Three whistles
The autumn wind was cold but not uncomfortable. Sitting on the ground the three boys stared on the sketch which was drawn with a stick on on the ground and showed the area around them. Matthias looked serious at his friends as if this was very important and about life or death.
“Okay.”, the eight years old Dane began pointing with the stick on one part of the sketch. “That's your kingdom, Berwald! From the big stone to the small river.”
Berwald nodded but looked a bit uncomfortable with getting this part of it. Everyone of them knew that his eyes weren't that good and so he didn't like playing war around water because it was already too cold to get wet.
“Lukas.”, Matthias began again pointing on an other part of his sketch looking up at the six years old Norwegian. “You're getting this kingdom so I get the third one.”
Lukas simply nodded and rolled his eyes. He was still pouting because they hadn't taken his little brother with them in the forest to play but nobody else wanted to take care about a two years old child. Finally he stood up with a soft sigh taking his weapon, a wooden sword which his his dad had made for him, out of the pocked and was going to go to his 'kingdom' but turned around at the last moment.
“The same rules as always?”, he asked raising a brow.
Berwald and Matthias looked at each other for a moment then they stood up as well. “Of Course!”, the Dane said as if it wasn't even a real question. “Who's bleeding is dead, who's crying as well and the winner is who get's all the kingdoms or is the last alive.”
With a small nod agreed the Swede before he thought about the other rules which wasn't for all games in the forest. “Whistle one time you need a pause, whistle two times an adult is coming and whistle three time run back to the village as fast as you can.”
A short moment of silence followed in which they were thinking about different things. Finally Matthias looked confused around. “For what is the third whistle?”, he asked. “If they're wolves we would get killed before we arrive the end of the glade.”
Berwald thought about it for a moment then shrugged. They had took the rules from the older children in the village who were now too old to play games with them because the needed to help on their farms. Finally Lukas looked around as if what he wanted to say was too important to be heard by anyone else.
“I know it.”, he whispered with a serious tone in his voice and looked much older as a six years old for a moment. “The third whistle is for when trolls are coming!”
Confused Matthias and Berwald stared at him for a moment but the Norwegian just stared back showing nothing like he had made a joke or something like that. Finally the others began to laugh loudly and the Dane needed to lean again a tree so he wouldn't fall because of laughing. Lukas cheeks turned into a light red and he looked angry at them.
“It's true!”, he said clearly angry. “My Mom told me they come to get children who aren't careful and eat them!”
Matthias shook his head still laughing. “You're really believing in trolls?”, he asked surprised. “That are only old stories to make children do what the parents want from them, bro! Don't take them so serious!”
With a nod Berwald agreed. “They aren't real, Lukas! You're really to old to believe in those stories!”
Now the Norwegian was really mad. Childish stories? How dared these annoying idiots? “I wonder if you're still laughing when they're coming to get you!”, he said biting his teeth on each other so hard that his mound hurt.
With a shrug the Dane took his play weapon holding it like a really dangerous ax. “They shall come if the dare!”, he explained grinning then raised his voice. “Are you hearing me trolls? Come and get me if you really exist and dare to touch a king!”
Lukas looked like someone had hit him in the face his face turned slightly pale but he tried to don't show it up. “You'll all see that I'm right.”, he mumbled turning around “And then you'll regret it that you didn't show them any respect.”
With fast steps he went back the way to the village ignoring the calls of the other boys. Berwald boxed Matthias's shoulder slightly angry. “Well done!”, he said sounding annoyed. “You ruined the game!”
With a confused look the Dane stared back before he shook his head mumbling an angry 'He started' going back to the village as well. He wasn't in mood to play games any longer and playing war just with Berwald was bored.
With an annoyed sigh the Swede finally followed him. Going beside for a few minutes Berwald finally turned his head around raising a brow. “You know that you need to apology, don't you?”, he asked. “It's mean to say that something is stupid in which others believe in.”
Matthias shook his head pouting before he started going faster like it would change something if he ran away. “But believing in trolls is just stupid!”, he contradicted stubbornly.
With a sigh Berwald nodded but didn't change his mind. “Lukas can be just as stubborn as you.”, he remembered. “And I don't want to choose a side.”
Rolling his eyes the Dane nodded finally blushing slightly because this did hurt his pride more as he waned to admit. “Fine!”, he muttered. “But tomorrow... I'm not a following dog so he has to to wait!”
But when they arrived the village they noticed that there wasn't even a change today to apology. Thyri, Matthias's mother, stood in front of her house with crossed arms watching the boys getting closer.
When Matthias noticed her he gulped nervously. “I forgot something...”, he whispered to Berwald who just raised a brown.
But before he could reply. Thyri went over to them grabbing the young Dane so he couldn't escape. “I told you to clean the roost!”, she said angry shaking him slightly. “You can't always go away when work has to be done!”
Matthias who was clearly scared of his mother when she was angry mumbled an excusing staring at the ground. “I forgot it...”
