This story is my entry in the Halloween 2022 contest. As always, comments and votes for your favorite contest stories are appreciated.
A jilted rodeo cowboy from Texas goes to a remote mountain cabin in Norway hoping the solitude will help him recover from his broken heart. There, he meets a forest spirit and puts her special healing powers to the test.
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Chapter 1
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Suddenly, I am bathed in a brilliant light.
“Hei!” cries out a human male voice.
“Shit!” I whisper softly to myself. My mind has been replaying the wonderful music I just heard, and I haven’t been paying attention to my surroundings.
I do a graceful pirouette as I spin around on top of the fence railing to see who called out. With my arms straight out, I enjoy the swirling of my long white tunic and my billowing sleeves as they flutter in the breeze.
I cross my arms in front of my face to block the light. “Stoppe!”
The man points his torch at the ground but does not extinguish it, so it still casts reflected light. Now, we can both see each other. The man looks to be in his late 20s in human years, slim but not especially tall. His reddish-brown hair and beard stand out from an otherwise expressionless face. He is dressed in warm wool clothing and odd-looking boots.
“Howdy, mam! Who are you? And why are you standing on my fence?”
He speaks in English, but with a strange accent, though I can understand him well enough. I am not keen on being seen by a human and have even less desire to speak to one. I should just jump down and run away, but I am curious about the music I heard coming from inside the cabin.
“What is Howdy?” I ask.
“I’m from Texas, mam, and that’s just our polite way of saying Hello.”
“I was drawn by your music. You have a nice voice, and your words are very meaningful, though the stories they tell are sad. What instrument were you playing?”
“Well, thank you, mam. I was singing country music. I was brung up listening to it, and I suppose the songs I picked are a bit on the sad side. It’s kind of the way I’ve been feeling lately. The instrument you heard was my guitar.”
“What is a guitar?” I ask.
“You don’t know what a guitar is?” questioned the surprised man.
“I live here in Norway in the forests and have never seen anything called named guitar.” He holds up his hands and spreads them apart. “It’s about this long and has 6 strings on it that you pluck with your fingers”.
“It must be like a big Hardanger fiddle, but without a bow. It sounds different too, but nice.”
“Aren’t you a bit underdressed for the last day of October? If you would like to come inside and sit by the fire, I will show you my guitar and sing you a happier song.”
I do not like fire and do not want to go anywhere near one.
I respond, “Is it that late in the year already? Then, it is time for Alfablot here in Norway when people make a sacrifice to the elves and honour their ancestors. It marks the time between the end of the harvest season and the cold dark nights that await us on the other side. It is not safe to be outside after dark. Dark elves and evil spirits are wandering about. But don’t worry, I will protect you.”
“All the same, mam, I can take care of myself.”
“Do not be boastful about things of which you know not.”
“My family is originally from Ireland, several generations ago, and I still have cousins there. My grandfather moved to Boston, and later, my father took a job in Texas. That’s where I was raised and it’s where I live. Grandfather would try to scare us young’uns by telling us stories about the Irish festival of Samhain. He said the veils between the living and the dead were at their thinnest, and spirits could pass through the barrier into the land of the living. It is also a time when witches and faeries moved about the land. He said that even today, people in Ireland are afraid to cut down a faerie tree or cross a circle of stones that might be a faerie ring, fearing they will disappear forever.”
“Your grandfather is a smart man! You should heed his words, Texas”.
“I stopped believing his stories when I was 12 years old.”
Texas is a fool. I should just leave him to his fate. But I heard gunshots two days ago and wonder if he is the hunter.
“Why are you here on the mountainside? Are you hunting?”
“No, I don’t hunt. My cousins come here every summer and keep saying how nice it is, and I just wanted to come and enjoy the beauty of nature and find some quiet solitude.”
I am relieved to hear that. He is not the one shooting at the animals in the forest.
“It is beautiful here,” I reply. “But I must go now.”
“Wait! Its been kind of lonely the last two weeks and I would like to talk some more.”
“Then come up onto the fence railing and dance with me!”
“I’ll take on that as a challenge!” he yells back. “I can dance a pretty mean two-step.”
