Bifrost
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There was no way around it. Jason was dead. His body was lying on the ground with a large amount of blood coming from it. He knew he should be upset about that. But what dominated his mind was the fact that he was still aware of things. In fact, his awareness was no longer attached to his body. The world looked slightly fuzzy and the colors were muted, but he could still see. Sounds seemed like they were coming from behind a thin door, but he could still hear.
That should not have been possible. Everything he knew told him that he should not be experiencing anything. He should just be, well, dead. Science told him that souls were not real. That there was no afterlife. It seemed that science still had a lot to learn, but he was having trouble reconciling what he had learned with what he was experiencing.
He supposed he should put it out of his mind—or whatever it was he had now. The guys who killed him were all running. That was too bad. They were going to get away. At least Cindy was okay. She was there, crying over his body. At least he had managed to keep her safe. That was something.
Suddenly, he heard a sound much clearer than others. He turned whatever form he now had around and saw something odd. A young woman riding a white horse. She was pretty and looked like she knew her way around a gym. She was also dressed in weird armor and carried a spear. She saw him and pulled the reins of her horse.
“Oh wow.” She said. She spoke in a Nordic accent and seemed surprised to see someone. “I didn’t think I’d be seeing anyone. I mean, this was supposed to be a small fight, yeah? Really didn’t think I’d be doing much other than checking it out.”
“Uh…what?” Jason said. He was actually surprised to find that he could, in fact, talk.
“Oh yeah. We don’t get many people these days. Even when someone dies, it’s usually not a super good death. You modern people like to kill with those fancy guns. Makes it hard for people to die with honor.”
That did not answer his question. “What?” He tried again.
“Oh, I guess you wouldn’t get it, would you? So, My name’s Sigi. I’m a Valkyrie. Not like those storybook ones you all hear about. I’m a real one. You know, sent by Odin Allfather to collect the honored dead and bring them to the Halls of Valhalla.”
“Okay? I think I get it. So, why are you here?”
“Well, this was a battle, wasn’t it? A small one, but still a battle. I’m a pretty new Valkyrie, so I only clear up these little scuffles. But I haven’t actually collected a real warrior in decades, so it’s nice to actually do my job.”
“Wait, me? But I’m not a warrior. I’m just an IT guy.”
“The fact that you can see me tells a different story. But I can find out. Hold on.”
She held up her spear and a small glowing window appeared, hovering in midair. It showed Jason and Cindy walking down the street, arm in arm. It showed the muggers surrounding them. It showed one of them getting far too friendly with Cindy. It showed Jason doing his best to fend them off, swinging his fists with everything he had. He even managed to hit a few times. Then it showed him getting stabbed by one of the muggers. Then the window faded.
“Fighting to protect your lady love against several enemies. Fighting them with nothing but your fists and spirit, while they had iron and steel. A good death. In another time, this is the kind of thing that gets a song sung about you. And a death worthy of Valhalla. Well, at least I think so. The Allfather will have to judge for sure, but I don’t think there’ll be a problem.”
“Huh. I, uh, I don’t know what to say. I mean, I am…was an atheist. I never thought this stuff was real. And now I’m going to be hanging out with Vikings and gods? This is so weird.”
“I know, I know. It’s hard to really understand it all. Just take it easy and relax into it. Now come on. We’ve got a rainbow to catch.”
“A rainbow?”
He somehow moved to the horse and got on behind Sigi. She raised her spear, and the head glowed a bright rainbow light. And then a massive rainbow, larger than any building, descended. It spanned Jason’s vision and vanished into the sky, rising higher than he could hope to see. None of the living people noticed. Sigi clicked her heels and the horse started forward. Its hooves touched the light. The light acted like it was completely solid.
“Is this safe?” Jason asked.
“Oh aye. There’s nothing more reliable than the Bifrost in all the realms. It’ll take us right to the gates, where you’ll be judged good and proper.”
“What happens if I’m not let in?”
“Hm, then I guess you’ll either be given to Hela, or another afterlife’ll claim you instead. Not sure exactly. I wouldn’t worry about it. We haven’t gotten a new entry in so long that I’m sure you’ll get in. We can always use some new stories to tell around the feasting table. Now hold on. Running on this bridge, we’ll be there in no time.”
The horse started to run, faster than anything Jason had ever known to exist. Somehow he stayed on. And all the while, his mind raced. He thought of the life he left behind. He thought of the afterlife ahead of him. And he wondered what surprises the universe had in store for him now.
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Norse mythology is cool. I just hope it's not real. Because if it is, I'm screwed. I'll be going right to Helheim. You know, the sucky afterlife where all the boring people go. That would suck for all kinds of reasons.
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