Valhalla
A modern war hero discovers his afterlife
Spc Thorsson pressed his back against the now broken tank. Sgt Mays was beside him with his M16 rifle. Shots rang out from their left; there were Iraqi insurgents behind a ridge who had surprised them and disabled their tank. Pvt Skinner, who had just joined their unit out of basic training was lying on the ground outside the covered area screaming and covering a wound with his hands. Thorrson watched for a moment and then dashed out to grab his friend. He had him under the arms and was dragging him back to cover when he felt the impact right to the gut. He fell. Another shot rang out and then for a moment everything was silent.
Then the crows came. Wait. Crows? In the Iraqi desert? But they came. Hundreds of them. They were all he could see. He felt a pecking, all around his body! Were they eating him? He tried to scream but there was no sound. In fact, that was strange about the whole thing - the birds made no noise. Suddenly he realized he wasn't being eaten, he was being carried. Below him he could see a rainbow bridge and a well with a part of a huge oak tree growing out of it. Then things started to grow closer again.
As suddenly as it had gone silent, the noise started again. Clashes of metal, speeding bullets, tanks, land mines, everywhere! He threw himself to the ground. He heard laughter then the words, "you're safe" He looked up and found eh was within a hall, looking at a man, or at least it looked like a man, but at least 8' tall and dressed in a tunic. He had long white hair, and was missing his left eye.
He couldn't form words. He could barely form thoughts with the million things running through his head. "Who?" he finally stammered. "I am one called the All Father, and also evildoer"
The thoughts stopped swirling and only one remained. "Am I dead?" Before he had even articulated it, the man answered, "you are amongst the battle slain." Thorrson stopped. "This can't be heaven." The evildoer just looked at him. "Oh God! Am I in hell? I let Jesus into my life! I tried to be good! How did this happen?" he wailed.
"This is not hell." the older man spoke.
This panicked poor Thorsson, and he began to hyperventilate. "Where am I then?" he finally stammered.
"You are in Valhalla."
He looked around the room again, then turned to the man and screamed at the top of his lungs, "away you demon! You Satan! You are Satan trying to steal me from the one true Christ!"
At this, the older man laughed "The White Christ. White is the color of cowards, and by saving your friend, you proved that you are not a coward." The soldier stopped and looked at him as he continued, "this is where you will spend your days, until Ragnarok. Your apocalypse. Now you must chose. Will you be among the elite fighters or will you be another body in the line?"
"I'd like to be elite. I was to start ranger training in a month at home."
"We shall see. In the meantime, practice starts at sunrise and goes 'till you're dead. Dinner at sunset with plenty of mead."
"But what..."
He was cut off. "Go and join your ancestors. They have been waiting for someone in your bloodline to be among the battleslain for far too long."
Spc Thorsson pressed his back against the now broken tank. Sgt Mays was beside him with his M16 rifle. Shots rang out from their left; there were Iraqi insurgents behind a ridge who had surprised them and disabled their tank. Pvt Skinner, who had just joined their unit out of basic training was lying on the ground outside the covered area screaming and covering a wound with his hands. Thorrson watched for a moment and then dashed out to grab his friend. He had him under the arms and was dragging him back to cover when he felt the impact right to the gut. He fell. Another shot rang out and then for a moment everything was silent.
Then the crows came. Wait. Crows? In the Iraqi desert? But they came. Hundreds of them. They were all he could see. He felt a pecking, all around his body! Were they eating him? He tried to scream but there was no sound. In fact, that was strange about the whole thing - the birds made no noise. Suddenly he realized he wasn't being eaten, he was being carried. Below him he could see a rainbow bridge and a well with a part of a huge oak tree growing out of it. Then things started to grow closer again.
As suddenly as it had gone silent, the noise started again. Clashes of metal, speeding bullets, tanks, land mines, everywhere! He threw himself to the ground. He heard laughter then the words, "you're safe" He looked up and found eh was within a hall, looking at a man, or at least it looked like a man, but at least 8' tall and dressed in a tunic. He had long white hair, and was missing his left eye.
He couldn't form words. He could barely form thoughts with the million things running through his head. "Who?" he finally stammered. "I am one called the All Father, and also evildoer"
The thoughts stopped swirling and only one remained. "Am I dead?" Before he had even articulated it, the man answered, "you are amongst the battle slain." Thorrson stopped. "This can't be heaven." The evildoer just looked at him. "Oh God! Am I in hell? I let Jesus into my life! I tried to be good! How did this happen?" he wailed.
"This is not hell." the older man spoke.
This panicked poor Thorsson, and he began to hyperventilate. "Where am I then?" he finally stammered.
"You are in Valhalla."
He looked around the room again, then turned to the man and screamed at the top of his lungs, "away you demon! You Satan! You are Satan trying to steal me from the one true Christ!"
At this, the older man laughed "The White Christ. White is the color of cowards, and by saving your friend, you proved that you are not a coward." The soldier stopped and looked at him as he continued, "this is where you will spend your days, until Ragnarok. Your apocalypse. Now you must chose. Will you be among the elite fighters or will you be another body in the line?"
"I'd like to be elite. I was to start ranger training in a month at home."
"We shall see. In the meantime, practice starts at sunrise and goes 'till you're dead. Dinner at sunset with plenty of mead."
"But what..."
He was cut off. "Go and join your ancestors. They have been waiting for someone in your bloodline to be among the battleslain for far too long."