He climbs onto the first railing, but it is rather narrow. His feet are larger than mine, and he is less agile, so he sways to keep his balance. I laugh at him, then dance teasingly along the top of another railing. He quickly recovers and follows me along the fence top. I push off and leap across to another railing, keeping my balance as I land. He is taller, and tries to follow me, landing one foot on the railing, and starts thrashing with his arms. I reach out to offer him a hand, then quickly pull it back. He loses his balance and topples backward.
“Why did you pull your hand back?”
I look down at him sitting in the soft dirt and laugh. “You said you can take care of yourself! And you said you knew how to dance the two-step. It looks to me like you can only dance a one-step. You should go back inside and practice. But if you choose to ignore the warnings of your grandfather and are brave enough to venture out this night into the darkness, then follow me!”
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Chapter 2
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I leap off the fence and start running across a small meadow towards a tightly packed birch forest. I should have no problem reaching it before him. There is a half moon over my shoulder and it illuminates the dappled white bark of the trees in front of me, casting long shadows behind them. The same light also makes it easier for Texas to see me, so I am hoping he won’t get lost.
Reaching the trees, I slow down and glance back. I see his darkened form, outlined in the silver-blue moonlight. He runs well and is closing, but the advantage is still mine. I dash into the understory of low ferns, the green of their youth turning to faded orange and yellow. The ground is moist and still springy, and each step releases the rich earthy smell of the forest. The birch trees are thick, and it is impossible to run very far in a straight line, so I hop laterally between the trees and resume running.
I hear him trashing through the ferns behind me, and I spring laterally once more. A few more bounds, then I cut back onto my original path. I vary my speed based on the sounds he is making, not letting myself get too far ahead. Emerging from the birch trees, I come to an open area strewn with rocks and fallen trees, remnants of a forgotten avalanche. I gracefully leap over the tangle of trees and resume running.
Ahead and to my left, I hear a waterfall and know there will be a stream to cross. A little further on, I reach the bank, then take two strides down and leap over the water to the opposite bank. I sense him close behind me. A grunt reaches my ears as he leaps from the top of the bank, his hand brushing against my bare foot as he stretches out and tries to grasp me. But I elude him, and continue up the bank, leaving his prone body behind. I decide to hide.
Running over the crest of the bank I am back in the birch forest. I spy a leaf-filled depression, dive into it, and say a nature spell to swirl the dry leaves over me. I look back and watch the stream bank, remaining perfectly still and quiet. I hold a leaf up in front of my face, my eyes just peeking over the top of it, and he appears. He cannot see or hear me and looks puzzled. The understory on this side of the stream has no ferns, and there is no visible trail for him to follow.
He walks up close to my hiding place but fails to see me. But the thrill for me is the chase, not the deception, so I change the spell. My leaf blanket lifts into a swirling vortex, and I spin it around him to obscure his vision. Seizing the moment, I rise and dash back to the stream, then follow it downhill.
“Clever girl!” Texas yells, stepping out of the whirlwind.
I hop between the stream banks, stepping gingerly onto the wet rocks. Splashes from his missteps announce the distance between us. Suddenly, I come to a steep drop with a small waterfall and a quiet pool at the bottom. I glance back, then make a leap only a forest spirit could survive, landing softly on the level bank below. Looking around, I see something unexpected and freeze. A few moments later, a winded Texas walks up beside me and takes my hand.
Looking at me, he asks, “Why have you stopped running?”
“Shhhhhh”, I reply.
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Chapter 3
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“Over there!” I whisper. “It is a red deer doe!”
“Why does she not run away?”
“She is hobbling. There is something wrong with her left hind leg.”
I take a step toward her, and she turns to face me. Her tail is up, she begins stomping the ground with her front hooves, and low guttural sounds issue from deep in her throat. She is warning us to stay away. But why? Then I sense something. “I have to try to heal her leg.”
“She won’t let you get near her,” says Texas.
“Can you feel it? There is a strong spiritual presence here. I cannot abandon her. Let me try a song of enchantment to calm her.”
I begin to sing in the lilting cadence of Old Norse.
Do you see me, red deer doe?
The essence of wildness dances in your eyes.
The way you move, you are grace incarnate.
Serenity follows, gentleness surrounds you,
purity of spirit connects you with the earth.
Queen of the Forest, I am pleased you are here.