“If your head hadn't been grown on your body you would probably forget it too, wouldn't you?”, she snapped. “The winter is coming and we need to finish the work before the first snow comes!”
Finally she loosed her grab around Matthias's arm and sighed annoyed. “However. Lunch is ready!”, she explained pulling her blonde messy hair behind her ears. “After eating you'll clean it up and if you need the whole night! Berwald, you'll help me with the fences!”
Both agreed annoyed but didn't say anything again her words. Thyri didn't belong to these woman who were merciful with children who didn't listen and both knew it. The Swede often said that she wasn't that bad because she really just wanted the best for them both but in Matthias eyes she was like a dragon sometimes. Tolerable when she slept but watch out if she was awake or even worse angry.
“Why didn't you say anything about you need to work?”, Berwald asked whispering.
The Dane shrugged slightly. “I really forgot it!”
Sighing the Swede entered the kitchen turning around in the doorway. “Really, Matthias. You can't grow up if you're that careless.”
The work took really the whole time until it was night. Hours after the sun had set Matthias still worked cursing loudly because he was tired and angry.
“Why can't we have a slave?!”, he asked one of the chickens as if it knew the answer. “It's not like dad is dead since yesterday. But no! We don't need help from a slave nor from mum's family! For what are we vikings if she acts like on of these southern barbarians?”
The chicken opened an eye halfway watching the boy and clearly wanted to sleep. With a sudden movement the Dane scarred it for these rude way to act and laugh when it jumped from the nest and ran to an other part of the roots.
“If I would own this farm I would buy enough people so I wouldn't need to work at all.”, Matthias mumbled sighing while continuing work. But he knew that it was useless. His mother had always been again having slaves and he wouldn't do anything what would disappoint her that much even though when he was an adult.
A cold wind was letting him shiver for a moment and he needed a moment to understand what wind meant there. “The door!”, he mumbled shocked and saw that he was right. It wasn't fully closed and the chicken which ran away was nowhere to see. Counting the animals once again he cursed when he noticed that it really wasn't there.
Almost running he leaved the roots this time making sure that the door was completely closed. He looked around hoping that the chicken wasn't that far away finally seeing it a few hundredth feet away near the forest.
Matthias just wanted to ran over to it but stopped after a few steps remembering that he would scare the chicken so it would just run away. Carefully he went in circles around it slowly getting closer. When he was just a few steps away he sat down on the ground grabbing a few stones from the ground.
“Here!”, he said softly so he wouldn't wake anyone up. “Here! I've food! Don't you like it? I would think about getting it but you need to come over!”
'Oh God,', he though embarrassed. 'I'm talking with a stupid chicken!'
But the only thing it did was turning around seeming to see something more interesting as a boy who wanted to tell that this stones were food. After a few moments it cackled scared and ran as fast as it could back to the farm.
Matthias who needed a moment to get this fact blinked surprised wondering what was going on. He followed the chicken with a view but turned shocked around when he heard the footsteps. A tail, big fluffy ears, horns and violet eyes were the first he saw. With a shocked sound he jumped up taking a few steps back.
His thought ran through his head but Matthias couldn't think about something useful. He wanted to run but couldn't move. He wanted to scream but was too scared. He wanted to give the signal but all what left his mound was a splutter and no whistle. Only a few steps away stood a troll. Younger as in the stories but on the other ways he looked like on old pictures.
“Are you coming to get me?”, the Dane finally managed to say not even trying to cover up how scared he was. “I'm warning you! I'll fight!”
The troll just stared at him. It was impossible to say what ran through his head and Matthias wasn't even sure if he wanted to know this. If this troll was a human he would be almost in the same age like Lukas but the Dane didn't know if trolls grew up slower or faster.
When the boy still didn't move Matthias took a closer look on him. He was dirty, covered with something black what looked like soot, and he looked exhausted. Blinking surprised the Dane called him again but didn't get an answer. Yes, exhausted was the only word to describe him. His knees were shivering, his eyes dull and half closed. Matthias had once seen a man like that. He had been on the way to his aunt, Lukas's mother, to get some medicine because he had such a horrible cold.
When he finally took a careful step forward the troll let out a scared sound trying to take a step back but fell down.
Now was the Dane completely confused. The troll was scared because of him? He went over to him kneeling down next to him knowing that the boy was too weak to fight at the moment.
Looking like he had accepted his fate the troll looked up at him just pressing his hand weakly again Matthias's to hold him away. When he gave this up too the boy closed his eyes completely not even shivering or something.
He didn't seem dangerous. He was a child. But he was a troll. So what to do? Finally Matthias stood up quickly looking around for help.
He couldn't decide this alone! He was only a child and if he acted wrong he would get the worst trouble he ever had.
Finally he covered the troll with his jacket, turned around and ran back to the house. He opened the door knocking panicky at his Mother's door before he finally cried out her name hoping that she would know what to do. He was simply overwhelmed with the whole situation.
