"MARA AND THE FIREBEARER" "Inside this mountain lies an ancient demigod tied to a stone." "And every time he screams, this happens..." "So it would be really good if he stays right where he is." "And that, as chance would have it, is my problem." "My name is Mara Lorbeer." "I'm 15years old and I've just learnt I'm supposed to save the world." "But I am as good in world-saving as a penguin is in beach volleyball." "Until recently I thought my biggestproblem was my mother..." "Cute!" " It itches!" " No way!" "It's moon wool." "From sheep that were sheared during a waning moon." "Cool." "It's already stopped itching." "See?" "Look, all your friends think it's cool." "Sure!" "All of my thousand friends." "Invite them over." "I'll bake patchouli cookies, we'll make a circle of light..." "And I can change schools..." " Or leave the country." " And please..." "Don't daydream in class!" "How many times do I have to tell you that they aren't dreams?" "They are... short images or..." "What else can they be?" "I don't know." "But I do." "It's puberty." "But don't worry, Pumpkin, you'll grow out of it." "Nosey-nosey." "Bye!" " Don't call me..." " Pumpkin?" "Why not?" "It suits you." "Leave me alone, Larissa!" "Did I say you could leave?" "Give it back." " Go on, cry!" " Larissa always picked out those who wanted to attract the least attention." "Must be some kind of talent." "Unfortunately it's the only one she has." "Take it off and you're dead." "Scram!" "Nodded off again?" "That's what they looked like, my daydreams." "It'd been going on since I was twelve." "Five or six times a day I dreamt some people from the Middle Ages ran over me." "Being defeated by Napoleon was highly traumatic for the Germans." "One of the reactions to this trauma was to withdraw into a romanticised, old-worldly Teutonic jingoism." "We find it in the fine arts, in paintings... and also in colossal statues like the Hermann Monument in Detmold, as seen on your handouts." " How was it today?" " Crappy." " See?" "Want a bite?" "Come on, we should hurry, if we want to be on time for the..." "Tree Talking Seminar?" "Dear Wiccas of the Au." "I'm so glad you have gathered here today to take part in my workshop." "I would ask each of you to choose a tree you want to talk to by sheer intuition." "And then we'll establish contact with the Old Ones." "Mum!" " I've just noticed something." " Yes?" "I think trees... can't really talk." "I was almost ready!" " Yes, these are Mum's Wiccas of the Au." " Now I can start all over again!" "Ifyou think that's gaga, try the Light Breathing Workshop, where Mum and her wacky wenches hop through the meadow, trying to breathe in a piece of the sun." "It could only be more embarrassing, if they were naked, which is why I'm really afraid of the summer." " Did the tree fight back?" " Mrs Lorbeer!" "What is it?" "This was the last time you dragged me along to your witches." "Witches?" "Mara, how many times do I have to tell you?" "The Wiccas of the Au are a society of strong, wise women who know the world." "Mum, your Wiccas are a club of soft-headed old biddies" " who can't handle the world, so they build their own." " Your Dad could've said that." " He did." "That's why he's in Canada now." " No, he's in Canada because he can't handle the world and, unlike me, he refuses to grow." "Before I grow into you, I'd travel much further than Canada!" " You're confused." "Puberty is..." " Mum!" "Puberty or not, there's one thing I'm certain of... plants do not talk." "I wouldn't put it like that." " What?" " What?" "What did you just say?" " Nothing." "" " Nothing." "Like I said." " What?" " What what?" "Who are you talking to?" "To the... twig?" "Very funny." "I'm going home." "I'll just stay a minute because of... puberty stuff..." "May be a good idea." "See you." "OK." "Did you really talk, or is it a silly question?" "It is a silly question." "Oh God, it really talks!" "A headset." "Well, Mara Lorbeer, don't worry, you're not mad," " but I have a message for you." " A message?" " From whom?" " I don't know." "All I know is, at sunrise." "I suddenly realized what I had to do." "Now pay attention, this is about you Mara." "You are a Spákona." "A what?" "A Spákona!" "You don't happen to know what it is?" "That makes two of us!" "But that's how they told me to say it:" "You are a Spákona!" "Whatever it is, you're one of those!" "Congrats." "Or