Red deer doe, why do you not run?
As quickly as seen,
you depart with swiftness of wind.
No obstacle bars your path,
nothing foils your leaps.
Queen of the Forest, why not disappear?
Red deer doe, why is your balance unsure?
Cloven hooves stomp the ground,
in your throat is guttural sound.
You have legs of four,
yet stand on three.
Queen of the Forest, what do you fear?
Red deer doe, who are you warning?
Over there! Under the birch,
nestled in fall-tinted fern.
Innocence and purity lay hidden,
beneath dappled moonlit shadow.
Queen of the forest, I see the one you hold dear.
Red deer doe, why do you cry?
Pain deeper than leg,
it pierces your heart.
You cannot protect the one you love,
to guide him through the coming winter.
Queen of the Forest, in fawn’s eye is a tear.
Red deer doe, will you grant me your trust?
From you, a gift rarely given.
Traversing the forest by instinct,
intuition keeping you safe.
You are my friend, and I, your sister.
Queen of the Forest, my words you must hear.
Red deer doe, let me heal your leg!
Know that my heart is true,
my energy bright and pure.
You are a spiritual animal,
and like you, I have healing powers too.
Queen of the Forest, let me draw near.
The deer lowers her tail and stands quietly. I step closer, and she does not stir. I move behind her, and she turns her head to follow my motion. Looking closely at her left rear leg, I see blood. She has been shot by a hunter, and the bone is broken. Touching her leg, I call upon the spiritual healing powers and energies of both myself and the red deer. My hands glow and I feel the combined powers coursing through me. A moment later I know it is done. She is healed. I step back and the doe capers toward her fawn, who stands up. It is a male, something I already sensed. Together, they slowly walk deeper into the forest.
Texas comes up to stand next to me. “I didn’t understand the language, but you have a wonderful soulful voice. She is not hobbling anymore. Did you just heal her?”
“It is never by random chance that you meet a red deer. For every sighting, you must consider the context of what you were doing or thinking. The doe had been shot by a hunter and would not have survived the winter. I am not human, I am a Huldra, and it is the fawn I had to save. This particular fawn is a spiritual animal! He will grow up to be a stag and will follow someone throughout his life and be his guardian.”
“You’re a what?” asked the shocked and unbelieving human.
“I am a Huldra, a woodland spirit, a warden of the forest. I look after the deer and other animals, the forests, the waters, the grass, everything here. I have healing powers, but nature can heal itself, given time. I can sometimes assist by summoning different types of energy to help speed up the healing process.”
“You are enchantingly beautiful, and I just saw you do something my mind cannot grasp. Is there any chance you can heal a broken heart? I used to be a rodeo cowboy back in Texas, a bull rider. I was very good and made quite a lot of money. I met a woman who stole my heart, and I changed things and myself to make her happy. I stopped wearing blue jeans and started wearing fancy clothes to fit in with her friends. I parked my old pickup truck and bought a fancy sports car. We spent many a night out on the town.”
“Then, I got injured and couldn’t ride anymore. She broke my heart and left me after spending down all my money. I thought it would be a good idea to get away for a while to clear my head and think things through.”
I feel sorry for Texas. Broken hearts are more painful and everlasting than any physical injury.
“Healing the doe took a lot of my energy, and I am cold. Can you hold me?”
I spin around and turn away from Texas so he can wrap his arms around me. I grasp his hands and move them from my stomach up to my breasts so he can cup them. I hear him inhale deeply as he smells my hair. Pressing my bum against his groin, there is the beginning of an erection. I cannot heal his broken heart, but I can make him forget it for a while.
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Chapter 4
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I turn to face Texas, and in the fading moonlight, I look into his eyes. He is tentative. I know he wants to kiss me, but he is unsure. He is not living life; he is avoiding it so he will not be hurt again.
I reach up and pull his head down to mine. I see the relief on his face and his lips form a smile just before they meet mine. As our lips touch, I feel his warmth, and he must feel mine. His soft lips move with mine as our noses touch feather-light against each other.
I smell a faint trace of whiskey on his breath, but he must know by now that alcohol will not mend his broken heart. I open my eyes and see the intense gaze of his dark eyes. I feel like he is watching me, still afraid of making a mistake, and waiting for me to push him away.
