Chapter 16, Inside the Minnesotan Council of Things
Jacob walked down into the passageway, the wooden stairs creaking and cracking under his weight as he went on. He steadied himself with his hand on the damp cobblestone wall as the sudden sound of stone grinding upon stone erupted around him. He turned back towards the entry way now some way above him. The statue was slowly shifting back into place on its own, sealing Jacob inside. He sighed a little as he felt his stress slowly rise, but he pushed those feelings aside before pressing on.
The passage was lit by a dim purple glow from old gas-lamps that were set into the wall. It continued on like this for a good long while. Eventually, Jacob reached for the letter in his pocket, pulled it out, and read it under the nearest gas-lamp.
"We wish to discuss with you the recent events that have been occurring here in the United States and what information we have concerning these events…?!" he said aloud. "What is that supposed to mean?!" his hands balled up into fists in frustration. His feelings were all over the place. He felt so irritable recently and had trouble concentrating. Suddenly, the memories of the giant came rushing back into his head…the giant's massive hand, the debris crashing down around him, the roar of the giant rending the air like a terrifying scream…
"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD….STOP IT!" he yelled before he slammed the palm of his hand into his forehead in a desperate attempt to stop the memories overwhelming him again.
He slumped against the wall and fought back the impulse to cry. He started shaking and fell to his knees. He was alone…again. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. Jacob felt nothing, and in a lack of effort or emotion, he let the emotions and memories overwhelm him. They flowed like a raging river that had broken through a dam, destroying everything in their path. Soon, nothing remained but his pain and suffering.
The happiness he felt when he was with his family?
Gone.
The joy that magic brought him?
Gone.
The feelings of belonging that he felt with his friends?
Gone.
He just sat there, staring off into nothing as any sort of compassion, love, and hope faded away. It was as if the stopper that had kept his emotions together in his heart had been removed with no plans of putting it back in place.
It was in the darkness of the passage, for the first time in his life, that Jacob reached his lowest point. It was then that something happened. The Dragot in his pocket suddenly grew warm again, just as it did back when he first found it. He slipped it out of his pocket and looked it over in his hand. It's octagonal shape began to glow dimly again, but this time…it was different. A strange feeling came over him. It was as if a hand had reached out to him and rested on his shoulder, comforting him in the process. This feeling was replaced by a sense of awakening, as if his emotions and memories were simply a bad dream, and that he had just awoken from those bad dreams.
He had a life to live, and while these memories may not go away anytime soon, there was so much more to live for than the what happened in the past.
Jacob staggered to his feet, before continuing down the passageway into the Minnesotan Council of Things.
After walking for a while, the passageway gradually opened up into a vast hall that stretched off into the distance. Enormous wooden pillars the size of Redwoods held up a vaulted ceiling twenty stories above the ground floor. Long rows of round-shields covered the walls, with small openings peeking through for some small windows. Beyond these pillars sat a giant purple bonfire in the center of the hall, surrounded by piles of megalithic stones. It's purple flames licked the stones and sent glowing purple ashes up into the air. The sight was awe inspiring.
"Wow" Jacob whispered.
A few stories below him were elaborately carved longboats drifting through the air, their many oars propelling the boats through the air as they traveled from one end of the hall to the other over witches and wizards covered in gold, maroon, and purple robes. A young wizard jumped off of one of the boats and onto a broomstick. He held a boombox over his shoulder and blasted Prince's "Purple Rain" as he zoomed off towards the other end of the hall before disappearing around a corner.
Suddenly, a loud boom echoed up to him from below. Jacob leaned over the railing on the walkway he now stood on and looked down towards the sight of the blast. Two people stood on the floor far below him with smoke surrounding them. He couldn't make out what they were doing, but he could just hear their faint voices over the hubbub.
"Next time you're bringing a box down to the Department of Experimental Brewing…make sure that you haven't downed three bottles of mead first! Especially when the box is filled with bottles of Eitr mixed with mistletoe! For goodness sake…" she scolded him sternly. Jacob's eyes lit up when he heard the woman's voice. It was Mrs. Eversol.
"Mrs. Eversol!" he shouted down to her. He saw her small figure turn her head up to look at him. She was startled to hear Jacob's voice, but she smiled warmly back at him.
"Jacob! Good to see you!" she called back up at him. She then immediately disappeared with a loud crack and reappeared right in front of him. He staggered back in surprise. "Welcome to the Minnesotan Council of Things!" she exclaimed, gesturing to the hall surrounding them. "What do you think?"
"I-it's incredible!" he answered. "I've never seen anything like it!" she laughed.
"I had a similar experience when I first came here. It still gives me the same feeling of wonder and awe as it did the first time I looked upon the Home Fyr" she sighed longingly for the past. "Well, what brings you here today?"
"Oh, umm…I'm here to meet with the head of the Minnesotan Council of Things…" he pulled out the letter. "Richard…Fylgia?"
"Oh, you mean the Jarl!" she answered, "Of course!" she quickly turned and walked towards the stairs. "Right this way!" she called out over her shoulder. Jacob quickly shoved the letter back into his pocket and hurried after her.
