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“Help me,” he shouted as Luui’s jerks threatened to rip her free of his grip.
The second constable paused, transfixed by the sight of a huge inflatable mask striding towards the city centre with two people clutched in its hands. Dave responded to the constable’s call for help and took Luui’s right arm as the constable clutched her left. They got her to her feet and then stumbled back and forth as they struggled to hold her steady. When Luui fell backwards, they pulled her forwards, stopping her just before she pitched headfirst into the ground.
“What the…”
“Don’t let go, Officer,” Dave said, as something half Luui’s size, cold as ice, and with a stench that…
“Gah…” The constable heaved.
“Don’t you dare let go,” Dave said, amazed that he had yet to gag.
And then the beast was free, and Luui stopped jerking. She slumped, and the two men let her down gently onto her knees.
“Luui?” Dave said as she opened her eyes. “Are you all right?”
“Where is it?” she said.
“Where’s what? The thing? The Ikkiilli-thing?”
“Aap,” Luui said. She twisted in their grip, pulled herself free, and then took Dave’s hand as he helped her to her feet. “Ah, I see it,” she said as she turned around. “It’s a good spirit.”
“It is?”
Luui looked at Dave and nodded. “It knows exactly what to do without me telling it. Although I’m pretty sure it would do anything to get away from me.”
“What did you do?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Luui said. She pointed at Kiiappa striding towards the city and said, “Just watch.”
Ikkiillineqanngeqqissaartoq bounded after the mask and Kiiappa turned as it caught its scent. The spirit darted between Kiiappa’s legs, and when Kiiappa kicked at it the spirit leaped into the air, twisting to turn its back towards Kiiappa.
“Now,” Luui said.
The razor spine slashed into Kiiappa’s mask, spilling air out of the inflatable with a shoosh. The woman and the boy caught in Kiiappa’s clutches screamed as they sank to the ground, rolling free as the evil spirit’s fingers unfurled.
But Ikkiillineqanngeqqissaartoq was not done.
With another twist, it slashed a new cut on the back of the mask, spilling more air until Kiiappa deflated. Its arms and legs drifted into the night, leaving little more than the skin of the inflatable and a crowd of bewildered Greenlanders not quite sure what they had seen, and yet not quite ready to admit they had not seen it.
There was something familiar about the evil spirit and the glacier-blue fox with the razor tail. Something from their past.
“Right,” Luui said as she caught her breath.
“You did it,” Dave said.
Luui nodded and then pointed at Ikkiillineqanngeqqissaartoq darting among the people. “I just have to get him home again.”
“He can’t go home by himself?”
“Eventually, but,” Luui said with a grin, “one look at me should send him packing.”
“One look at you?”
“I’ll explain later.”
Luui waved once and then jogged across the ice towards Ikkiillineqanngeqqissaartoq.
“And see, Officer,” Dave said, pointing at Luui. “She’s fine. Absolutely fine.”
“Hmm,” the constable said.
“Ah… What was that?” Dave said, frowning as the constable’s grunt sounded familiar.
12
“All done then?” Dave said as he stood on the pontoon beside Luui. “You’re going back north?”
“I am,” she said. “It’s time.”
“Just like that?”
“I think it’s for the best. After what happened tonight, I don’t think I really want to be seen or recognised in Nuuk.”
“But you saved the city.”
“You know, when you say it like that, it sounds like a superhero kind of thing.”
“It was,” Dave said.
“Imaqa.” Luui shrugged. “But really, it’s just nature. It’s a part of the land and the people. We just need to tap into it now and again.”
“I don’t know…” Dave took a moment, wondering if he believed it, or wanted to believe it, but wasn’t quite ready.
“But I guess that gives you some inspiration,” Luui said with a nod at the sketchbook sticking out of Dave’s pocket. “For your sketches.”
“Oh, yes,” he said. “Lots…”
“Then this is goodbye,” Luui said. She wrapped her arms around Dave in a brief hug and then climbed into the dinghy.
“What about Twelvetyde?” Dave said, raising his voice as Luui started the motor. “Do you know who it is? Who it was?”
Luui gave another shrug.
“Doesn’t matter,” she said. “I’ll find out one day, or not at all.”
“You’re not curious?”
Luui smiled and said, “Not really. One mysterious spirit is like another – completely unfathomable until they reveal something about themselves, and then…” Luui frowned. She tugged the letter out of her pocket and sniffed at it.
“Luui? Are you okay?”
“It smells of cardamom,” she said. “And a touch of spice.”
“Yes?”
“Christmas tea,” Luui said. She looked up at the Northern Lights drifting over the city. “Not quite gone after all, eh, Ataata?”
“Are you going to be all right?” Dave asked as Luui pulled away from the dock.
“Aap,” she said. “I’m going to be just fine.”
The End
About the Author
Christoffer Petersen is the author’s pen name. He lives in Denmark. Chris started writing stories about Greenland while teaching in Qaanaaq, the largest village in the very north of Greenland–the population peaked at 600 during the two years he lived there. Chris spent a total of seven years in Greenland, teaching in remote communities and at the Police Academy in the capital of Nuuk.
Chris continues to be inspired by the vast icy wilderness of the Arctic and his books have a common setting in the region, with a Scandinavian influence. He has also watched enough Bourne movies to no longer be surprised by the plot, but not enough to get bored.
You can find Chris in Denmark or online here:
Christoffer Petersen
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events, are entirely coincidental.
TWELVETYDE
First edition. December 24, 2022.
Copyright © 2022 Christoffer Petersen.
Written by Christoffer Petersen.
