Katelyn was lulled awake by the whirl of her plane's jet engines as her family flew across the Atlantic Ocean towards the first stop on their vacation abroad. She sat herself up in her narrow aisle seat and reached down to her purse to check on her most prized possessions: two masks, one devious and one whimsical. As she stroked the devious one against her nails she felt a sensation wash over her as its green glow filled her retinas. While Katelyn was, at first, hesitant to bring them along with her, she ultimately didn't want to risk losing her beloved masks by leaving them at home. Besides, she hoped to find some time away from her family and take them out for a spin without any lasting repercussions.
As she continued to stare at her glowing treasure, Katelyn sensed someone hovering over her and turned her head to see a flight attendant standing nearby. Her steward's blonde hair was wrapped in an immaculate bun with her ruby red lips parted in an expression of curiosity. Katelyn met her gaze, taking in the attendant's baby blue eyes, and saw a familiar capture of wonder and mysticism that initially made her attracted to her beloved masks nearly a year ago.
"Good morning," the captain's voice crackled through the cabin speakers; interrupting each person's train of thought. "Please fasten your seatbelts for our descent into Stockholm, Sweden."
Katelyn quickly zipped up her carry on and kicked it under her seat before meeting her attendant's gaze once more and mouthing, "You saw nothing."
Stockholm, Sweden. 9:45
After securely stowing their luggage at a nearby Hilton hotel, Katelyn and her family took a leisurely stroll across a pedestrian bridge towards a nearby pier. To her right stood a grand medieval palace that loomed above the cobblestone streets; capturing her attention with its towering presence. And to her left there was an endless sea of water glittering coming from the morning sun that gently swayed the boats that dotted its surface.
"See that kids?" Katelyn's dad asked as he pointed towards a long river boat with a red flag flying high in the air. "That's the boat we're gonna take to Sweden's first city!"
"What's there, daddy?" Katelyn's little brother asked as he grabbed his big sister's hand.
"Boring stuff I'd suppose..." Katelyn mumbled as she started to swing her sibling's arm and got a glare from her dad.
"It's full of green grass, soft sheep, and scary warriors!" Their dad exclaimed and struck a menacing pose in front of his children. "HIYAH!"
Katelyn rolled her eyes at her dad's antics and continued to look out past the pier towards the clear blue vistas ahead of them.
Birka (Viking Village). 11:45
The Nordic boat ride had taken longer than expected but Katelyn felt relieved as they finally disembarked and walked along a dirt path towards a nondescript building across a makeshift pier. However, disappointment washed over her as she took in the supposed "viking village" that lay before her. To her, it looked more like a single building in the middle of nowhere than a bustling village. She deviated from the crowd and wandered through the hall of the wooden shack where small dioramas depicting life in the past caught her fleeting attention.
"A village for ants, gotcha..." Katelyn whispered to herself before hearing her mom call her over. She turned away from the building and followed her parents through a back exit and... into a whole new world.
Katelyn found herself transported back in time as she stepped into a bustling town straight from the pages of a history book. Men in tunics bustled past her on their way to a fortified watchtower while women in strappy dresses went about their daily tasks and chatted with other visitors. The scene before her was a vivid snapshot of life from a bygone era. As she meandered through the town center with her brother, they stumbled upon a flock of sheep heading in the opposite direction. Her brother's eyes lit up and eagerly approached one of the woolly creatures to pet it. Katelyn followed him closely and they soon found themselves face to face with a young woman, who was not much older than herself, herding the flock through the lush green pastures.
"Hi, sorry about my brother... he really likes animals," Katelyn apologized as the lady smiled back.
"It's okay. My name's Emma, nice to meet you," The blonde herder greeted as she swung her cane to tap some of her flock back in line. "Where are you from?"
Katelyn innocently replied, "america..."
Emma's eyes immediately lit up with sparkles in her eyes.
"Oh from America! That's really far. Manhattan or Hollywood?" She asked with sincerity.
"Uhhh, closer to Hollywood I guess..." Katelyn replied as she bent down and petted an especially fluffy sheep.
Emma was excited to see visitors her own age and led the group back to town with a cheerful grin. As they walked and talked, Katelyn discovered Emma's passion for the performing arts where she dreamed of becoming an actor in Hollywood. In fact, the main reason why she recently took a job at the village was to get some practice with method acting. As they chatted and got to know each other, Katelyn couldn't help but be impressed by Emma's fluency in English despite living in a country with its own language.
"Here, come with me. Let's get something to drink," Emma suggested as she led Katelyn and her brother down the streets and towards the "Eldrimner".
Katelyn's brother pointed towards the shop's wooden sign and asked, "what does that mean?"
"It's a potion shop filled with magical drinks," Emma chuckled as she handed him a bottle of juice. "Do you believe in magic, little boy?"
While her brother was thoroughly amused by Emma's question, Katelyn lowered her head and slightly blushed before thinking to herself, "you don't even know the half of it..."
