The Stones of the Norn
The cold rain was coming down hard. There was no such thing as a warm rain in Ireland. Chloe stumbled out of bed and looked out her window with a look of gloom on her face. The rain was creating a thick fog where not even the sharpest light could cut through. Chloe’s dad calls up to her, shouting, “Chloe, it’s time to go out and round up the sheep. I’m having one hell of a time seeing them through this damned fog.”
“Why do I have to do it?” Chloe shouts back to her father.
“Who the bloody hell else do you think is gonna do it?” Chloe’s father shouts back. “You’re all that I have left ever since your mother passed away and your brother was killed at Torchwood a couple years back.”
“Alright dad. I’ll be down in a sec.”
Chloe turned away from the condensation soaked window. She walks to her mother’s old dresser and takes out an old shepard’s hat. Chloe takes her short red hair and pushes it up underneath the brown, beaten hat. She continues getting ready by putting on a thick, unappealing, white, wool knit sweater and covers her slender body, making her incredibly mannish. She takes a look in the mirror above her dresser and let’s out a big sigh, scoffs, and walks down stairs. She holds on tightly to the rail of the stairs. She knows that any step could snap in at any time. As Chloe slowly proceeds down the stairs she is greeted by the sight of her father sitting by the fire in his wheelchair.
“Da, why do I have to wear these horribly unattractive clothes? I mean, can’t I just go out in a slicker or something that makes me feel good about myself?”
“Oh sure, when you put it that way… NO! Everyone in and has ever been in this family has worn the same traditional clothing. So I would very much appreciate it if you can let me hold on to the last shred of our family.”
“I know, but I feel like a man in these clothes.”
“As you should, seeing as that they are men’s clothes and you are doing a man’s job. This is no job for a beautiful young lady such as yourself.” Chloe’s father says deeply as he kisses his daughter’s forehead.
“Aw, thanks dad… So can I change then?”
“No."
Chloe grunts and walks towards the door. She opens the door and walks outside into the dense fog. Chloe walks out into the field and keeping her eyes peeled for her missing sheep. The fog was mysteriously getting thicker, even though it seems that the rain has stopped. Chloe continues to search the field in vain. “This blows. I can’t find a single bloody sheep. And this bloody fog isn’t helping,” shouts Chloe up at the clouds. She begins to walk back towards the house when all of the sudden, in the corner of her eye, she sees a white blur shoot by her. She knows that it could be only one thing, her sheep. In hopes of finding the sheep, she walks towards where she thought she saw the white blur go. As she looks around the area she noticed the fog getting significantly thicker. She persistently looks around for the sheep, but the fog was just too dense.
Just as Chloe was about to give up hope, she notices a white blur again. Chloe begins to walk towards the blur with great relief, but as she approached the blur began to appear larger. Chloe, now only a few feet away, noticed a series of large stones in the middle of the field. Chloe knew these fields like the back of her hand and she has never noticed a series of stones before. Just as she was about to run back to the house, she begins to notice more white blurs turning up around the stones. Chloe’s curiosity was beginning to be aroused. She wanted to know more about what was going on. She approaches the stones carefully and quietly. Her mind was still fixed on the thought that the white blurs may be sheep. Chloe creeps up a little more now being able to vaguely see what the blurs were. She notices the blurs have thick wool coating. “Could it be?” Chloe thought to her self silently.
She moved closer and closer until she was only mere inches away from one of them. She was in complete shock. They have long, pitch-black faces, with long fangs and sharp claws. These creatures are monsters!
Chloe let out a shrill scream. The monsters all turned simultaneously towards Chloe. Their fangs dropped and claws extended. Chloe turns and tries to run, but the fog kept on getting denser. “I’ve never seen fog so bloody thick! It’s absurd! I can’t see a damned thi…” Chloe trips on a rock mid-sentence and falls spraining her ankle. In fear and desperation she begins to crawl, but the beasts are relentless. Chloe was getting nowhere by crawling. The creatures caught her and surrounded her. She looked into the their eyes and saw suffering. While Chloe observes her last sights, she notices a scar on one of the beasts and remembers that one of the sheep had gotten caught in a barbed wire fence and had cut itself something fierce. The fence had scarred the sheep in a similar spot. The beasts looked upon Chloe as if they had a purpose for her, but their animal tendencies took wind and they dove at Chloe, when all of the sudden there was a whirring noise. Chloe had never heard such a sound in her life. Through the huddle of beasts, Chloe sees a flashing light. The beasts, startled, ran off back towards in the direction of the stones. As the beasts retreat, the fog begins to dissipate and the rain starts back up. Chloe looks in the direction of the sound and sees a well-dressed man walking towards her. The image begins to blur and fade. Chloe faints from all the excitement.