Cover by Chris Paton
Christoffer Petersen, Twelvetyde: A Short Mythical Story from Greenland
Thank you for reading books on Archive.BookFrom.Net
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The second constable paused, transfixed by the sight of a huge inflatable mask striding towards the city centre with two people clutched in its hands. Dave responded to the constable’s call for help and took Luui’s right arm as the constable clutched her left. They got her to her feet and then stumbled back and forth as they struggled to hold her steady. When Luui fell backwards, they pulled her forwards, stopping her just before she pitched headfirst into the ground.
“What the…”
“Don’t let go, Officer,” Dave said, as something half Luui’s size, cold as ice, and with a stench that…
“Gah…” The constable heaved.
“Don’t you dare let go,” Dave said, amazed that he had yet to gag.
And then the beast was free, and Luui stopped jerking. She slumped, and the two men let her down gently onto her knees.
“Luui?” Dave said as she opened her eyes. “Are you all right?”
“Where is it?” she said.
“Where’s what? The thing? The Ikkiilli-thing?”
“Aap,” Luui said. She twisted in their grip, pulled herself free, and then took Dave’s hand as he helped her to her feet. “Ah, I see it,” she said as she turned around. “It’s a good spirit.”
“It is?”
Luui looked at Dave and nodded. “It knows exactly what to do without me telling it. Although I’m pretty sure it would do anything to get away from me.”
“What did you do?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Luui said. She pointed at Kiiappa striding towards the city and said, “Just watch.”
Ikkiillineqanngeqqissaartoq bounded after the mask and Kiiappa turned as it caught its scent. The spirit darted between Kiiappa’s legs, and when Kiiappa kicked at it the spirit leaped into the air, twisting to turn its back towards Kiiappa.
“Now,” Luui said.
The razor spine slashed into Kiiappa’s mask, spilling air out of the inflatable with a shoosh. The woman and the boy caught in Kiiappa’s clutches screamed as they sank to the ground, rolling free as the evil spirit’s fingers unfurled.
But Ikkiillineqanngeqqissaartoq was not done.
With another twist, it slashed a new cut on the back of the mask, spilling more air until Kiiappa deflated. Its arms and legs drifted into the night, leaving little more than the skin of the inflatable and a crowd of bewildered Greenlanders not quite sure what they had seen, and yet not quite ready to admit they had not seen it.
There was something familiar about the evil spirit and the glacier-blue fox with the razor tail. Something from their past.
“Right,” Luui said as she caught her breath.
“You did it,” Dave said.
Luui nodded and then pointed at Ikkiillineqanngeqqissaartoq darting among the people. “I just have to get him home again.”
“He can’t go home by himself?”
“Eventually, but,” Luui said with a grin, “one look at me should send him packing.”
“One look at you?”
“I’ll explain later.”
Luui waved once and then jogged across the ice towards Ikkiillineqanngeqqissaartoq.
“And see, Officer,” Dave said, pointing at Luui. “She’s fine. Absolutely fine.”
“Hmm,” the constable said.
“Ah… What was that?” Dave said, frowning as the constable’s grunt sounded familiar.
12
“All done then?” Dave said as he stood on the pontoon beside Luui. “You’re going back north?”
“I am,” she said. “It’s time.”
“Just like that?”
“I think it’s for the best. After what happened tonight, I don’t think I really want to be seen or recognised in Nuuk.”
“But you saved the city.”
“You know, when you say it like that, it sounds like a superhero kind of thing.”
“It was,” Dave said.
“Imaqa.” Luui shrugged. “But really, it’s just nature. It’s a part of the land and the people. We just need to tap into it now and again.”
“I don’t know…” Dave took a moment, wondering if he believed it, or wanted to believe it, but wasn’t quite ready.
“But I guess that gives you some inspiration,” Luui said with a nod at the sketchbook sticking out of Dave’s pocket. “For your sketches.”
“Oh, yes,” he said. “Lots…”
“Then this is goodbye,” Luui said. She wrapped her arms around Dave in a brief hug and then climbed into the dinghy.
“What about Twelvetyde?” Dave said, raising his voice as Luui started the motor. “Do you know who it is? Who it was?”
Luui gave another shrug.
“Doesn’t matter,” she said. “I’ll find out one day, or not at all.”
“You’re not curious?”
Luui smiled and said, “Not really. One mysterious spirit is like another – completely unfathomable until they reveal something about themselves, and then…” Luui frowned. She tugged the letter out of her pocket and sniffed at it.
“Luui? Are you okay?”
“It smells of cardamom,” she said. “And a touch of spice.”
“Yes?”
“Christmas tea,” Luui said. She looked up at the Northern Lights drifting over the city. “Not quite gone after all, eh, Ataata?”
“Are you going to be all right?” Dave asked as Luui pulled away from the dock.
“Aap,” she said. “I’m going to be just fine.”
The End
About the Author
Christoffer Petersen is the author’s pen name. He lives in Denmark. Chris started writing stories about Greenland while teaching in Qaanaaq, the largest village in the very north of Greenland–the population peaked at 600 during the two years he lived there. Chris spent a total of seven years in Greenland, teaching in remote communities and at the Police Academy in the capital of Nuuk.
Chris continues to be inspired by the vast icy wilderness of the Arctic and his books have a common setting in the region, with a Scandinavian influence. He has also watched enough Bourne movies to no longer be surprised by the plot, but not enough to get bored.
You can find Chris in Denmark or online here:
Christoffer Petersen
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events, are entirely coincidental.
TWELVETYDE
First edition. December 24, 2022.
Copyright © 2022 Christoffer Petersen.
Written by Christoffer Petersen.
Cover by Chris Paton
Christoffer Petersen, Twelvetyde: A Short Mythical Story from Greenland
Thank you for reading books on Archive.BookFrom.Net
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