The World Ash
A winding mountain path led Winski and Jelena to the apex of the world ash Yggdrasil. From the distance it looked like just another ash, if rather a lonely one standing in its isolation, in a small grassy plain in between the rocky hills. As they came nearer, however, they noticed that what they had observed from the distance was but the tiny apex of the colossal tree, sprouting from a large crater in the ground. A cock, shining in colors of rainbow laid with gold sat on the highest branch, watching them sternly but not entirely unkindly.
- "I guard the world ash. What is your business with Yggdrasil?" it spoke.
- "We seek to descend to the depths of Hades, to the layer of Nilfheim. I am a servant of the weeping god Ilmater, guarding this man, who is traveling to redeem himself of his sins."
- "Beware corruption. Beware the serpent. Beware the deer eating the buds of new growth. You may pass."
The tree was easy to climb, full of branches easy to grab and find a foothold in.
- "How tall is this tree exactly? Mind boggles... did you not say it goes through several planes?" Winski asked.
- "I think it is not subject to any tangible, physical measurements. It is as tall as it needs to be. Suffice to say that it is very tall."
Winski nodded and continued climbing. It was hard, especially when carrying a backpack, and after a while he was sweating profusely, his muscles aching. Still he somehow enjoyed it. Ironically enough it made him feel alive, though in some sense he of course was not. On the other hand, that was a matter of point of view solely... we tend to think our first life as the real one, but who was to say this one was not a life too? Winski had spent the rest of his first life wanting to die, truly die, to cease to exist. He knew he didn't want that now. But then he had a luxury now he didn't have then. Hope.
- "Let's have a break. I think we are bypassing Muspelheim soon, and we want to pass that one rather fast," Jelena said.
- "Muspelheim? The fire giants?"
- "Yes... it is not that they are entirely unfriendly, but their idea of fun and desirable circumstances tends to differ from ours. It is very hot on that layer, and there are constant earthquakes."
They sat on a safe deep deformation in the ancient trunk of the tree. They had passed several other ones, and also little huts and balconies apparently also built for resting purposes for the travellers. The tree also seemed to have inhabitants, as there were round doors carved into the trunk.
- "I wonder who lives here," Winski mused.
- "Me too, but I don't dare knock and try to find out. This tree is like life, or nature, itself. It is not good, it is not evil. It just is. Any kind of creatures live in and around it - it judges not. Such an idea would be unfathomable to it. It welcomes all life."
- "To a certain extent I find that a reasonable attitude for a human as well," Winski said. "After all, life is a lot bigger and older thing than any one race, even one as ancient as the elves or dwarves."
- "But then, life can also be seen as raw material of our perceptions and choices. You are right, we can't eliminate the bigger scale of things in any way, but we can choose what to do with our own little piece of time and life. For example, when you protected Sarevok from Reiltar, you hardly thought that by doing so you could eliminate all the sadistic bastards abusing those under their bootheel."
- "No. I thought that Sarevok is the most extraordinary and wonderful thing I would be likely to encounter in my whole lifetime - and I was right about that, save you - and that I wouldn't let a despicable bastard like Reiltar destroy him."
- "I guess that was your way of saying that you love him."
- "I admitted that, later on. I'm not sure if I ever told you... I hit him once. It was right before his first burglary job, when we got into an argument and he ranted about me hoping that Reiltar would kill him. And then I just... slapped him. Can you imagine that still, even in the hereafter, I feel so guilty and miserable about it. It makes me feel like I am a hypocrite - how I despise Reiltar and his ilk, and yet I hit an upset child myself because he hurt my precious feelings. Am I any better?"
- "What did you do after you hit him?" Jelena asked, eyes gentle.
- "After sipping brandy and trying to muster the courage, I asked him to forgive me. And it was then he asked if I love him, and I admitted it."
- "There you have it. You knew you had done wrong, and he forgave you. You also never did it again. Don't be so hard on yourself, beloved."
Winski was quiet, remembering.
