by Joanne Vruno
I followed her through the kitchen door, feeling almost as if in a trance, still trying to figure out what had just happened. Grandma, on the other hand, calmly started bringing down plates and glasses from her cupboard as I plopped down on a kitchen chair. Then, as usual, she filled the plates with the familiar diamond-shaped molasses cookies known to our family as “Grandma Johnson cookies.” These were always a staple in Grandma’s house. The recipe had been passed down through her family, and everyone loved them. As I watched her sit down, I couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “Grandma, what’s going on?” I blurted. “You have little people living in your garden!”
Grandma looked at me with a smile. “Well, technically, Silver doesn’t live in my garden. She does live close by, though, and soon you shall learn where. Right now you need more information to understand the secrecy of the location. Aly, do you still have the book I gave you on Norse mythology?”
I had to think for a moment about where it was before I answered, “Yes. Why?”
“Tonight I want you to review the book, especially the part on light elves. Silver is a light elf, which makes her one of the mythical creatures. As you read the book tonight, consider a world where all these beings actually exist. This will help you with your training because, basically, you have just entered that world today. One important aspect of this world is that no one else can know about it. If you speak of it to anyone, all these beings will be in grave danger! It’s very important you follow this.”
My face must have shown the shock the rest of me was feeling at that moment. Grandma came over to me and rested her hand on my shoulder. She looked me in the eye and said, “I know how unimaginable all of this must sound. I remember the shock I felt when my mother told me. It’s a destiny that was decided many hundreds of years ago, and from now on it’s going to be part of both of our lives. Tomorrow you’ll start learning the history behind it. It’s actually an honor to be allowed in a world so very few humans know of. Consider yourself privileged to know it exists.”
I needed to know. “Does Dad or Mom know you’re a guardian?”
“No, Aly, only my teacher—which in my case was my mother—knew. I’ve lived all these years, since her passing, waiting to be able to tell you. The gift can only be passed down to the eldest daughter or, in my case, granddaughter, because I only had a son. I was never able to tell your grandfather either. At times it’s been really hard not being able to share this secret. Tomorrow I’ll explain the importance of staying silent. Tonight try to read as much of the book I gave you as you can. The fact that you have already seen Silver will make it more believable as you read.”
Grandma stood up and walked to the door. “I suppose we should wake up Emily now and offer her some cookies too. Just remember when she comes in not to mention anything about our conversation or what you’ve seen today.”
As Grandma walked out of the house, I realized I had forgotten all about my little sister. Did she see anything? How did she sleep through it all? Then I remembered the flash of light. What was that? Was Grandma like a wizard or something? My mind was racing with all the questions.
Emily came stomping into the room looking a bit mad. “Why did you let me sleep out there? One minute I was watching a small turtle dive into the pond, and the next I was asleep. At least you haven’t eaten all the cookies yet,” she declared, shaking her head as she sat down and took a bite.
I watched her in amazement. She had no idea what had just happened.
Chapter 2
Right after dinner I hurried to my room to find the book of Norse myths. I knew it was in my closet somewhere, but I ended up having to take down boxes and other books from the top shelf before I found it. I wiped the dust from its cover, sat down on my bed, and started reading. The first few chapters introduced the nine worlds of the tree of life. The titles of each world seemed so foreign to me in words I couldn’t pronounce.
The Norse gods reminded me of the Greek gods we had read about in school. Odin seemed similar to Zeus, with both being the gods in charge of all the others. The stories told of battles between the giants and the gods. Mythical creatures were woven into the stories. It was hard to believe these creatures were still alive today. Was I really going to meet some of these scary-looking creatures? Trolls that loved to imitate humans, hiding their tails in their clothes in the hope that others would think they were human. Dwarves that were not like the ones in Snow White. Instead they looked very menacing with their many swords and axes. Giants that could crumble mountains when they were feeling threatened. Real live dragons that breathed fire. I really hoped I never had to deal with any of these creatures.
Silver was beautiful and did not seem a bit threatening. In fact she almost looked fragile. I wondered if that was why she needed a guardian. Maybe not with that large hawk she kept as her pet. The book said light elves worked and lived with the gods. I started to wonder, where does she live now? Grandma had said close by. I also wondered if she lived by herself or with others. I set the book down and was starting to picture some of these creatures in my head when I heard a noise by my closet. I sat still, staring at the closet door. It was opened a crack. I started to wonder if I left it that way. The door didn’t move. I sighed, deciding all this creature stuff was starting to spook me. I got up and changed into my pajamas. Before going to bed again, I opened the closet and looked inside. Everything looked fine. I guessed my imagination was getting the best of me. It took a long time before I relaxed and fell asleep.
I woke to voices whispering around me. They were not speaking English, but Swedish, one sounding female, the other male. Were they more elves? I slowly opened my eyes and started screaming. There in the darkened room stood two creatures just a foot away from me at the side of my bed. They were not small like Silver. Their faces were a good foot above the mattress. I sat up quickly. They looked alarmed at my screaming, but I couldn’t control it. My whole body was shaking in fear. I didn’t stop until I saw my parents at the bedroom door. I ran to them and clung to their waists.
