by Abhishek Roy
“First of all, tell me, Mathias, about what happened inside that mound.”
I explained everything to Vivek about the shrine and meeting Baldr.
“Do you think he was telling the truth?” Vivek asked me.
“I am not sure.” I replied just when something clicked in my mind. “Do you have Wi-Fi here?” I asked Vivek who was surprised of my unusual request during such a discussion.
“Yes we do.”
Instantaneously, I fished out my laptop from my bag. After I had got the connection running, I typed Google.
“The sign we had seen on the stone slab and the well in Badrinath. What could it have meant? It was after all...a gateway, a portal.” I thought aloud. I typed in - Nordic symbols for gateway - on the search window and an instant later, the screen was flooded by blue hyperlinks. I clicked the first one and was disappointed to see the absence of the symbol in the list the website had to offer. After following two more links, I finally hit jackpot.
“Look guys!” I shoved the laptop into Vivek’s hand excitedly. “It is the same symbol, isn’t it?” I asked, my face gleeful.
“Yes...it definitely looks the same.” Vivek agreed and gave my laptop back to me. I took it and started reading the description.
Scandinavian Rune-Jera
Also called ‘jeran’ or ‘jeraz’, this symbol signifies ‘harvest’ or ‘plenty and prosperity’. More than that, however, this symbol also denotes ‘change’ which came after the fabled Ice of Isaz. The warm spring which came thereafter made people feel fuzzy. The world became a better place to live in.
Jera indicates the hopes and the time between planting and harvesting, and the ultimate culmination of those hopes into peace and prosperity of the future. It is associated with the gods Freya and Freyja.
The symbol espouses the power of the universe to change and the change of seasons. However, it can be personally interpreted as a sign which denotes the time of reaping rewards from seeds sown in the past. It is a symbol for joy and celebration which comes after conquering a challenge. Hence, it is a symbol of harvest. Besides, it represents a turning point in life.
I turned my eyes away from the screen and looked at Ram and Vivek who were not as shocked as I was but were pretty darn surprised.
“So I was correct about the symbol being Scandinavian but why is a Nordic symbol etched on a well in India?” Ram asked me after a long time of remaining silent.
“Exactly!” I exclaimed. “What is a Nordic symbol doing here in India? Doesn’t that mean that maybe, the holographic man was telling the truth after all. Even his theories and the advanced civilisation, the parallel universe.. .all seemed rational. Hence, my parents.” I hesitated a bit as I felt a similar lump in my throat, “I have parents, guys! I am not an orphan!” I exclaimed and the tears of joy rolled down my cheeks. As a broad smile appeared on my face and Vivek’s, Ram’s smile looked artificial. My exclamation was reminiscent of Ram’s remark after hearing the distress call.
I leaned towards him and put my hand on his shoulder. “Ram. I am sorry for whatever I did back there. I went through a shock as great as yours back there inside the Shrine. So, I might have overreacted. I am sorry,” I whispered.
“It’s alright, Mathias. I am sorry too.” He smiled back.
“So you think he was telling the truth?” asked Vivek and I nodded.
“Are you sure about it?”
“You have the proof in front of you,” I gestured at the website. “Besides, the man also showed me a picture of the...” I said, but stopped abruptly as it reminded me of my overwhelming emotions back there.
“Couldn’t that symbol had been etched by him on the stone slab and the well too?” suggested Ram.
“Maybe but that doesn’t make sense. By the look of it, he either wanted to recruit me or kidnap me. Yes, he could have known that there was an earthquake coming but how was he to know that it would drain away all the water from the lake and reveal the slab? He also showed me a goddamn picture! They looked just like they do in my dreams, when they were leaving me at the orphanage!” I answered but choked a little, trying to gulp down my emotions. Now, it was making sense and the exhilaration I felt on knowing that I might as well have a family, left me not only excited but also disturbed to know that I might have to face them sometime in the future.
“Alright, so the man was telling you the truth. Maybe he was from a parallel dimension. But did he tell you what to do next?” asked Vivek.
“Not really.” I replied.
“Maybe a place to go to, or a way to get to that dimension.” asked Vivek and suddenly a thought crossed my mind.
“He did tell me that they have some tele porters which help them to travel from one dimension to the other. He said that every Earth on every dimension has one and needs a key to be activated.”
“Perfect. But he didn’t say anything about its location?”
“No.”
“So we know that he was telling the truth and you do have a family somewhere. Parallel dimensions could be a valid theory but we have no idea what to do next.”
I didn’t say a word. After such a revelation, it seemed disappointing to know that we had no clue which dictated the path to the tele porter. Other than that, we could do nothing.
“What can we do except returning to London?” I broke the small pause which had ensued.
“Yeah. If that is what you wish to do...” He looked at Ram. “Then you are more than welcome to stay for as much time as you want till you book the tickets and are ready to depart.” Vivek gave us a warm smile.
“Thank you so much for your help Vivek.” I closed the website and started typing something on my laptop.
“What are you doing now Mathias?” He asked me.
“Sending the proof of your innocence to your ex-boss at ISRO.” Vivek’s eyes instantly lit up.