I think about telling him that everything is fine, even more than fine, but instead of using words, I force my tongue between his lips and deep into his mouth. His tongue meets mine and they touch gently. I reward his effort with a soft sigh into his mouth. His left hand moves around to the back of my head, he draws me tightly against him, and our bodies twist ever so slightly into the perfect kissing position.
His passion is finally awakened. He releases a deep pent-up hunger, and the intensity of our kissing explodes as our tongues dance playfully in each other’s mouths. The rest of my body begins to tingle with exquisite sensations. His arms reach behind me, and I moan as he lifts me off the ground.
“Owwwww!” he cries. “My shoulder!”
He gently lowers me to the ground, then reaches for his right shoulder. All of the magic suddenly vanishes as Texas comes crashing back into his broken life.
“I’m sorry mam, I got carried away. I guess I just don’t have it in me anymore.”
I feel his pain, and want to cry with him, but he doesn’t need tears, he needs to be lifted back up. Looking over, I see the waterfall. I have an idea.
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CHAPTER 5
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“Come dance with me Texas. Near the waterfall. Show me the other half of your two-step dance.”
Texas laughs. It is genuine laughter. He smiles, and at least for a moment, I have placed a thin veil over his broken heart.
We move over near the waterfall and face each other. He reaches out and takes my right hand, then places his left hand behind my shoulder. He tells me to place my left hand atop his right shoulder.
“Be gentle. That’s the shoulder I busted up when the last bull threw me. The doctors tried to mend it, but couldn’t, and told me never to ride again. I will lead. You start by simply walking backward. I will begin by stepping forward with my left foot, and you step back with your right foot. The easiest way to remember is that ladies are always right.”
I liked the sound of that, especially since it is true.
“We are going to take two quick steps, then two slow steps. Try to keep our feet moving together.”
We dance together for several minutes, and it is wonderful to be touched and held by someone while dancing. It is a simple dance, and Texas does it well. He hums a delightful tune while we dance.
“Very good!” says Texas. “Now let’s add a spin. We’ll start slowly.”
He shows me a spin move, and I see my chance. I vary my steps a bit to get him into position, then enter the spin. I pull my hand from his and purposely fall backward over a rock into the pool of water.
“I guess like you, I only did the one-step! Hurry Texas! Help me up! The water is so cold!”
“I’m so sorry. We have to get you back to the cabin!”
“There is no time. We will never make it there before I freeze. Let’s go behind the waterfall.”
“Sorry mam, but that would just be plum loco.”
“Help me to walk.”
He wraps his arm around me and we move toward the waterfall. I speak a nature spell to separate the flowing waters. As I hoped, there is a small chamber behind the waterfall.
“How did you do that?”
“I am a nature spirit. I asked the water to make a different choice when it reached the rocks above the waterfall. The water has a chance to go left or right around a rock, it made a different choice, and created an opening. Let us go inside, quickly.”
Texas pauses for a moment. “These rocks. They look like they could be a faerie ring. Are you going to make me disappear?”
I thought about his words, and another idea came to mind. But it would have to wait. “I’m not a faerie, remember?”
He led me through the gap in the waters. I speak another nature spell and ask the water to fan out to make a complete and perfect curtain around us.
“How did you do that?”
“I will explain later. But now, take off your jacket and lay it on this large rock.”
I speak a third nature spell and create a small round orb of light. The orb also releases heat, and I am hoping the warmth will be contained inside the curtain of water. He turns to face me, and I slowly and seductively remove my wet tunic, then walk past him to lie down on his jacket.
“Remove your clothes and lay on top of me. I need the warmth of your body. Your flesh pressing against mine.”
“I learned something like that once in a survival course I took,” says Texas. “You’re a lot prettier than the retired Marine that taught that course.”
He quickly removes his shirt and sets it aside. As he removes his trousers, a bulge is evident in front of his groin. His whole body is lean hard muscle.
“Your undergarments must come off too. Hurry, I am cold.”
He reveals his large and fully erect cock. I wonder if all Texans possess such size.
“Do cowboys get so large by riding bulls?” I ask.
