Luke Brackins and The Rune to Midgard

Luke continued studying the stone as he ran his fingers along the indention of where it nestled into the cover. He japed, poked, and then…felt a click. Suddenly, the room was spinning. Air whooshed! Back and forth by his ears, his belly button felt like it was sucked through his mouth and back out of his spine, and a blazing, iridescent green light engulfed him. Before he knew it, he was on all fours, panting for breath; the…episode was over as quickly as it began. Luke was so nauseous he threw up; he couldn’t help himself. “Uckkkkgggh,” he heard a few feet away from him. Luke wiped his mouth and looked around, bewildered. “Matt?” he called out. It sounded like he was puking, too. “Oghhckkk, over…here,” Matt said, as he lay prostrated out on the ground. Luke crawled over and helped him to his feet. As his vision returned to normal, Luke looked around for any sign of what just happened. It was obvious they were no longer in Luke’s room. Waving grass rolling to a steady breeze encompassed the boys. The sun hammered at his back and a narrow dirt road curled before them. They were atop rolling hills that dipped and dragged along the horizon, like grassy knolls. Moreover, there were no houses as far as Luke could see. He pulled his shaggy brown hair out of his face, and scrubbed the dirt from his eyes. To his dismay, they were still in the middle of nowhere. “Man, you’re not gonna believe this. Take a look!” Luke exclaimed. Matt was still dizzy and panting. He wiped his eyes again and again and still saw the exactly what Luke saw. “Dude, where are we?” he puffed. He checked his cell phone; it was smashed. “Amazing… Two hundred dollars, busted. What now?” he asked fuming. Luke had no idea.. He shook his head in disbelief and realized he was holding something. “Matt, check it out,” he said, holding the emerald stone out to his friend. “But where’s the book?” Matt asked. Luke inspected the stone; it was still connected to the gold chain and looked more like a necklace than a book ornament. “Oh, gosh I’m sick. What just happened? Where are we? Dude, where’s your room? What’s going on?” Matt asked, finally breaking down. Luke was surprised to see his bulked up friend in such a state of panic. “I dunno man, but we’ll figure this out,” he responded, gently patting his buddy’s back. “Look, there’s a road,” he pointed. “We’ll just walk it. It’s bound to lead somewhere, right?” He tried to remain as calm as possible. Matt just stared blankly up and down the dirt road and finally conceded. “Sure, dude. Whatever.” “Um, which way do ya think?” Luke asked. Matt looked up at the sky. “Well, the sun seems to be moving over there,” he pointed, “so…that would mean that’s west. So, that’s north and that way’s south, and over there’s east,” he explained. “Wow, where did you learn that?” Luke asked astonished. The two just laughed half-heartedly. “Boy scouts, in the fifth and sixth grade,” Matt responded. “I never thought I would actually use it though,” he added. They chuckled again. “So, we’ll go south, and maybe we’ll run into someone who can help us,” Luke said. Matt just nodded. The boys walked and the sun slowly made its way across the sky. They came up with a lot of “what if” scenarios as they tried to figure out what happened to them. “Dude, we’re just dreaming,” Matt said. “This is just a dream. We were playing Xbox and fell asleep.” Luke just nodded; he didn’t have any better ideas. His mind kept drifting to the stone he was carrying in his pocket. “I dunno, I just want to get home,” Luke said. It came out as if he were pleading with Matt to tell him how to do it. “Think about it. One minute we were in your room, the next were puking in some valley. Not cool, dude,” Matt said with conviction. “It doesn’t make any sense,” Luke agreed, trying to convince himself of the dream theory that Matt was so sure was right. They continued their walk along the winding dirt road in the middle of the valley for quite some time; all the while, Luke’s mind was on the stone. “What do you remember last, Luke?” Matt asked after a few more minutes of trekking. “I dunno, really,” Luke answered. “I was fiddling with the book when…” Luke’s mind began spinning. “The stone! It was on the book!” he yelled. “It did something; I felt it like loosen or something,” he continued, “and then wham! We’re puking in a field!” “What? Well, you’ve got the stone right?” Matt asked. Luke stopped walking and pulled it out of his pocket. “Yeah, see?” He showed it to Matt. “Well, where is the book, dude?” Luke shrugged; he had no idea. “Dude…. Just don’t lose it. We might need to pawn it for a ride home,” Matt said. Luke nodded. He thought the best way to keep it safe was to wear it like a necklace, but as soon as he put his head through the golden chain, he felt a sensation he’d never experienced before. A rush of calm flooded every fiber of his body. A true sense of joy filled his heart. Luke was just overcome with emotion: knowing, happiness, and serenity all at once. It was as if enlightenment had been brought forth to his heart and mind. Luke’s face went flush and he was short of breath. He felt a connection to something, and realized they were no longer alone. All he could do was smile and laugh. Matt, surprised at Luke’s odd behavior, began to laugh as well. “Dude, are you alright?” he questioned.