“Really?” he asked me and suddenly sounded much younger than he was.
“And.. .sent.” I showed him the mail and the file attached to it.
“Where did you get his email id from?” he asked me and I turned away a sheepish face. A silent message was exchanged between us. My hacking could get me embarrassed sometimes.
“Thank you.” Vivek said. “This truly shows that you are the Son of a God!“
“Come on!” I punched him, and suddenly sat up as if electrified.
The phrase reminded me of the last words of Mrs. Dawson. “....find the Father of the Gods!” I had a sudden epiphany. I set aside my laptop and pulled out the leather-bound diary given to me by Mrs. Dawson. I got to the page where the poem was written and handed it to Ram.
“Does this make any sense to you if you think that this too is related to Norwegian myth?” Ram took it and read the poem with all attention. After a while, a smile crossed his lips.
“Smart boy, Mathias.” he said as he averted his gaze towards me.” This indeed makes sense.”
Kapittel 28
Mathias’s story
RISHIKESH, INDIA
March 10, 2017, Friday, 2345 hours IST
The First family can be reached through a window,
Where the Rainbow guides the way
On top of the world,
Only on the fateful day,
For those who can move the egg shaped rock,
Only when you can make hay
Ram read out the poem aloud for all of us to hear.
“I cannot be one hundred percent sure but as far as I remember, The First Family in Norwegian folklore means Odin’s family.” He shot a glance at me. “You must remember Baldr speaking of Odin. Nonetheless, for everyone to be at par.. .Odin is the supposed leader of the Asurians. He is the wisest and is said to have magical powers. It is also said that in order to gain knowledge, he also sacrificed his right eye.” Ram’s eyes had a distant look. “If what Baldr said is true, then all of this is false and there lies a logical explanation behind them.” He looked at me. “Probably a scientific explanation.“
Ram paused f
or a second and then continued, “The First family can be reached through...a window. I am not sure what that means... “ He started rubbing his forehead.
“A window. “ I tried helping. “An opening. a. portal. “ My eyes widened as I realised. “He had told us about a tele porter. What does a tele porter do?” I asked smiling.
“It.... opens up a portal,” answered Vivek and his face lighted up too.
“So maybe, this poem left behind for me by my parents, leads to the tele porter!”
“Superb!” exclaimed Ram and started reading the next line. “ Where the rainbow guides the way. This probably refers to the fabled rainbow bridge which is said to join Asr-Gawa to Midgard or Mandagaar, as the Asurians call it. So this probably is not too important for us. We understand whatever we have read till now, right?”
Vivek and I nodded in agreement.
“Now we have - On top of the world. What could this mean?” he looked at me.
“On top of the world...” I played the sentence over and over again in my head. “This could mean something high. What is very high? What place is at a high altitude?“
“You could consider mountain ranges... However, there are many mountain ranges.but On the top of the world would surely point to the highest. So the tele porter could be here in the Himalayas!” Vivek deduced and after thinking about it, it seemed correct. The Himalayas consists of high and jagged snowy mountains. Hiding something here would be a mammoth task for one to find it. After all, there were millions of caves, alcoves, holes and deep valleys.
“Sounds right to me.” said Ram.
“Sounds right to me too.” I added.
“Great. So we know that the tele porter used to get to Asr- Gawa lies somewhere here in the Himalayas!” Vivek’s face was sprightly after having contributed.
“The next line says Only on the fateful day. What have you got to think about it?” he turned towards us.
“This line clearly says that the tele porter can be accessed only on a specific day.” I proposed.
“True. But if we consider the seven days of the week, then we have Sunday and Monday - day of sun and day of moon but the rest of the days are all associated to the Norse gods! Tuesday is named after the Norse god of war - Tyr. Wednesday is named after Odin. Thursday is named after Thor - the most powerful of all Norse gods and... presumably your father. Friday is also named after Freya, the Norse goddess of love, marriage and fertility. So it is impossible to know on which day the tele porter can be operated.”
“It is almost the end of Friday today. What is Saturday dedicated to? Saturn?” Vivek asked curiously.
“Yes! You are right! Saturn it is. You see Saturday is the only day of the week to have retained its Roman origin in English. Saturn is a planet and also the Roman God of agriculture.”
“If it is Roman.. .there seems to be no reason for it to work on Saturday. And even if it will, I don not think it is a good idea to go back in the biosphere after all that has happened today.” Vivek added. “Anyway, read further. We might decipher something more.“
Ram obeyed. “For those who can move the egg shaped rock. So, I think that at the tele porter, there must be an egg shaped rock or something resembling an egg shaped rock which if turned, activates the tele porter.”
“Seems plausible,” I agreed. “The last line has to do something with hay right? Making hay?“
“It is the last line and reads, Only when you can make hay. “ He looked up at me. “You are right but what sense can you make of this line?“
“When can you make hay?” Vivek asked and just before he could answer, I did.
“You make hay while the sun shines! That tells us that the tele porter can only be used during the day!”
“Very good, Mathias!” Ram praised me. “Then the only thing we don’t know is when the tele porter can be activated.”
After a short while I said, “Vivek is right,” the suddenness startling everyone.