Like all Huldras, when I was younger, I had with a cow’s tail. Only after seducing many men did it finally go away. It is ironic, now that my tail is gone, I am trying to seduce a bull rider!
He laughs again, “We have a saying that everything is bigger in Texas.”
I spread my legs apart, “Then come here and warm my insides too.”
He was on me in an instant, his left hand resting next to my head, and his right hand controlling his massive cock. He brushes the enormous head against my vulva, and I feel hot blood surging to my labial lips. He moves his cock up and down my slit, seeking an opening between the puffy lips.
“I’m not ready for you yet! Use your mouth to loosen me up!”
He understands and drops to his knees. His face disappears between my legs, and all I can see is the hair on top of his head. His hands wrap around my thighs, then rest on top of them, gently pulling outward. I feel his warm tongue make contact and he begins lapping at me like a wild animal, with short quick licks, drawing moans of appreciation from me. He pauses for a moment, then plunges his nose deep into my slit, moving up and down from my vagina to my clit, my warm flesh pressing tightly against him. I have not been with a man for a while, and this feels so wonderful.
He pulls back, “You don’t smell like any woman I’ve ever known. You have an earthy aroma, but the scent is sweet like honey and fresh, like a forest in springtime. Or a field of hay after a rainstorm.”
“Remember, I am not like any woman, because I am not a woman.”
His tongue replaces his nose, sliding in long slow motions up my slit just touching the hood of my clit, then reversing, as the bottom of his tongue drags slowly back down to my opening. I shudder, but not from the cold. My right hand finds its way to my breast, and I play with my erect nipple.
“Stop teasing me!” I yell. “Suck my clit!”
He moves up to my clit and begins suckling it, drawing it out further and capturing the sensitive nub between his lips. I start moaning, my entire body quivering. Inside, my muscles tense and relax, pulsing from his efforts, and draw forth my moisture from within. I am ready to cum, and consider directing him to insert his cock, but I can’t. This feels too damn good! “Don’t stop! It feels so great!”
I grab the back of his head and hold him tight against me as a primal roar leaps from my throat. Spasms of a powerful orgasm wrack my body and I feel myself pushing out cum like a waterfall. Texas laps at it with his tongue and my insides rumble and echo several more times with his thunder.
Finally, I push him away. I gasp as his warm skin and hot breath are replaced by the cool damp air. “Stick it in now! I am ready!”
He rises, and as he stands, the light from the orb casts his shadow against the shimmering curtain of water. Both the orb and the waterfall curtain are my nature spells, but looking at him now, there is a even stronger magical aura hanging in the air. No longer tentative, he guides his cock between my labial lips and finds my opening. I am ready and waiting for him. He enters me slowly at first, pulling back several times as he stretches my tightness, then his wild uncontrollable passion takes over and he plunges all the way in. He fills me with terrific sensations as I grip his massive cock with my inner muscles and try to pull him ever deeper!
He begins pumping furiously, his slick cock gliding and pulsing deep inside me. It is his turn to moan, and I can tell he is near. I squeeze tighter against him, but he keeps his rhythm and does not slow. “Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!” he cries, as he pumps his seed deep into me with each thrust. My insides explode as my second orgasm overtakes me, but I try to stay silent, so I can concentrate and remember the sound of his breathing, the guttural sounds emitting from his throat, the movement of his body, the ripple of his muscles, and the look of satisfaction on his face.
After a final thrust, he collapses on top of me, flesh-on-flesh, pressing tight, fighting for breath, both warmth and love flowing freely between our bodies.
A short while later, he raises himself enough to give me a long, sensuous kiss, just barely parting my lips. I can taste myself on his lips, and smell myself on his face. It is the smell of the forest, a spicy tang similar to the aroma of a green branch, freshly broken from new spring growth.
Looking into my eyes he tells me, “That was amazing. I guess this old cowboy still has it after all.”
Then, he collapses back onto me, and we remain thus, unmoving. He rests his forehead against my cheek, bathing my neck with his warm breath as he nuzzles against me.
As a Huldra, I have lured dozens of men into the woods for sex, often to the dismay of their girlfriends and wives, but there is something special about Texas. It isn’t just his cock, he drew me to him with his wonderful music, I enjoy his humor and his silly attempts at dancing, and yes, I am even beginning to appreciate his stubbornness and his persistence in chasing me through the forest.