condolences." "Or both." "In any case, remember:" "Spákona!" " I'll write it down." " Great idea." "Now on to the important part of the message:" "put your fingers on my leaves." " Why?" "What happens then?" " Not the foggiest idea!" "Figures." "I do wonder what would've happened, if I hadn't taken the twig from Mum's hair." "But I suppose something else would've spoken to me." "I'd rather have a talking twig than a talking dog turd." "More than 2000 years ago there was a fight between two brothers, now turned enemies:" "Thor, the God of Thunder, against the deceitful Loki." "The hammer thrower won and locked up Loki in a cave at the end of time and space, to suffer forever." "Mara, no, wait!" "My time's running out!" " No, make it stop." "I don't want that!" " Dear me." " Slow down, Miss." " What's got into her?" " Terrible thing this puberty." "Hello." "But how..." "I was...?" "You'd be the first creature that managed to flee from itself." "Please..." "But I..." "I can't do it." " You won't learn anything by running away." "Please, I just want to be normal." " Mara!" " But..." "I left my tree for this." "Please!" "Mara..." "Damn it!" "Thank you." "Come, Mara, Spákona, little Völva, take a plunge into time and see what happened in the old days." " I'm going mad." " In the prison beyond the five worlds..." " Completely mad." " There he was!" " Even my fingers have gone mad." " Forever in bonds." "The wily, jealous, double-tongued enemy of the gods, Loki!" "The poison of the snake caused him unbearable pain to torment immortal Loki for eternity." "But his faithful wife Sigyn had herself locked into the cave with him to relieve his pain with her magic bowl." "Loki's still down there!" "He's been brooding on revenge for centuries." "But something's going to happen that will make him so angry he'll break his bonds." "All may end in flames!" "No!" "What's happening to you?" "Are you dying, or... withering?" "Not yet!" "Go across time and space." "Judge wisely." "Do what you have to." "Only you stand between us and the..." "What?" "No, I couldn't hear you." "What did you say?" "Anorak?" "Hey, hello?" "No..." "It wasn't until much later that I found out who had sent me the twig." "But I'll come to that later." "For now my brain was buzzing." "This thunder guy threw Loki into the water a thousand years ago, flattened him with his hammer and locked him in a cave." "And now I'm supposed to see to it that this guy didn't free himself?" "Then there was something about "Anorak"?" "And what was that word...?" "Spákona." "At least better than Pumpkin." "What am I?" "Oh man!" "Spákona: old Nordic for little seeress?" "Nordic myths..." "What...?" "And you know about this stuff?" "Jakob Grimm, dead for ages." "Karl Simrock, mega dead." "Dead..." "Dead and a Nazi!" "Professor Weissinger, expert on Nordic- Germanic mythology, Munich University!" "The guy's right here!" " Hello?" " Mara, Pumpkin," "I just wanted to say I'm not angry and I've come up with something for you." "For me?" " What?" " You'll see." " Catch you later." " OK." "See you then." "And Mum?" "Mum?" "Sorry about earlier..." "Only then did I realize that I had no idea how to find a single professor at a huge university." "Butjust this once, the problem took care of itself." "Do you know the feeling someone's staring at you behind your back?" "With an eye as big as a house?" "I do." "Hey, you all right?" "Do you understand me, young lady?" " Yes." " I've got some towels." " Thanks." "There." " Is everything all right?" " Yes." "Thank you." "Right, people, please make some room." "You heard, everything's all right." "Thank you." "Thanks for the towels." "You'll get them back later." "Wet." "Promise." "Thank you." " Were you looking for something?" " Well..." " I was really looking for you." " I rarely hang about in fountains." "Reinhold Weissinger." "I'm a professor at this university for..." "Nordic-Germanic mythology." "Do I know you?" "I'm Mara Lorbeer of the Au, and I've been looking for someone who knows about Loki and is still alive." "Very charming, thank you." "Let's put you out to dry in the sun, and I'll get you some hot cocoa." "So I'd found the professor!" "Or rather, he'd found me." "But I looked like the Carpet Smurf." "This is where you have your office?" "It's..." " In the basement?" " Thanks to the Nazis." " Why's that?" "Everything Nordic-Germanic was so