“We cannot go back to the tele porter for several reasons. First, we don’t know which day we can use it. The odds are one in seven. So whenever we find it, it might as well be useless on that day. Second, we do not have a specific location. Himalayas spread from the west to east of the northern boundary of India, spanning a few thousand kilometres. Hence it will be like finding a small chipped shell of the egg in an enormous omelette. Third, how do you think Baldr is coming to Earth? Obviously he knows the location and judging from the huge number of ‘Jargantaans’, as he calls them, under his command, there is always a danger of running into them even if we do find the tele porter. And I think, the numbers won’t be that small.”
“So what are we supposed to do now?” Asked Ram and Vivek in chorus.
A small pause ensued. After some time I said, “This is the only thing that’s written in English. Rest everything is Norwegian.”
“Okay. So?” Asked Ram
“This suggests,” said Vivek before I could explain, “that someone translated the verse from the original. Otherwise, why only this would be written in English.“
“Exactly!” I agreed. The three of us pondered about it for a while.
I racked my brain for a few minutes, trying to search every corner of my memory bank, trying to bring forth the smallest of memories which might help us. Finally, I found a memory which lasted for a very brief instant and yet, I felt as if all hope wasn’t lost.
I snatched my diary away from Ram, startling him for the second time. I turned the pages to the end of the diary and found the parchment which had been hidden behind the leather cover. Then, I read the parchment which I had never got the chance to in Badrinath.
“Vivek, have you got a translator?” I asked. “This seems to be written in some other language.“
Vivek walked to his study table. He fished out a pocket translator from one of his drawers and gave it to me. As I switched on the Translator, I searched for and found the language auto detect setting and set it on. The moment I typed the first word, the language selector turned green.
“It is Norwegian!” Exclaimed Vivek, who was looking over my shoulder. “How come you do not know it, Mathias? I thought you were Norwegian, isn’t it?“
“I really don’t know, Vivek, as I never met my parents. I studied English and French in the school in England.”
After using the translator to translate the full poem that had been written in Norwegian, I handed the translator to Ram.
Ram took it and read it aloud for all of us to hear.
“A window closes, a door can open,
A special key opens the lock,
Seven times down and Eight times up,
On top of the million years rock.
The man of Bor-nu
“A window closes, a door can open...” Ram mulled over the sentence for some time. “A window is a portal, right?“
“Yeah.” I said.
“Then this parchment will surely help us! The first sentence refers to a portal! A tele porter opens a portal!” he exclaimed.
“True, but what does the second half mean-a door can open? Besides, it says A window ‘closes’.”Vivek asked, unable to make head or tail of the sentence.
“We...might as well come back to that later.” Ram suggested, seeing from our faces that none of us had any idea about the second half.
“A special key opens the lock.” he looked at our faces expectantly.
“It surely refers to the key needed to access the tele porter.” I offered.
Ram and Vivek nodded in agreement.
“Seven times down and eight times up.” After musing over the sentence, Ram looked up at me, “Type in that sentence on Google. I think I have seen it somewhere. It is probably.. .the translation of some Japanese or Chinese phrase.“
I did as he told me to. I typed in the phrase and instantly, a list of hyperlinks appeared. I selected one and grinned.
“What?” Ram asked.
“You are so right Ram Shanbhag.” I praised him. Though he didn’t display
it openly, I knew that inside, he was glowing with pride.
“The phrase is the translation of a Japanese phrase, ’Nanakorobi yaoki’ which means...”
“Seven times down and eight times up!” Ram completed the line. “Now I remember!“
I read the description to them, “It is also written alongside the Daruma doll. Read the last line.”
He started reading it slowly. Everyone knew the implications and for the sake of drama, he allowed the cloud of excitement to settle slowly. “On top of the million... years.. rock.” He paused. “If we suppose that the key is in Japan. then this sentence simply strengthens our belief.” He looked at us hoping to get an answer. “Come on guys! Recall your geography! Japan, being a volcanic archipelago of islands, small and big, is millions of years old and is made up of igneous rock.”
“Superb! But there is something underneath the poem too. It’s written in a smaller font.” Pointed out Vivek.
“It says, the man of Bor-nu.” Ram read it aloud and looked up at me with confused eyes. “What’s Bor-nu?“
’If I recall my geography, then Bor-nu is a place in Northern Nigeria, Chad. It was an old empire from the 1300s to 1800s. The name’s literal translation is ‘Land of Gold’. Does this mean that this poem is a direction guide for a Gold treasure?” said an excited Vivek.
“Maybe, the place where the poem would lead us to in Japan would have gold from Chad.” I offered.
“Yet, what about the ‘man’ part?” Vivek asked me.
“Perhaps, it will lead us to the tomb of a man from Bor-nu with the gold that the early people believed would go into the afterlife, like ancient Egyptians.” I suggested. “What do you think, Ram?“
“Well, I have no idea why it would have a reference to a place in Chad. However, the last line is written in smaller font. Either it is meant to fool us into believing that the other words, written in big font aren’t as important as their size. Or, the main verse is the most important part and the poem might lead us to the key and to gold,” replied Ram.