They reached the main level of the hall a couple of minutes later and dove into the crowd. Mrs. Eversol led Jacob towards the giant purple fire, the Home Fyr. Jacob spotted small niches on the edges of the fire, niches where witches and wizards would suddenly appear and/or disappear. He realized that it was a part of the Floo Network. It was probably how all witches and wizards came to Duluth.
"How are you feeling?" Mrs. Eversol asked Jacob suddenly. He wasn't expecting such a personal question. Back when they had first met, their relationship had been quite cordial. She was nothing more than his Mom's friend in his eyes.
"I'm…doing fine" he answered. She glanced back at him.
"Are you sure? After the incident with the Giant, I was really worried about you. Not just if you were safe, but I was worried if all of this…" she gestured towards the whole room. "…was starting to be too much for you"
Jacob was silent, but she turned towards him, stopped walking, and noticed that he was avoiding her gaze. She sighed again and brought him over to the side of the room, over by a small fountain of a wizard with a long beard.
"Jacob…" she began, "I know what the Jarl wants to talk to you about" Jacob perked up and briefly made eye-contact with her before looking away again. He fingered his Dragot in his pocket idly.
"Okay…" he answered coldly. He slightly resented the fact that she brought up the giant, given the fact that he had such a jarring emotional experience back in the passageway. He was able to push the emotions and memories aside this time. Mrs. Eversol frowned.
"Jacob, ever since I showed up at your house on that summer day five months ago, it feels like somehow I've forced you to become something that you're not"
Jacob looked down at his feet. She continued.
"I remember a young boy who lived a perfectly normal and happy life with his parents and friends at home, but now, here we are many years later, and the Wizarding World seems hell-bent on wrapping you up in all of our problems" Jacob grew annoyed at this.
"Well…then the Wizarding World has another thing coming! I may have magic now, but that doesn't mean I need to be the next Harry Potter. I will live a normal life and I will stay out of this!" Mrs. Eversol looked at him sadly.
"Alright…let's keep going" she muttered.
Jacob and Mrs. Eversol weaved their way through the crowd and continued on their way towards a large alcove in the wall to their left. There in that space sat old metal elevators. They approached the closest elevator, pressed a small button marked by a rune, and walked into it. Mrs. Eversol pressed a small runestone to the bare wall and the elevator hummed to life.
Eventually, the doors opened with a clanking sound, leaving them in front of a set of wooden doors. The doors were elaborately carved and covered in runes.
"We're here" Mrs. Eversol told him. "Come on…go and knock on the door"
Jacob abruptly walked forwards but hesitated in front of these imposing doors. It looked like the entrance to the hall of some ancient Viking lord. The door had carved serpents curving around the edges, with bearded men and warrior women brandishing wands against them. Above their heads flew great kestrels and at their feet leaped great flames. These doors reminded Jacob of Ragnarök, the End of all Things. Jacob's guilt, which had been building as time went on, boiled over. He turned to Mrs. Eversol.
"Mrs. Eversol…I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier" he frowned. "You were right. All of this is really getting to be too much for me, and I had no right to project those frustrations onto you"
Mrs. Eversol gazed at him with concern. "It's okay Jacob… I understand and I forgive you. Please don't worry about it. Now, the Jarl's right behind those doors. Go ahead and knock. You'll be alright".
Jacob hesitated one last time before knocking on the door. He heard a voice call him in. He desperately turned towards Mrs. Eversol one last time, wishing he could say more, but he gave up, and walked inside.
Magical Creature Profile, The Ball Fish:
The Ball Fish is a small, spherical fish no larger than a baseball. It is a peculiar marine magical creature, known to have a counterpart: The Bat Bass. It is assumed to be the result of an incomplete transfiguration, as many magical creatures in North America are. The Ball Fish spends its days in freshwater lakes swimming past the Bat Bass, just so it can be hit and sail through the water, which it finds entertaining and fun. The Ball Fish is known to be fond of being thrown across the water by those who string it up on their fishing line. In 1870, wizard named Charles M. Alabat of the Bureau for the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures at MACUSA proposed that a ban be placed on letting the Ball Fish live in public lakes. Once the ban was put in place, however, the Bat Bass slowly grew lazy and began appearing more often to No-Majs, causing MACUSA to immediately repeal the ban and return the Ball Fish to its rightful place in public lakes, much to the Bat Bass's delight. It is native to many different parts of the United States, but most it is most notable common in Washington state, specifically in the areas surrounding Seattle.
Magical Creature Profile (Part 2), The Bat Bass:
The Bat Bass is the other half to the Ball Fish. Upon first glance, it looks like a normal largemouth bass, but under further scrutiny, it is seen to be shaped just like a baseball bat. When it's not searching for food, it wedges its end between two rocks and swigs itself back and forth, attempting to hit its Ball Fish as it passes by. On a given pass by the Ball Fish, there appears to be a fifty-fifty chance that the Ball Fish will be hit. The Bat Bass is known to be extremely flexible and pliant. When catching one, place your hands by "the handle" near the end of the fish furthest away from the head. Once you do, make sure to catch its Ball Fish and give it a good hit across the pond, tossing the Bat Bass off to the side afterwards. Removing the Bat Bass without removing its Ball Fish is a Class A Punishable Offense as designated by the Bureau for the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures (for reasons listed in the entry on the Ball Fish) Just like the Ball Fish, it is common in the US but found most often in the areas around Seattle.