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CHAPTER 6
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“It is time for us to leave the waterfall.”
Inside the waterfall, it is warm and dry from the heat cast by the orb. Texas gets up and puts his clothes on, and since my tunic is now dry, I do the same.
“OK, you said later. Tell me what you did to the waterfall.”
“The water runs into a rock at the top of the waterfall. It has a choice of going left or right to get around the rock and continue its path. I asked the water to make a third choice. You should learn from the waterfall when you come to the next rock in your path.”
“I don’t understand,” says Texas.
“In your life as a bull rider, you were going in one direction around a rock. You met the woman, and you changed for her. You decided to go to the other side of the rock. But you found out it was the wrong path. She left you, even though you changed for her. After she left, you encountered another rock and decided to come here to Norway instead, to be alone. You chose to crawl under the rock and hide!”
I continued, “To make the curtain of water, I asked the water not to go left, or to go right, or hide under the rock, but instead, to go over the rock. Remember that! Learn from nature. When you come to your next rock, stay on the straight and true path of love, and go over the rock! Do anything and everything to get over that rock.”
“I never thought of it that way, but you are right,” says Texas
I speak two nature spells, one to extinguish the orb, the other to part the waters. I take Texas by the hand and we exit the waterfall. I ask the water to gently spritz both of us as we pass, then return to its normal flow.
“Tell me about the light.”
“The orb is called a Hessdalen light. I concentrate energy to form a small ball, which produces both light and heat. I do not know where the energy comes from, it is just there. I learned to do this from another Huldra in the Hessdalen valley.”
“My grandfather used to call strange lights like this will-o’-the wisp. He said the lights would retreat if you approached and follow you if you walked away. But science determined it was just marsh gas. I’ll have to check to see if there is a scientific reason for your Hessdalen lights.”
“Why do you need a reason for everything, Texas? Can you not accept what is, just because it is? You ignored the words of your grandfather when he told you about Samhain because he had no proof of ghosts or spirits. Am I not living proof? Do you look for a reason to love someone, or can you accept love when it is offered to you? No wonder your heart is broken! You have chosen to hide under a rock, and wait for proof that someone loves you!”
I reach up and pull his lips down to mine, and give him a kiss of love. Not forceful, not deep, a gentle one, savouring the warm contact between our lips. “I love you, Texas”.
“And I love you too!”
It is time to complete my plan to heal his broken heart, even if I must be less than truthful. I am not a faerie, but I must make him think that I am. A broken heart is a tricky thing to heal, even for a woodland spirit. It is not physically broken, it is emotionally broken, and lives deep inside someone’s mind, where no magic or spells can reach. And just as the red deer healed herself, Texas must heal himself.
“I lied. I am a faerie, and my faerie ring is inside the waterfall. You entered under your power, and I have trapped your inner spirit inside my faerie ring!”
“I knew it!” shouts Texas.
I look him in the eye with a fierce expression on my face.
“Your physical body has left my faerie ring, but your inner spirit, the one with your broken heart, cannot escape. It will never leave my faerie ring. I have freed you from your broken heart and that part of you has disappeared forever. I have shown you the path you need to follow to overcome any rocks in your way. And I have asked you to accept love when it is offered, and not to question it. How do you feel, standing here?”
“You did all of this for me? I feel better!” says Texas. A tear falls down his cheek and joins the snuffle in his nose. “I thought it was impossible, but you did it. You healed my broken heart.”
“Like the red deer doe, you healed yourself. I just helped. Now, come with me! The night is young, and we will run together!”
I take his hand and we make our way up the mountain. The moon has set, and it is very dark. There is only a faint greenish glow to the north, and shielded by the mountain, and a multitude of stars are visible against the clear nocturnal sky. He cannot see the path, but I am patient and guide his way.
“I never knew the stars were so spectacular here. I’ve spent every night inside the cabin. When I would go to rodeos in small towns, I would sometimes drive out on a dirt road, away from the lights, and just stop to look at the stars. This is just like the good old times, here they are even more amazing!”
