Odin's Prize

The Long Walk (Part One)

A crow's wing flaps loudly before it takes flight into the air, it's path going towards the giant campfire near the tree line that Shamus is making his way too. The smoldering wisp of grey-white smoke corkscrewing fragments up into the early morning that holds a crispness to it.

Shamus puts a few logs on the still red embers causing those wisps of smoke to become engorged on the new fuel it gets to feed off, billowing the fattening plumes up towards the sky that is stacking layers of blues and pinks that announce how beautiful the day will be.

Just as the smoke is rolling off the logs, the heat spreading outwards, Shamus's emotions are rolling off him, spreading around the radius of him.

His back towards me, hands going into his pocket, should I let him have his moment of contemplation?

My forward motion stops going towards Shamus.

Looking at the cottage a foot raising to go back, my path halts and I feel struck not knowing which direction to take.

A momentary hesitation renderers a panic within not knowing what way to go. A glance towards the Ancient Oak where it branches sway in the wind, already the leaves are drooping with wilt on the affected side the chain has embedded deeply into its flesh.

Going towards the tree, while Shamus stays fixated on the now rising flames.

Taking an end of the chain giving it a pull, the chain hardly moves. Tugging at it again, this time harder, the chain only gives up a few inches of depth.

"Let me help you." Dad taking the other end while the both of us start to pull the heavy chain out.

"Thoughts?" Dad's voice easy on my ears.

"I'm not sure what to think, Dad."

"If you're going to be upset at someone be mad at me. It was all me, Charlie. Your mother holds no guilt. She did what was in her right to do, I was the one who condemned her for it. Her younger years of life were horrendous for her. She is who she is, and she is not to be faulted for it. It's me that holds the blame. Your mother can take a lot of things, Charlie, but what she can't take is for you to not love her. Everything she has done has been for you to prosper, to have a better life than her. To make your path easier. So if you have judgment you judge me, your mother has nothing to be judged for." He stands there solidly, unbending regarding me. Taking the corner of my shirt wiping my eyes that are starting to water, a nose that's becoming stuffy.

"It's just hard, Dad. I didn't expect this. I'm not sure what to think?" I'm unable to wipe away the tremble from my voice.

"It's understandable." Dad stops pulling on his end of the chain.

"Your mother has always put you first Charlie, even before me. You are her most precious, she would lay her life down for you without question. Understand this, she is your mother and will always love you, but she needs your love too. She's not as calloused as everyone thinks, she has a brittleness inside her that would crumble if you judge her too harshly." Dad's voice sounds tight in his throat.

"I'll always love Mom, no matter what. It's just hard because I wasn't expecting that Uncle Grey and Mom gave themselves to each other. What's even more upsetting is that you kissed Aunt Meela after I was born. Mom had your mark on her, and you did that to her." The sound of my condemnation doesn't bow him down.

"I understand, there's no excuse Charlie. I have no excuse for that behavior, but I will tell you this. If mom never had you, I would have never been forgiven. I would have never had another chance to have her love." He says the last part hushed, the air taking it away quickly with how light the sound is. Catching movement out of my periphery, Aunt Meela and Uncle Grey are making their way towards Shamus who has built up the fire, where the fingers of the flame stretch upwards in the direction of the sun.