“Aly, are you all right?” asked my mom. She put her arms around me. “You’re trembling. Did you have a bad dream?”
“I don’t know,” I answered. I remembered Grandma’s words “nobody can know.” I looked around the room. “I thought I heard something.”
“Was it outside?” asked my dad. “The Schmidt family are having a bonfire in their backyard. Maybe you heard them.”
“I thought it was inside, but maybe not,” I said, as I carefully looked around the whole room. Whatever had been there was now gone, and it sure wasn’t coming from the family on the corner.
“Your room looks fine to me. Want me to look under your bed and in the closet like I did when you were little?” asked my dad with a smile.
My mind screamed, “Yes,” but I knew I couldn’t have him do it. What if he saw whatever it was? Grandma said it had to be kept secret. I’d made her a promise I wouldn’t let anyone know about the creatures.
“No, but, Mom, can I sleep with you?” as I pleaded, turning my face towards my mom.
My mom looked at my dad with an eyebrow raised. My dad smirked as he shook his head and chuckled, “Go ahead. I’ll sleep here.”
I ran over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Dad.”
Walking out of the room with Mom, I bit down on my lip. Will Dad be all right in my room? I had to reassure myself that Dad was much larger and stronger than whatever I had seen.
It took until the early hours of the morning before I could fall asleep. So many images of the day were flashing through my brain: Silver, Grandma, the hawk, Emily, the book, whatever was by my bed. I was scared to think of what was next.
Chapter 3
As soon as I sat down in Grandma’s car I blurted out, “Grandma, there were creatures in my room last night! I was—”
Grandma shushed me mid-sentence and abruptly stop
ped the car. She quickly rolled up all the windows before she started talking. “Aly, the outside world has ears. We can’t speak of the mythical world out in the open. Our voices can be heard by others. From now on, we only talk about it in our houses or in a closed-up place.”
I looked at her, stunned. “What do you mean? What others can hear us?” I looked around. “Nobody’s around, and we’re driving.” Then a scary thought hit me. “Are creatures everywhere?” I didn’t like the idea of that one bit!
“The outdoor world has many ears. They don’t have to be human. There are insects, birds, animals, and other creatures. None of them can totally be trusted to keep silent. Only in protected surroundings can we speak,” said Grandma. She pulled away from the curb.
“Well, my house sure isn’t safe. There were two creatures in my room last night while I was sleeping. They woke me up. I was so scared, I called Mom and Dad in the room.”
“You told your parents? I told you they can’t know!”
“I didn’t tell them what I saw. I just told them I heard a scary noise. I was so frightened when I woke up to two pairs of eyes on me. They were speaking Swedish, right next to my bed. They were much larger than Silver. I couldn’t stay in my room by myself after that!”
“So you didn’t tell your parents anything?”
“No, just that there was a noise.”
“Good girl,” said Grandma. She smiled and patted my knee.
Why was she being so calm? Did she miss what I had said? “Grandma, something was in my bedroom last night!” I shouted, trying to get her to focus on it.
“Were they about three feet tall? Did they have pointy hats on?” she asked casually.
I thought about that. “They were about three feet tall, but all I remember is their faces.”
“You have nothing to worry about. It was just Elsa and Enar, your tomtes. I should have told them your powers have arrived. I’m sure they were just as frightened as you were. Those poor kids. They would have been doing their nightly rounds when you heard them. It was my fault. I hope they are all right. They must have been terrified! They’re pretty shy in the first place. I should speak to their parents when we get to my house. You see, they protect your house and all that live inside it. Every night before they can go to sleep, they check on every room to make sure all is safe. They have done this since the day you were born. You never knew they were there until now because your guardian powers are just being awakened.”
“There have been creatures living in my house all my life?” My life was getting more bizarre by the moment.
“A tomte is a blessing to have. They only live in the homes of certain people. In ancient times they chose the people they would live with. They looked for individual humans or human families with kind hearts. They were then loyal to that family for the life of the humans, sometimes staying with the same family for generations. Their position is one of complete protection. They protect their humans from fires, storms, intruders, and anything else that may harm them.”
Grandma had arrived at her house and pulled into the driveway. “Elsa and Enar have been assigned to you because you’ll soon be a guardian. They’re twins and their parents are my tomtes. The whole family lived with me until you were born. In fact, they were born in my mother’s house about a hundred years ago. Elsa and Enar are very young to have their own home to protect, but because we could not find any older tomtes in the area not already assigned to someone else, we decided the two of them would be yours. Usually a person only has one tomte until that tomte gets married at the age of five hundred or so.” Grandma parked her car in her garage.
I was trying my hardest to take all this information in, but it all seemed so unreal. I felt as though I had entered a dream world and I couldn’t wake up.
As we entered Grandma’s house, I noticed all the books spread out over her kitchen table. I knew I had just begun my training and that it was going to be a long process. What’s going to happen next? My unspoken question was quickly answered by Grandma calling out two names: “Lina and Berg, I need to speak to you!”