We reach the rocky top of the mountain, and the Northern Lights are revealed. They are brilliant tonight, and there is enough illumination to let us easily pick our way across the top of the mountain. A green aura bathes the rocks and kisses the limbs of a few small pine trees, casting shadows, which flicker with the swirling movement of the lights. Lesser flames of purple and blue dance next to the green.
“The lights are magnificent,” says Texas. “I never thought you could see them this time of year.”
“This is the best time of year to see them,” I reply. “The nights are longer, it is not as cold, and there are fewer clouds.”
“It is so lonely up here. Wild and mysterious.”
“Are you describing me, or the mountain?” I ask.
“You are both wild and mysterious, but hopefully you are not lonely, at least tonight.”
“I can never be lonely when I am with you, Texas. Hold me.”
Texas moves behind me and wraps his warm arms around me. We stand transfixed, watching the dancing lights. Texas whispers in my ear, “Let me sing you a song to remember tonight. I will borrow the tune from one of my favorite country songs. A happy one, I promise.”
Vesper sky in untamed burn,
dancing flames in constant churn.
Shades of green, purple, blue,
mingle with celestial hue.
Vivid lucent glimmer,
wild, swirling shimmer.
Veiled beyond translucent glow,
stars gaze on vibrant show.
Beauty streams, eyes pan,
visions worthy of a Huldra’s hand.
I’ve always had a soft place in my heart for creativity, especially for artists and musicians, and I cannot help but cry. Texas is so wonderful; he has stolen my heart.
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Chapter 7
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The dancing flames slowly fade as the faint glow on the eastern horizon heralds the arrival of daylight. Texas and I stand at the top of the mountain and look out over the untamed scenery. The sun’s rays have not yet reached us but are instead scattering high in the sky. It is neither daylight nor darkness. The reflected light reaches us, it is surreal and I know it possesses special magic.
I turn to face Texas and place my left hand on his right shoulder. I close my eyes and reach deep into my healing powers, and call upon the special energy of the ambient predawn light. As I feel the power flowing through me, I open my eyes and see my hand glowing. A moment later, it is done.
“What did you just do?” asks Texas.
“Your shoulder is healed.”
Texas lifts his arm and rotates his right shoulder.
“There’s no popping noise and no pain! How is such a thing possible?”
“I am the warden of the forest and have special healing powers in my realm. I care for everything in the forest and can heal all things, given enough time. Like the red deer doe, you are in my forest. I healed her, and now, I have healed you.”
Texas wraps his arms around me as the first amber rays of sunlight reach us. The cold grey mountaintop turns brilliant orange and red, coloured by the multi-hued moss. The grasses reveal their faded browns and yellows. The sun rays kiss several rock outcroppings, casting them in strong contrasting patterns of shadow and light. The whole scene is a showcase of the splendor of nature.
“How can I ever thank you?” asks Texas.
“You know nothing, Texas! Go back to your home. Start living life again and ride every bull you find, you fool!”
He tries to kiss me again, but I push him away. “It is dawn! Keep your eyes open! Watch as your spirit leaves the pain of your past. Like the sunrise, it is moving from darkness into light. No longer a soulless grey, it is full of vibrant living colour!”
He reaches out and runs his fingers through my hair and I smile. “This is the first time I can get a good look at you. Your hair is so smooth and soft, the natural blonde color shines in this awesome morning light. I can stare into your pure blue eyes forever and I love the way they twinkle when you smile. Your face is perfection! You are the most gorgeous woman I have ever known! I’ve never felt so close to anyone before.”
I point down the mountain, “Your cabin is there. It is time for me to leave you.”
“You healed my broken heart, and now you are breaking it again,” says Texas.
“You should know that a Huldra and a human can never have a life together, no matter how much they love each other. Winter is coming, and I have much work to do to prepare the forest.”
“Will I ever see you again?”
“I can never leave the forests here in Norway.”
“That fact is just a rock, and you have taught me what to do when faced with a rock. I will stay on the true path of love, go over the rock, and come back at the same time next year to look for you. How can we find each other?”
“When you return, keep your senses open and let your imagination guide you to the most likely spot. Bring your guitar. Sing love songs from deep in your heart, and I will find you.”
“What if I miss you so much that I need to come back earlier?”
“If you had listened to your grandfather, you would know what to do. Look for me at tween places in tween times.”