badly corrupted by their dog-turd coloured crap that my science is still trying to recover from it today." "The cleaners have keys to every single room in the building, but only I have the key to this one." "They might make a mess of things." "Come on in." "Have a seat." "If your cocoa isn't hot enough, I've got some..." "Ah, here it is!" "Some lukewarm water." "Well... a friend of mine?" "She's got these nightmares." " So what kind of nightmares?" " Loki, tied to a stone in a cave." "With his own son's bowels!" "Loki, the Nordic-Germanic demigod killed his half brother Baldr, Odin's favourite son, out of jealousy." "For that he was chased without mercy by the third brother Thor, God of Thunder, who found him in the end and defeated him." "Here... that's him." "So what's your question exactly?" "I... my friend... wants to know... is he still hanging there, without ever..." "Being able to free himself?" "A nice question!" "Because, according to this famous poem "Völuspá", he will indeed free himself one day and lead the gods' enemies into battle." "The Twilight of the Gods, Armageddon, the Apocalypse, its exact translation is" ""the Final Destiny of the Gods," in Nordic." " "Ragnarök"." " Anorak!" " No, Rag-na-rök!" "Rag-na-rök!" "What is it?" "Well, this picture isn't quite correct." "Define "not quite correct"." "Well, Loki isn't naked." "He wears these Viking-like clothes." "And sometimes his eyes turn completely black." " What else is wrong?" " Well... everything!" "The woman looks totally different." "The bowl is much rounder." "There are lots more bonds." "And the snake never gets this close." "It's up there among..." "What do you call the stones hanging from the ceiling?" " Stalactites?" " Right." "His hair never waves about like this." "It's tied together in a kind of bun." "Define "a kind of bun"." "Like Princess Leia has in Star Wars." "With the headphone hairdo?" "But then only on one side." "Like that!" "Just like that!" "And he's got a tattoo here." "It looks like..." "Hang on." "What?" "Do you know the name of the hairdo on the bog body's skull?" "Suebian knot." " And do you know what that means?" " Loki was a Su..." "Suebian... esian?" "Unfortunately not." "All it means is that your friend watches too much TV." " There!" " I didn't see it on TV." "No problem." "The whole world... is full of this gaudy nonsense." "Maybe you got it from a comic?" "There it is again, the Suebian knot." "What's that on the God of Thunder's head?" "Donar's wearing a helmet with horns!" "Are you sure Loki didn't wear this?" "No?" "Well he couldn't have!" "Because this silly thing was invented by an opera designer." "So now Vikings have to walk round like cattle!" "Vicky the Viking lies!" "This stupid helmet here is famous!" "But... no one teaches you that several days of the week are named after Viking Gods!" "Never heard of it! "Tyr's Dag"," ""Donar's Dag"," ""Friggjar's Dag"." "But of course Sunday is named after the ice cream." "Loki wearing a Suebian knot!" "Why not the Pope wearing a spiked helmet?" " But why...?" " Because... the Suebian tribe's hairdo and the first mention of a God called Loki are centuries apart!" "And that's not good?" "Sure it's good!" "It means your friend needn't worry about the end of the world!" "With or without an anorak." "Now what can I do for you...?" "Mara!" "Bravo, you old bogeyman!" "This can't be..." "In a way I'd been alone for most of the time up till now." "And it was OK." "Many things are easier when you're alone." "But not everything." "Now what do I do?" "There you are!" "Come on up." "I have something for you." "In these cases I usually say I'm busy." "This time I didn't." "Bad mistake!" "Just imagine, a twig spoke to me." "I'm the last seeress, and I have to save the world all by myself." "What do you say to that?" "I say, hold still." "Right..." "Now then... raise your little head and relax." "Can't hear a thing." "You must've inserted it the wrong way up." "It's not a music CD, it's a Celtic Energy Disc and it cost 182 euros." "See how expensive your puberty is?" "Stop fidgeting, or the healing crystals will fall off." "I'm not fidgeting, I'm breathing." "So stop breathi..." "OK, I'll get it, and you let it flow..." "So there I was." "A CD against my cheek and on my back a bunch of glass udders." " Can things get more embarrassing?" "Yes, they can." " My name's Weissinger." "Do you