splash

Chapter Two: Oslo

We docked on the safest beach we could find around Oslo. Due to the rising water level, docking has become somewhat of a complicated task. I miss the times where sea ports were the common option. "Biartor, I need you to stay and protect the ship. I have a gun in the drawer in me quarters. In case you need it." I told Biartor, our helmsman. A short guy, but even more muscular and tough than Ragnahorn. It is a fact we learned the hard way. "I'm always the one behind, captain. Why won't Eric guard the ship for once?" Biartor complained. Ragnahorn replied to him "Don't speak nonsense, if we leave Eric alone he'll be eaten alive." Eric looked at me with a sour face. Birator went on, "You're just looking to evade my stories, don't you captain?" and everyone smirked around me. I lit me pipe and I whispered loudly to the crew "He's on to me ay" as if he wasn't hearing me.

I shifted me tone to a more serious one and gathered everyone's attention, "listen up

Tars, it's time to get serious. It's no djamma. As you all know, a week back we received a distress signal from Tasiilaq, a city in Greenland, and as always we intend answering the signal. We're here to buy supplies and extra equipment for those who might need it in Greenland. Ragnahorn, Eric and good old me will go down the bazaar to buy food. Stir and Anderson, you both go get ropes, hooks and medical kits. Anything else we might need too. Now move it, all of you, before I kick your barnacles".
Stir approached me slowly, all scared like. "Captain Jokul, may I join your team?"
"Stir, everything is fine. You can handle yourself. Besides, you don't have to fear Anderson just because he won at checkers." Stir looked at me with admiration and relief and went on with Anderson. I went off to Oslo's big bazaar along with Eric and Ragnahorn.

The bazaar might be an extravagant sight of all kinds of fish with hundreds, if not thousands, of roaring people, salesman, fresh and exotic smells. But! And that's a big but, there's a bad side to this place. Hundreds of climate Refugees reach Oslo to escape the rising sea level. Thanks to the dams and walls the Norwegian government built all around Oslo, this place survives. Oslo survives. But, it must survive massive waves of immigration, something the government can barely control or slow down.

"Oslo is not as I remember it... It looks like a crime city in some science fiction film." Eric said sadly and quietly.
"There's not much left of the world as is, you should be grateful the city still exists." I told him as I was looking for fish at a good price.
"Tromso was also a fine city, I really liked it, but nothing is left..." Eric went on. As soon as he did, Ragnahorn dropped everything and grabbed little Eric's shoulder, but not with anger, "I never told you, is that right? I was born in Iceland, but when I was ten we moved to Denmark, in which I lived for 12 years. Until It no longer existed. This is how I met Jokul. I'm sorry about before, Eric." Eric gave a shocked look at Ragnahorn. I sat near the two and didn't disturb them, after all, that was the entire point of teaming them together. For a couple of moments there was a deathly silence, the background noises almost inaudible in those moments. "Why didn't you say it sooner, you moron." Eric said with a childlike temper, but also forgiveness.
"I don't like talking about it... I believe humor is a good way to deal with loss, or at least that's how I deal with it." Ragnahorn told Eric.
Eric looked down and let out a small smirk, "Huh. Humor. I wish I could deal with it all in a similar way... I'm even a bit jealous, I wish I could do the same."

Ragnahorns face suddenly turned red. Blushing? Never seen him blush with embarrassment and honesty before. "We're here for you, you skinny brat. You're a brave fella, more than you give yourself credit for. Back in Denmark, most of the people I knew just wanted to escape and take care of themselves exclusively. People I considered life-long friends ditched without a second thought. But you, despite how much you bitch and moan, despite how you're not the strongest or biggest man around, you're the person I look up to the most. Despite it all, you still go out and do what needs to be done."