“What does that mean?” asks Texas.
“Where did you first see me?”
“You were dancing on my fence.”
“Your fence is a tween place. It is a boundary between your cabin and the forest. It is shared by both. Any place in the natural world that is neither one place nor another is where I can be found. Look for me in a place between here and there. A place between sun and rain. A place where one energy ends, and another begins. Where streams divide, where shadow meets light, where water meets land.”
“And what is tween time?” asks Texas.
“We met last night at tween time. Both Samhain and Alfablot are times marking the end of the growing season and the beginning of winter. Look for me when the bird cherries bloom, marking the days between the end of winter and the arrival of spring. You saw me last night at twilight, the time between night and day. We are parting now at dawn. You can also find me at Midnight. It is also a tween time, neither one day nor the next.”
Texas leans down and kisses me. Not a kiss of love, but a kiss of passion. Long and deep. One that he knows must last him until we meet again.
“Hey, I just realized I don’t even know your name.”
“I cannot tell you my real name. Names are powerful in the spirit world, and if you knew it you could control me. I will not allow any man to do that.”
“You keep calling me Texas. Can I make up a name for you?”
“If you would like.”
“It is morning, so I will call you Amarillo. It’s from the name of my favorite country song, “Amarillo by Morning”. It tells the story of a rodeo cowboy who is traveling all night to a rodeo in Amarillo. Along the way, he reflects on his rodeo life, including broken bones, lost love, and poverty. But he doesn’t regret his life because he is free.”
“That sounds like your life, Texas. Your spirit just traveled with me all night, and now, this morning, you are free.”
“You have done some much for me, Amarillo. Is there anything I can do to thank you?”
“I have two requests. First, go to your grandfather and honour him as you are supposed to do for Samhain and Alfablot. Tell him about me. Let him know that faeries and woodland spirits are real. He will be pleased. Then, come back to me some day, Texas. Give me another night like this one. A night to cherish forever. I am going now. It is better if you do not see me leave. Turn around and count backward from 10.”
“10, 9, 8, 7”
And I am gone!
*****************
One week later
*****************
I miss Texas, and return to the cabin, hoping he is still there, but he has gone. I find a lovely drawing on the door that he must have made. On it, are sketches of both of our faces, along with some strange symbols underneath.
I take the drawing with me and go back to the same waterfall. Using a nature spell, I separate the waters and go inside. Holding the paper, I know it will not last. I cannot carry it with me and have no place to store it. I look at a smooth rock on the back of the waterfall and have an idea. I say a nature spell, asking the rock to form the same image that is on the paper, so it will last forever. When the rock is finished reforming, I hold up the drawing next to it and offer my thanks.
There are strange symbols beneath our two faces, but I cannot understand them. I assume they are English, a language I can neither read nor write. When Texas returns next year, I will ask him what they mean.
I L O V E Y O U A M A R I L L O
I walk out from under the waterfall and let it return to its natural flow. Texas left his broken heart under the waterfall, but now I know it won’t be lonely. At least until next year, a piece of my own heart will rest here with his.
***************
The End
***************
Author’s Notes:
The Huldra is a beautiful and seductive forest spirit from Norse mythology. The Huldra is known as a long-haired blonde who lives in the forests and mountains of Norway. Huldras appear like women, but have cow-like tails, until they can seduce many men, then it goes away. She can grant rewards to those who please her, or misfortune to those who do not. When she chooses a man to seduce, often by using the power of song, he is sometimes never seen again. There is a tourist railroad near Aurland (northeast of Bergen) which stops at the magnificent Kjosfossen waterfall, and visitors can hear music and watch red-clad Huldra dance near the waterfall. If you wish to see the Huldra dance in the mists of the Kjosfossen waterfall, there are several videos on YouTube.
The Hessdalen lights are a luminous phenomenon that occurs regularly in the Hessdalen valley, southeast of Trondheim. They are free-floating light balls of varying sizes. They can be bright white, yellow, or red, and may appear over the horizon or near ground level. Science has been unable to explain them, and theories include cosmic energy, distortions in the earth’s magnetic field, tectonic strain, UFOs, and mirages. Or, it could just be a Huldra gathering enough energy to form one? You can see videos of the Hessdalen lights on YouTube.