedly.
"Well, that's great then! If you'd like to chat, my girlfriend Hilda and I were about to grab some food while we wait to board." said David.
"We were?" asked Hilda. David reciprocated the devilish look Hilda had just given him a moment before. "I mean, yes! We were!" she quickly stated.
"Oh my gosh! That would make my year!" exclaimed Maven.
"That sounds delightful!" added Maven's mother.
"Splendid! Let's go." said David.
The four of them went to a small sit-down restaurant located within the airport. The menu was small; mostly sandwiches and soup. They all placed their orders and took their seats in a booth near the counter.
"So, Maven, is it? Your mum mentioned a passion for music- do you play instruments?" asked David.
"I play a little piano, and I sing! But I'm pretty shy, so… never in front of anyone." said Maven.
"She's a splendid singer! I hear her from downstairs when she's in the shower.." said her mother.
"Mumm!" Maven exclaimed, embarrassed.
"Hey, I think that's great. Sing wherever you feel comfortable, even if it's in private. And keep playing that piano! The vast majority of the songs I write start with me just sitting at my piano and messing around." said David.
"Y'know, you've still yet to tell me what the songwriting process is like for your band.." said Hilda, raising an eyebrow.
"It's quite simple, really. I write a chorus, or a little snippet of something, I send it to my bass player-"
"Nathen! I love him!" interjected Maven, excitedly.
"Yes, good ole Nathen- anyway, I send whatever I write to him, he adds onto it, we go back and forth until we have like, a basic skeleton for a song, and then we bring it to band practice and flesh it out as a full band. It's like, a gradual thing." explained David.
"That's so cool!" exclaimed Maven as a waiter came by with their food and set it down on the table. As they began eating, Maven's mother spoke up once more.
"Again, I'm sorry if we imposed on you earlier.. Our family is big on your music." she said with a smile.
"Oh it's no trouble, Mrs…?" said David, trailing off.
"Please, call me Ariel." she said with a smile.
"Ariel. I really appreciate fans like your daughter. I wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for people like Maven." said David, with a smile.
"You're welcome!" started Maven. "Thank you for making awesome music! I can't believe I'm having lunch with you right now! Not everyday you meet a celebrity." she said enthusiastically.
"Oh, please, I'm just a person. I'm no hot-shot celebrity. You can ask Hilda here." said David, smirking.
"It's true. The other day I saw him sniff a t-shirt, make the most disgusted face, shrug, and then put in on anyway." Hilda said with a giggle. The whole table, with the exception of David, burst into laughter.
"Alright, maybe we don't need to say that.." chuckled David, nervously.
"Is it true David used to sing as a kid in Sparrow Scouts Choir?" Maven asked Hilda.
"Is it true? Heck, I used to sing with him in that choir. He actually auditioned twice before getting in; he failed because he tripped over a potted plant and wound up wrecking the entire stage. It was pretty hilarious." said Hilda, reaching to softly scratch the back of David's head as she spoke.
"Childhood lovers, huh? My husband and I are the same- we met in the first grade!" said Ariel.
"Well, not exactly," started David. "I'm originally from Trolberg. Hilda moved here when we were about 9 and became close friends. Then I moved to Norway a few years later, when I was 14.. And well, the band started, I was touring by 16 or 17.. Life got busy, needless to say. Hilda and I lost touch." explained David.
"Until a few weeks ago, that is." added Hilda. "We grabbed dinner, I watched him play.. One thing led to another, and here we are." she said with a smile.
"That's so cute! So what are you guys doing about to get on a plane to Oslo?" asked Maven.
"Maven, please, don't ask rude questions!" said Ariel.
"It's no trouble, really. We're going to meet up my drummer to help her with some stuff, and also visiting my Dad." said David.
"You're seeing Nessa!? Tell her I love her!" said Maven, getting starry eyed once more.
"Do you have everyone in the band memorized?" asked Hilda, raising an eyebrow.
"Duh! I run like 4 Sola Manor fan blogs online. One blog is exclusively for pictures of Ahmed's silly guitar-playing faces and David jumping off of stages." said Maven, taking out her phone and showing the blog to David and Hilda.
"I must say, Ahmed does make some funny faces when he's performing." giggled Hilda.
"These are good pictures! I'll have to give you a follow." said David, smiling.
"Oh my god, that would be insane! Thank you so much!" said Maven. Just then, a voice came over the airport loudspeaker.
"Attention, Flight 843 with service to Oslo will now be boarding."
"Welp, that's our cue." said David, taking out some cash and leaving it on the counter.
"Oh, you don't have to pay for all of us! That's too generous." said Ariel.
"It's not a problem, really! I insist." said David.
"Can I get a selfie with you and your girlfriend before we get on the plane, if that's okay?" asked Maven hopefully.
"Of course!" said Hilda. The couple posed with Maven and they all smiled at the camera as the picture was taken.
"Thank you so much!" said Maven, practically hopping up and down. "By the way, Hilda, are you on Instagram? You're really pretty and you seem super cool! I wanna follow you!" added Maven. Hilda was a bit shocked by that. This kid was meeting her music idol, and she wanted Hilda's social media?
"Wow, thank you so much!" said Hilda, flustered a little bit from Maven's excitement. "I do have an account, but I don't post a whole lot. Maybe I should start!" she said as she took Maven's phone and typed in her username. "There I am! My account is the picture of me with the deerfox." she said happily.
"Awesome! Thanks again, both of you!" said Maven as she gave a quick hug to Hilda and then David as she followed her mother towards the plane.
"Well, that was something.." said David, smirking.
"That was so cool! I don't understand why you feel the need to avoid things like that at all!" said Hilda.
"I don't always avoid it.. Just, sometimes I like to go out in public and not be recognized. Especially when I'm in the middle of having a moment with my girlfriend~" said David, playfully tickling Hilda's sides.
"Haha, stop it you! Yeah yeah, I get that. But still- did you see her face? You made her decade. She just got to have lunch with the amazing David Stoff!" said Hilda, teasingly.
"Oh, hush. I'm not amazing. Last night I zoned out on the toilet looking at memes for 2 hours. I'm just a guy." said David.
"I know you are dummy, but to that kid you're a god." said Hilda as they began boarding the plane through the jetway.
"I know that! And it's a lot of pressure. It makes me sick how some people take advantage of young fans for the most twisted things... " said David as they approached the door to the plane.
"Speaking of twisted, this plane-bridge thingy is very neat!" said Hilda, looking around.
"It's called a jetway." stated David.
"A jetway, huh? Weird name." said Hilda.
They finally entered the plane and took their seats. David let Hilda take the window seat, knowing she'd be nuts for the view, despite it being night time. Hilda immediately took to the seat like a moth to flames; they weren't even off the ground yet, but it was obvious Hilda was excited by this new experience.
David may have had a love/hate relationship with flying and airports, but moments like these made it more than worth it.