PTG: back from vacation. I wrote this in about an hour. I KNOW I WRITE SLOWLY, STFU. I was cleaning out my inbox and found a writing contest challenging me to begin a story with the sentence: "Hell found me." Poor contest-writers. THey didn't know what they were in for. Anyway, the contest has long expired, but I popped this out anyway, because I felt like it. The ending is not supposed to be conclusive, I dunno whether to make it a one-shot or not. Gimme a shout of your opinion.
It was Hel that found me. Jormungand and Fenrir were still popping around outside, calling "Daddy! Daddy!" and Boda had switched to crow form to search. But it was Hel who had thought to look inside the house.
"Daddy, why're you under the table?" Hel crawled in between the chair legs and curled up next to me. I scootched aside to give her room.
"I'm pretending it's a cave," I lied. Hel looked at me suspiciously.
"You're lying," she accused.
"Me?" My eyebrows shot up, my face went incredibly innocent, and Hel giggled. "Why in the world should I ever, under any circumstances, have reason to lie? It's a cave, and it's an alfs' cave."
"Alfs don't live in caves."
"Yes they do sometimes," I shot back. "The dark ones, anyway."
"Like dwarfs?"
"Not like dwarfs. Dwarfs' caves are big, noisy, and are only dry when they're forging something. Real alfs have real caves."
"Lie this?"
"Like this." I nodded solemnly.
"So you're saying that alfs live under tables with a decoration of chair legs and crumbs?" asked a voice behind me. "I'll bet Frey doesn't know that."
"Hello Boda." I turned around to find that Boda had crawled under the table as well, joined by both our sons.
Jormungand was nearly bouncing. "Tell us more, daddy!"
Fenrir nodded. "Yeah, tell us why alfs live under tables." Fenrir was not old enough to understand sarcasm, but used it liberally al the same.
I looked around at the five of us. "Well, it's getting to be quite a party in here, isn't it? I'll go get us some food." I made to leave, but found my sleeve caught in Boda's grip.
"I'd wager my eyes that if you left you wouldn't come back."
I sat back down and made a face. "Oh, don't' do that, they're such nice eyes."
Boda rolled said facial features, then looked at me. "What was it this time?" I hesitated. "I know you're hiding from one of the gods. Which one, and why?"
"Well…" I hesitated.
Angrboda waited.
"Ah, I was practicing a spell." I grinned despite myself. "A color-change spell."
"Oh, no." Boda had probably already guessed what was coming.
"Oh, yes."
"On what?"
I didn't respond, only grinned wider.
"On what, Loki?"
"…on Frey's hair."
Angrboda's face made acquaintance with Angrboda's palm. Fenrir started laughing.
"…only…"
"…only what? Please tell me there's not more."
"If I did, I'd be lying," I shrugged. "Should I lie?" Boda gave me a Look. "Well… the spell didn't stop at Frey's hair." I grinned wider. "And so if you see a neon blue god walking around in a towering fury…"
"Loki!" Boda was laughing now. The kids thought it was funny, too, or perhaps they were laughing because we were. "Well," said Boda, calming down. "You do need a place to hide."
"They're not going to come into your house. In fact, they're not going to come to Jotunheim in the first place."
"Which is why you came here, yes, yes." Boda laughed. "Alright, you can stay." She crawled out from under the table. "I'll bring lunch. We'll eat it in your 'cave.'"
"Hey! The cave!" The kids had forgotten about the cave, and just now remembered. "Tell us why alfs live under tables!"
"Yes, go on, tell us." Boda's feet moved to the cupboard to find bread.
"Well." I pulled my feet out from under me and stretched them out from under the table. "Once, in the days before Frey was born, the alfs had no homes. This made them sad, and the alfs didn't enjoy being sad…."