Out of nowhere appeared the little couple. They both wore pointed red hats over their white hair. Lina had long braids that flowed to her waist. Berg’s hair was down to his shoulders but seemed hidden by the bushy beard hiding half of his face. Both of their faces still looked smooth, without any wrinkles. Their noses were rounded and seemed to match their rosy cheeks in color. They reminded me of a miniature Santa and Mrs. Claus. They both wore short-sleeved buttoned white shirts. Lina’s had some lace on the collar; Berg’s was plain. Lina was in a blue skirt that went to her mid-calves, Berg had blue pants held up with suspenders, and each of them wore brown leather boots.
“Lina and Berg, I’d like to introduce you to Aly. You’ve watched her grow up, and now that she’s come of age, she can actually know of your existence.” The two smiled and bowed their heads. “Aly, these are my friends and tomtes, Lina and Berg.”
I shyly replied, “Hello, it’s nice to meet you.” I didn’t know if I should bow or not, so I bent my head down. They smiled in return. In daylight and with Grandma’s introduction, they didn’t seem a bit threatening.
Grandma quickly told them of the night’s events and offered her apologies for not thinking to let Elsa and Enar know I could hear and see them now. I started to feel bad about my reaction to them last night. I hadn’t meant to scare them any more than they’d meant to scare me.
Lina walked over to me and took my hand, saying, “Aly, they’re still young or they would’ve recognized that your gift has awakened. I hope you can forgive them for that carelessness. I’ll speak to them and straighten this out.” She patted my hand and smiled before moving back.
“It wasn’t their fault,” I quickly replied. “I shouldn’t have screamed. I was just so surprised to see someone next to me.” I felt terrible the two seemed to be in trouble.
Both tomtes smiled at my remark. Then they vanished again, disappearing right in front of me.
“Grandma, I didn’t mean to get them in trouble.”
“Aly, they’re not in trouble. Their parents are using this as a learning tool for them. You see, they have to become sharper now to keep you safe. Your knowledge and training need to be protected from other creatures, some of which may see your awareness. When you were little, it was just basic house incidents they had to watch out for. Now they need to be aware of much more.”
That really wasn’t a comforting thought. “What other things do they have to be aware of? How have things changed in one day? How many bad creatures are out there?”
“Come sit down, Aly,” said Grandma, pointing to a chair by the kitchen table. “All of this will be clear when we finish your training. There’s so much to learn before I hand over the position to you.”
I sat down not knowing what to think.
Grandma began the process: “The need for secrecy is partially due to humans and partially to other mythical creatures. If other humans knew, they’d want to see the elves like we want to see animals at a zoo. The elves’ lifestyle would be destroyed. The world could not endure that. You see, the magical quality that light elves hold is the ability to make nature flourish. Plants, water, and soil are enriched wherever a light elf lives. My garden and yard are an example. No matter how much I tend to the plants, they would not be nearly as strong or beautiful without the touch of the elves’ magic. With global warming and pollution, we need the elves’ magic more than ever. It may be the only thing that can save our planet.”
I was taken aback by this knowledge. All these years I had admired Grandma’s green thumb with plants, and now I knew her secret. No wonder she never wanted us to put her yard in gardener competitions. It might expose the elf magic.
“Now, the secret of the light elves’ existence is kept from other creatures from mythology based on the intentions of these other
creatures. Some, such as tomtes and gnomes are allowed to know because they work with us in protecting the elves. There are those who want to have the elf magic for their own purposes and have tried to imprison elves in their homes. The most dangerous for light elves are the rock elves or dark elves, as they were described in history. These elves want to completely eliminate the whole light elf species. In fact, they have been at war with the light elves for many centuries.”
“Why do they hate the light elves so much?” I asked.
“It started with the Norse gods and giants. There were continuous battles for control of the land between them. Mythical creatures divided their loyalties between the sides. Light elves were loyal to the gods while rock elves chose the giants. The giants were isolated in the highest mountainous regions while the gods intermixed with humans in the forests and farmlands. After the last battle was fought between the gods and giants, both rulers disappeared and the mythical creatures who survived were on their own. Light elves were still able to live amongst humans, but the rock elves were chastised. You see, giants were known to attack humans, and the rock elves contributed to those attacks. They’d cause mischief during the night to humans who came too close to the giants’ territories.”
“Where did the rock elves go?”
“They stayed in the mountains where their homes were. Rock elves live in caves amongst the boulders and rock—that is how they received their name. They’re also called dark elves because they have a hard time seeing in daylight due to living in the caverns. Rock elves resented the freedom and acceptance light elves had. Jealousy and hatred overcame them and the rock elves chose to go to war against the light elves.”
“Grandma, I didn’t see any pictures of rock elves. Do they look similar to light elves?”
“Rock elves are very similar in size, maybe a bit more husky, but otherwise mostly the same. Except their eyes. A rock elf’s eye has a film over it making it look cloudy in the daylight, but they say it turns completely black when the sun goes down. Rock elves are known to wear hats with wide brims to protect their eyes from the sun, which can blind them. I’ve never met one, but I’m always leery of any elf I don’t recognize right away.”