have a daughter called Mara, and is she in?" " Yes, she is." "Would you like to come in?" " Yes." " Here..." " Am I intruding?" " Yes." " No..." "Unfortunately all the mail we sent your daughter keeps being returned to us." " To the university." "As I live nearby, I thought I'd pop by in person." " I see." "Why?" "Congratulations on winning our competition, "Munich Schools on Germanic Mythology."" "What do you say to that?" "Nothing." "I thought so." " Hey, Mum, I won!" " Yes..." "Your daughter has written a brilliant essay on the Germanic demigod Loki." "Very profound and most lively." "You wrote..." " But how do you know about all that?" " Googled it on my phone." " That's impossible!" " Which is why I need an iPad." " Hang on!" "I'd like to stay out of this discussion." "I'd be pleased, if you could soon find the time to pick up your certificate in person." "Before it withers." "She will, soon." "Mrs Lorbeer, may I congratulate you on having such a splendid daughter, who, by the way, clearly takes after her charming mother." "If I'd known what awaits me here, I'd have spruced myself up!" " You're embarrassing me..." " And me, too." " Mum, could I see you a minute?" " No, I..." "Excuse me." "Make yourself at home, OK?" " Mum, you're flirting!" " Excuse me?" " I'm being perfectly normal." " You never are, so why now?" " Am I intruding?" " No." " Yes." "I just wanted to take my leave." "Dear Mrs Lorbeer, goodbye." "Mara, I congratulate you once again." "See you soon." "You seem to have gone and forgotten your keys." "Where can we talk?" "You drew this." "Yes." "Look at this." "Someone drew this too." "But roughly one thousand years earlier." "This is the first and only photograph of a picture stone a colleague of mine dug up on Gotland a few days ago." "You cannot know it." "How can this be?" "And why does Loki have a picture stone as a tattoo?" "It's Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent." "The mightiest monster in the whole of Nordic Mythology." "Can we sit down over there?" "Listen, Mara Lorbeer of the Au, it took me several years to accept that science is based solely on dry facts." "Try to understand me." "You talk as if you saw all this with your own eyes." "As a scientist I have to question it." "But from now on I'll listen to you." "What if you don't believe me again?" "What's wrong...?" "What was that?" "You just saw it too." "I don't know." "Well, um..." "This could be misconstrued." "Come on." "Come on!" "Mara, this looks like we..." " You will repent, Brother!" " Never!" "Mara, this way!" "Let go of her, Father of Snakes!" "Professor?" " We really should leave!" " Already?" "Yes, one more step." "This way." "Come on, get out!" "Come on." "Here you go." "Great." " Good day." " Good day." "My daughter here, wanted to find out if the water's warm enough to swim in." "I think it's still too cold, but we were all young once." "Have a nice day." "Yes, bye." "My feet are wet now." "By the way, thanks for the great help!" "My pleasure." "On the beat you have to stick together." " Mara Lorbeer..." " I'm sorry," " I didn't mean to drag you into..." " Thank you!" "Thank you." "These were by far the greatest, most inspiring and also craziest minutes of my entire life." "For real?" "For real." "For real, man." "Like, for real." " Oh, God!" " Does it hurt badly?" " It's all right." " Is there anything I can do?" "Only four... forty-two bruises." "The things I've seen!" "Thor." "Loki in his hideout by the lake." "It was all so perfect!" "The hammer, the net, four posts with the dwarves symbolizing the four directions." "The salmon!" "Mara?" "What's wrong?" "I just want it to stop." "What, already?" "I mean, "already", even before we know how to stop this?" "We?" "Yes." "Of course, we." "You won't get rid of me that quickly, Spákona." "We're a team now." "For real?" "Tomorrow after school:" "research at the university." "The story of Siegfried the Dragon Slayer is among the oldest subject matters in the Nordic-Germanic heroic saga in our country known as." ""The Nibelungenlied", written down for the first time" " around 1200." " He's part of it, too." "Poor little pumpkin!" "Frightened by the snake?" "Did you allow this midget to take off the cap?" "Leave that boy alone!" "I knew something was about to change:" "the position of my nasal bone." "So... if you ever need help again..." "Mum, I thought we were only