"There's alot of magic here in Sweden," Emma continued as she sipped on her tea. "Magic stones, the god Odin, and his son Loki."
Katelyn's head immediately sprung up as she heard the name of the mask's originator. She thought back to the night after coming home from graduation and researching more about what Peggy had told her. And while she didn't deep dive into all of ancient history, perhaps this was as good as time as ever to get hands on and learn more about its origins.
But before Katelyn could inquire more, Emma turned to her and asked, "How long are you staying in Sweden?"
Katelyn pulled out her phone and looked for her digital boarding ticket for her family's next leg of the trip. "We're staying in Stockholm for two days, then we're taking..."
"Oh! I'm from there!" Emma interrupted with a smile. "If you want, I can show you around after I finish work."
"Perfect~" A gentle voice whispered in Katelyn's ear. Her eyes widened as she realized that the voice didn't come from anyone around her; only from within.
Katelyn returned a polite nod before seeing her parents walk over and greet Katelyn's new friend.
"Amazing. Here's my number," Emma said as she grabbed an unused napkin and wrote down her longer than expected phone number. Once Emma handed her new friend her contact, Emma introduced herself to Katelyn's parents and gave them a small tour of the quaint town of Birka.
Stockholm, Sweden. 17:30
As the evening approached, Katelyn impatiently waited in her hotel room for her international friend's response. Despite getting late in the day the sun still lingered high in the sky, dashing her hopes of the embrace of her mask anytime soon. Restless, she tossed around on her bed until she heard a funky tune coming from the adjoining room where her parents were staying. Curious, she lifted her head and watched as the door swung open, revealing two adults dancing to a familiar tune with an entranced expression.
"Hmm Hmmm Hmm Hm Hmmm~" Her dad hummed as he danced into her room with her mother's hands wrapped around his waist.
"Voulez-Vous! A-ha!" Her mother sang as the couple listened on either end of a pair of wired earphones.
Katelyn turned her head back and closed her eyes as she tried to block out her parent's embarrassing dancing.
"Hey sweetie, are you sure you don't wanna come to the ABBA museum with us?" Her dad asked as he rocked to the beat.
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Her brother called out from the other room.
Katelyn shook her head and turned away from her parents before scooping up her phone to check her messages.
"Okay, just keep your phone on in case you need us," her mother replied as they spun back around and waltzed into the other room.
Katelyn rolled her eyes and scrolled through her messages and saw one from Emma.
"Thank god," she mumbled and lurched out of bed to slip on a pair of sandals and grab her purse.
Stockholm, Sweden. 17:40
As Katelyn stepped out of the elevator, she scanned the lobby until her eyes landed on Emma. She recognized her friend's face, but everything else was totally different. Gone were the traditional Nordic smocks from earlier in the day; Emma now sported a red top, ripped blue jeans, and low-cut ballet flats. Katelyn couldn't help but stare in admiration at how effortlessly Emma could pull off both a traditional and modern look.
Emma tilted her head up and waved Katelyn over before leaving the hotel and making their way across a long connecting bridge. And as they walked across, Emma bombarded Katelyn with questions about life back home: what it was like growing up in California, how accurately movies portray life in the US, and even the concept of the 'American Dream'. Katelyn sensed that Emma was tired of her own hometown and was asking about her life to experience it vicariously.
Emma suddenly grew silent and leaned on the railing of the bridge before letting off a faint sigh.
"Wouldn't it be great to be able to get famous and live life there?" Emma asked as she pointed towards the now illuminated Royal Palace.
"Can anyone go in?" Katelyn asked as she hunched over next to Emma and looked across the river.
"It's closed now but if you're interested we can go tomorrow; its my day off from the village," Emma suggested as she straightened herself up and continued walking towards the other end of the bridge.
"I've been there so many times on school trips and by myself." Emma continued as they entered into a colorful district filled with quaint shops.
The two ladies happened upon an open bench and sat together while watching people pass on by through the centre.
"If only I was royalty," Emma lamented as she crossed one leg over the other. "I would love to live there as someone important; like a Princess..."
"Who'd be the prince?" Katelyn asked as she winked at Emma.
Emma paused for a moment and giggled to herself raising her leg in the air and pronouncing. "I haven't been visited by someone with a glass slipper," Emma responded. "Yet!"
As Emma stretched her back, she noticed a faint green aura emanating from the seams of Katelyn's purse; piquing her curiosity. She briefly turned her attention forward and saw Katelyn using her phone to take pictures of the Vasterlanggatan, the central area they were exploring.
"So..." Emma thought to herself, "...if her phone is in her hand, then whats that light coming from inside her purse...?"
If you'd like to see more stories in the future, please consider supporting with a cup of coffee for some late night writing at: bit ly/manifestbound
Supporters will have access to special chapters from Season 1 of the series, ability to vote on new stories, and progress updates on upcoming chapters and new stories.