Eric looked at Ragnahorn and gave him a surprise-hug, his eyes all teary. "That's all you had to say you putrid sasquatch. I like to think sometimes Jokul just enjoys gathering all the messed up and broken people, ay?"
"Damn it pipsqueak, you're too small to hug me. Idiot." Ragnahorn was all teary himself as well.
"Me job is officially done for today." I stood up and announced to the happy couple. "I only wanted both of you to get your shit together. Didn't expect such love confessions, but in any case, you have an hour to get back to the ship with supplies. I'm going back to the ship to entertain Biartor, try not getting robbed on your way." And so, I went back. Or so I intended to at first. On the way back I got a bit lost, I am a human after all, and I ended up in the old parts of Oslo. I saw all the ruin before they built their damn dams. Thousands of homes filled with rot and ruin, swept by the intense rocking waves that came before the dams. Televisions, computers, cars, all kinds of technological devices growing old, dusty, rusty. Initially swept by the floods and storms that came before the dams. Random bones and skeletons were all around the place too. People, dogs, cats, and anything else that was around to be drowned by the crushing water. A puppy's skeleton, crushed under an old car that was probably swept and turned over by a big wave. I can only hope the puppy felt nothing. A broken door, or what's left of it, that grows green with disgusting stinky mold. I entered one of the crumbling houses, an action that almost caused the roof of the house to collapse on me. Inside I saw a pair of broken skeletons hugged together. "I hope they were happy at the end." I said to meself. I hope it was fast and quick for everyone who died, every single soul and being. But I know it's not always fast and quick. I know very well.

The Norwegians leave these parts as memorials, but I find it strange. Why would you need a reminder for something that big that's still going on all around the world? The rising sea level isn't something that has happened, it's still happening.

Even after we reach Greendland and help people there, won't they be in danger a week after? 'What am I doing? All the drama among the teammates and around me, it doesn't matter... The world is drowning, people are drowning and dying!" as I think these words Stir and Anderson suddenly popped into view, visibly confused from seeing me at these parts. They were probably done walking around the city, finding whatever they needed.
"What are YOU doing here?" Stir asked.
I took a deep breath, sat on the floor and spoke to me two tars. "When I was little, me dad would take me with his best friend every weekend to fish. Those were beautiful days. This friend of his would play the guitar and my dad would teach me everything I know about sailing but... Then he got sick. Very sick. Me old man became a sick person and me mom always worked because of that. I always had to care for other people too and I had no time to think about meself. I guess it's still hard for me to think about what I want, especially after so much time not thinking about meself. I was twenty when the first separation happened. Massive waves were hitting Iceland for more than a month and a half. If your cities were built on the shoreline... It's quite an issue. It was on the eleventh day of the first separation, it was that day in which I saw me own mum die right in front of me eyes. Me neighbor was right there but instead of coming closer and helping her... He turned his look and ran away. He could have saved her. She was stuck under a broken table, and I was stuck under the rubble of what was once a big, dark and beautiful marble sink. He saw us, our distress and he chose to look away. Five shorts later the roof collapsed over me mom. When I was younger I didn't really understand how bad the state of the world really was. The world came up to me face and slapped it. It woke me up. I had to survive it alone... I don't ever want people to survive such a thing by themselves." Stir and Anderson were speechless for a few seconds, then Stir said, "Why did you never tell us that?"
"I do not like to talk about it to be honest. But places like this always evoke these things in me." I said.
"You are a fine mate cap, not everyone has the courage or will to think of others before themselves" Anderson said. I stood up and dusted me clothes. "Excuse me fellas, let's be on our way." And so we were. The depressing bubble burst and there I was, back into reality, back with me crewmates. As always happens from time to time. Biartor stood up and came as soon as he saw me, trying to tell me something about the time he sailed in the Amazon for two weeks without a sail, but I stopped him short and looked for a lighter for me pipe.

By night we had all we needed to sail and as soon as the sun came in this strange northern summer, we sailed towards Greenland. The rescue mission is finally upon us.

jokul's slang

tars= Sailor (irish slang)

djamma=partying hard (Icelandic slang)