going for a quick bite to eat." "You know I'm busy." "I need to go to the university." "It'll only take a few minutes." "Walburga!" "Christa, my glitter fairy!" "How lovely to..." "Dr Thurisaz!" " What joy!" "How may I help you?" " By making some room perhaps." "Here?" "Certainly." "Mrs Lorbeer!" "I do hope to see you at the regression seminar." "What am I saying?" "I insist!" " I'm not sure I'll be able to make it." " If you like, I could give you a very private session." " Yuck, what's that?" " Oh, it comes out that way!" "I'm sorry, I didn't notice," "Mr..." "Whatsit." "Well, never mind." "Root Chakra spray?" "Thanks a bunch." "Mrs Lorbeer..." " Come..." " Loki!" " Come with me..." " Loki!" " Sigyn!" "Be mine!" " All right?" " Yes." "Sorry, I just got a fright" " because of the earthquake." "But nothing's broken." " An earthquake in Munich?" " Have you heard anything like it?" " Yes." "See you soon at the seminar, Mrs Lorbeer." "I'll be looking forward to it." " Kudos for your chirpy little daughter!" " Thank you." " He connected with your daughter, how lovely!" " That makes one." "Yes, Mum, I have to get going." " See you later." " Is everything all right?" "Yes." "Spákona!" "Right, that was pretty much the scariest moment in my entire life so far." "You stupid cow!" "Or so I thought." "Then this happened..." "Spákona, come to me." "Help me, Spákona." "I knew very well who was calling me, of course." "I'd heard that voice screaming a few times before, besides," "I didn't know that many people with black eyes." "Loki, was calling out to me." "But why?" "Why to me?" "It's here!" "Why is it here?" "Why...?" "Spákona!" "Come to me." " Spákona, undo these bonds!" " I can't set you free." " No way." " Sigyn!" "Your wife?" "I don't know where she went." "Maybe she's..." "out there?" "I'll go and have a look." "Sigyn?" "Sigyn, are you there?" "I don't know why, but standing up there, in the middle of this mythological climbing park, I realized:" "running is no use." "None at all." "And at that moment my brain finally kicked in again." "Ashes." "His wife was kidnapped by the fire?" "And he wants her back!" "Hello?" "Listen!" " Find her!" " I don't know how." "Spákona, you can use my magic until it is drained." "Sigyn, my wife..." "See her... find her!" "Wait, stop it!" "I'll try." "I'll find her." "Go!" "Oh man!" "Abracadabra." "Beam me up." "How do I get there?" "Sigyn-Sigyn-Sigyn..." "I'll only get constipated!" "Calm down?" "See her..." " find her." " See her... find her." "See her... find her." "Sigyn..." "I did it all by myself!" "It works." "It really works." "I..." "I want to get out of here?" "..." "So I'd beamed myself somewhere with Loki's blue magic stuff." "Yeah!" "But I should've studied the travel brochure first." "What was this?" "A package tour to Mordor?" "Whatever it was, Loki's wife had to be here somewhere." "Hello." "Are you Sigyn?" "I'm Mara..." "Lorbeer of the Au." "That's in Munich." "In Germany?" "Do you understand me?" " Do you hear that too?" " He's coming." " Run, girl, run!" " I have to get you." "Save you." "Loki told me to." "Loki sent you to save me?" "Yes, but I don't have any experience in saving." "It's my first time!" "Flee." "Flee now!" "Who are you that you dare find your way to me?" "What have you done with Sigyn?" "Where is she?" "Oh, you're the prisoner's envoy!" "Loki gave you strength, but... no power!" "Bow before your god, the Firebearer!" "Bow to..." "Loge!" "Spákona." "You dare...?" "Little Seeress," " bring the bowl to Loki." " But what about you?" "You're hurt!" "Spákona, bring the bowl to Loki." "I don't even know how, damn it!" "Little Seeress, calm down." "Trust yourself." "Breathe." "Close your eyes." "And now... see Loki." "Loki..." "Loki wants to thank you." "But he is a god and it wouldn't suit him." "That's OK." "Unfortunately I wasn't able to free Sigyn." "Or was the bowl all you were after?" " Tell me it wasn't." " I'd bear the snake's poison forever if it'd get Sigyn back." "Wow." "So... the black-eyed zombies, that was you?" "You called me because you needed my help." "And if you weren't in bonds, you could free Sigyn yourself?" "Yes." "Are you sure you can trust Loki?" "You're not." "You can't be." "Not even Loki himself dares trust Loki." "You're a big help." "The bowl contains all of her magic, all of her powers." "Now she's not only a prisoner, she's also