Sunbeams danced upon the ripples of Sydney Harbour. A warm gentle breeze caressed Astrid's bikini clad body; wisps of blonde hair escaped her hairclip and tickled her shoulders. The young woman wandered along the seashore, relishing the refreshing coolness of the shallow water as it lapped her ankles. Her mind wandered back to a similar lonely day so many years ago
With Hans and Frida Eriksen her parents, she had immigrated to Australia in the hope of a better future. Hans was an expert in the field of optical air monitoring, and had moved his family from beautiful Nyborg in Denmark, to bustling Sydney, where air pollution was becoming an increasing problem. At the tender age of six, and being unable to speak a word of English, Astrid had been enrolled in a multicultural school.
Children from all corners of the world played together, their laughter and love of life the only connection. Several Vietnamese boat children chatted with their Chinese cousins. South American and Spanish children conversed. Greek children gathered in large groups. Teachers included everyone in the lessons and games, but Astrid felt so lonely. Why, oh why did Daddy move our family to this horrid place? She thought.
Then it happened. Day three of the new school year, and a new boy was enrolled. His name was Rolf Lindholm. Rolf had blond hair and blue eyes, just like her. On hearing him speak, she was filled with happiness. The language was vaguely familiar, although not her native Danish. The two six year olds conversed to the best of their ability, and Rolf explained that he was from Sweden. The family had been lured from Stockholm to Sydney, where his father had been appointed professor of medieval studies at the university.
The pair became inseparable; when not at school they visited each other's homes. Their families also became friends, and outings and barbecues were a common occurrence. The children enjoyed listening to Professor Lindholm's stories of Nordic mythology. They loved the tales of the fearless Vikings and warrior maidens.
As Astrid and Rolf's English skills improved, their circle of friends grew. Upon graduating from primary school, they were voted the King and Queen of the class of 1986. They made a stunning couple. Their peers gathered around and clapped as cheered as Rolf held Astrid in his arms for the Graduation waltz.
The popular couple dated right through the five years of high school. Friends had strings of romances and conquests, but neither Astrid nor Rolf sought greener pastures. Everyone said that they were soul mates; perhaps they were right. Holding hands, and tender kisses came so naturally, and as the age of consent neared, both felt the need to consummate their love.
Maybe predictable, and the stuff that teenage movies are made of, but Astrid and Rolf decided to give their virginity to each other on High School Graduation night. After the formalities were over, the couple danced all evening. When the band came back onstage for the last bracket of slow smoochy songs Rolf held Astrid close, both aware of their hunger for the other. Rolf felt Astrid's pert nipples against his chest, and his penis responded, prodding her tummy. Finally the lights came back on and everyone said their goodbyes, promising to keep in touch.
Rolf took Astrid's hand, and led her to the VW beetle that his parents had bought him for his 18th birthday. They slipped inside the car and drove to a highway motel, where he had booked a room. Twelve years had lapsed since they first met and barely had a day passed when they had not seen each other, but that night was new and exciting. As they embraced, both kicked off their shoes and fell onto the king sized bed. They fondled and petted, slowly undressing each other. Rolf undid the long zipper in the back of Astrid's dress, and she responded by unfastening his shirt buttons, unbuckling his belt, and lowering his fly. They stood, allowing the loosened clothing to fall to the floor. Looking deeply into each other's eyes, the pair hooked their thumbs into the sides of their undies, and stepped out of the garments, which fell to their ankles. Rolf gently stroked Astrid's thatch of soft downy pubic hair, before sliding one finger into her wetness. She gasped, as she wrapped her hand around his thick penis, and slowly slid the skin back and forth, marveling at the bead of precum. Both were breathing deeply, feeling the need to be as one. They held each other tightly and reclined onto the bed. Rolf took his weight on his arms, as Astrid held his penis against her virginal pussy. The lovers caressed and petted, before Rolf gently pushed the head of his cock against her intact hymen. It was unyielding. The couple ground their hips against each other, finally, the skin ruptured, and Rolf's cock descended into Astrid's wetness. She moaned loudly as her virginity was taken; a trickle of blood ran down her bottom. It only took a few thrusts before Rolf's cum exploded into his lover. They lay in a close embrace, happy and satisfied that each had given their self to the other.
Rolf had chosen to pursue a career with the New South Wales Police Force, and after three years, had been promoted to the rank of Senior Constable. Astrid had a natural flair for science, and was in her third year at university, when Rolf proposed.
It was a fairytale wedding, if anything could ever be perfect; their wedding day was just that. The newlyweds spent their first night as a married couple in the Shangri-la hotel in Sydney. They made love all night. It was something they had done many times before, but now they had made their vows to each other, their love felt deeper and stronger than before.
Early the next day, they caught a cab to the airport. Both were looking forward to their two-week romantic honeymoon in Bali. After all the formalities of seat allocation and booking in luggage, they made themselves comfortable in the departure lounge. They were amongst the first passengers to arrive, so they settled on a sofa, and hugged and kissed as they declared their love for each other.
The other passengers steadily trickled into the lounge, waiting for the boarding announcement. Suddenly, the soft mumble of excited voices was broken by a shrill scream. There was a scuffle in the adjoining lounge. A young guy of Asian appearance raced away through the crowd. He was carrying a woman's red handbag. Rolf acted on instinct, and flew from his seat in pursuit of the felon. He chased the agile guy through the airport baggage section and along a corridor, which was a dead end.
Trapped, and panicking, the Asian drew a pistol from inside his shirt. A shot rang out, Rolf held his chest and fell to the floor, an ever-growing patch of bright red blood covering his T-shirt and forming a puddle on the ground around his motionless body.
Several security guards converged on the scene and quickly apprehended the criminal. Another guard knelt over Rolf, feeling for a pulse in his neck; there was nothing. The guard closed Rolf's unseeing eyes as a crowd gathered around the bloodied corpse. Astrid pushed her way through the spectators, and threw herself upon the body of her dead husband. Her husband, her lover, her soul mate was gone.
Later the Police Department awarded a posthumous citation to Rolf, for his selfless bravery in the capture of a wanted drug trafficker. It appeared that the guy had planted a quantity of cocaine in a woman's handbag prior to leaving Bangkok airport. Once it had arrived safely in Australia, carried by the naïve woman, the felon grabbed the bag and made a run for it.
Life now seemed meaningless to Astrid. Her family tried to help, as did Rolf's; but she sank deeper into depression. She could no longer sleep. Her days were spent wandering the shores of Sydney Harbour. At night, she sat beside Rolf's grave. Sometimes she would lie on the cold marble that covered his body, imagining that she was resting in his arms.
………………………………………..
Astrid's wandering mind snapped back to reality as the warm gentle breeze suddenly turned to an Easterly direction. She shivered, as the sky darkened and huge raindrops soaked her scantily clad body. Astrid ran from the beach to the steps, which led to the shelter of several boutique shops, where she bought a sarong to cover her skimpy bikini. As she roamed aimlessly around the shops, someone handed her a leaflet, advertising a psychic fair, which was to be held at the Exhibition Center later that week. The storm passed quickly and Astrid headed home to the loneliness of her apartment.
The young widow fixed herself a snack, and settled into a large easy chair to watch TV. Then she remembered the leaflet about the psychic fair. What if … just what if there is a way that I can communicate with Rolf? After a restless few hours sleep, Astrid dressed, and walked to the graveyard. She told Rolf that she was going to find a way for them to be together again. She thought she heard a sigh from beneath the cold earth; her heart fluttered with the feeling of the love that only she and Rolf knew.
Astrid was among the first group of visitors at the Exhibition Center the following morning. Every type of psychic phenomena was represented. There were scores of displays, some quite elaborate; others just consisted of a medium sitting at a velvet-covered table. Not knowing where to begin, Astrid decided to walk up and down the aisles until she 'felt' something. Nothing gave out any 'vibes' although a gypsy woman with a crystal ball was doing a lot of wailing and drawing a large crowd.
Almost ready to give up and go home, Astrid came to a very insignificant display tucked away in a dark corner. It was a simple black tent; on top was a large sign that read 'WELCOME TO VALHALLA'. That was the omen that Astrid had been looking for. She and Rolf had heard from Prof Lindholm many, many tales of the Vikings and their Gods that this HAD to be the sign that she was looking for.
A muscular young man, arms crossed tightly across his chest stood outside the tent. Dressed as Thor, the God of thunder, he wore a leather toga-type garment, on his head a winged golden helmet, at his side Mjolnir his legendary hammer. Golden hair and beard framed his strong handsome face. Sky blue eyes stared ahead. Upon seeing Astrid take an interest in the display, 'Thor' stepped to one side, gave a deep bow and pulled aside the curtain that shielded the opening to the tent. Astrid thought that it was rather theatrical, but her curiosity won and she stepped inside the darkened confines of the display.
Once her eyes had adjusted to the dim light, Astrid saw a large blonde woman sitting behind a small table. The woman wore a metal helmet that had buffalo horns on either side. Her long hair was tied in braids, which hung over her ample bosom, and shone like gold against the course dark material of her habit.
"Welcome, my pretty one. I have been expecting you!" The woman announced. "Come, sit at my table, there is much to discuss."
Astrid sat in disbelief opposite the woman at the table.
"You …you have been expecting me? I don't understand." She stuttered.
"Oh yes, my sweet one. Allow me to explain. I am Helga, I come from a long line of Gothi; do you understand?"
"Yes, I know of Gothi. They were wise magicians in the Viking era over a thousand years ago. Professor Lindholm told me about them. So you are saying that you are a Gothi?" Astrid answered quizzically.
"It is true, my sweet. Allow me to demonstrate my gift. I know that this must be difficult for you."
At this stage the matter of payment hadn't been discussed, so Astrid relaxed a little, and watched as Helga shook a bag of Runes and tipped them onto the table before her. Helga turned over the stones so they were all face down, and began chanting in an unusual manner. She then moved her hands over the stones, stirring them clockwise. The chanting stopped. Helga looked skywards and in a language of unknown origin, posed a question to an unseen spirit. While asking the question, she drew four of the stones, and placed them before her in a diamond pattern. Lowering her eyes, Helga silently began interpreting the stones. Her brow furrowed, she gasped, and continued her divination.
After what felt like hours, but was in reality only minutes, Helga announced, "It is as I suspected. I think I can help you."