defenceless." " Bring her back the bowl." " No." "No!" "She wanted you to have it at all costs." "Why?" "No!" "Damn it." "They say she went this way." "God knows where she is now." "Looks like it's locked." " Again!" " Say, that's the third time today." "Listen, what are they setting up there?" "There are some kegs out there." "Are they putting up a beer tent?" "We're not here to drink." "Maybe she ran in here, and then slipped out through the gate." "Not drinking all day is bad for you." "OK, seven stops." "That should do." "No!" "Sigyn wants you to have the bowl." "Even if I gave it back, she wouldn't take it." "Firebearer or not, she's stubborn about that." "Like 20 mules and a goat." "And you're no better, my little seeress." "So the Firebearer holds my wife." "Never before did I hear of him." "All my power, that of the giants and the gods' enemies I will hurl at him." "I will rouse the worm in the water and the wolf in the woods." "Death, damnation ice and flames will devour what's between us!" "Hey, stop it!" "Loki!" "Loki, stop it!" "We are between you." "We, non-gods, non-giants and non-worms die because you bash each other's head in." "And I've been having nightmares about this crap for years!" "You see Ragnarök?" "Fire, people panicking, bearded guys with swords?" "Sounds like it." "I'll get Sigyn back and there's an end to it." "Maybe it'll take some time, because I don't really know how yet." "But I'll get her back." "I promise." "But you have to promise you'll cool down until I get back." "Two more things." "I hate to beg, but it's just awesome!" "I can jump forward and back at will." "And it's dead easy." "But I'm afraid" "I've used it all up." "So I need some..." "What else?" "Don't let go, OK?" "O..." "K..." "Good." "See you soon." "OK, so Loki remained tied up for now." "On the down side I'd just met the Level 1,000 Final Enemy:" "Loge the Firebearer." "All clear." "Meditation hour in the living room." "With Loki's blue magic thingy I can jump in and out easily." "Awesome, right?" "Not my favourite expression," " but in this case it applies." " Tomorrow we'll free Sigyn." "Somehow." "So Loki's happy and there's no Ragarock." "Ragnarök." "Don't you have school tomorrow?" "I'll just split after Mum's dropped me off." "I didn't hear that, but I'm all for it, and I'll pick you up at school tomorrow." "I just have one more question:" "are you absolutely sure that this firebearer calls himself Loge?" "Mara?" "I'm not telling you to ask him to marry me!" "Just coffee and cake, please." " Am I naked and shooting arrows?" " No, on the contrary, dear daughter." "Are trying to spoil it for me with all men?" "No, but the esoterics-guy's an idiot and the professor..." "Can we please put off this discussion?" " Well, at least say hello from me and give him my number." " We'll see." "Bye, Mum." "You have a nice day, too!" "Nosey-nosey..." "If the Firebearer was my final enemy, she was the level boss." "But I just levelled up." "Go on." "Say it." "Oh," "Superpumpkin, are you here to save me from Snakewoman?" "Let him go!" "You will stay in there until I tell you to come out." "And you want me to kick your..." "Right, "Snakewoman", now I'll show you a real snake!" " Are you crazy?" " Get a grip!" "Mara?" "What's happened here?" "Right!" "Step back, all of you." "Step back." "And turn those phones off." "Or I'll do it for you with that stone, at three, two..." "Come on, it's all right- What's your name?" "Tell me, what's your name?" "Has anyone got a phone you can make a call with?" "112." "Loki has to take it back." "Let them sort this out by themselves." "I can't do it!" " Yes, you can." "Precisely because of these feelings you're the right one." " I'm not!" "Damn it!" "No sooner do I have a little magic, than I turn into some dark lord!" "Look, it isn't..." "Having no feelings of revenge isn't the main human achievement," " but conquering them." "You have to..." " I don't have to do anything!" "Not be a seeress, not a Spákona or whatever!" "And I certainly don't have to be somebody who can do this..." "God, what I wouldn't give to..." "Now I get it." "You don't want my visions to stop." " Mara, listen..." " No, you listen!" "I won't be a wacky Wicca, not a seeress, and certainly no Darth Vader!" "I will only be one person:" "Mara Lorbeer of the Au." "Without Armageddon, without fire nonsense, and especially without... anyone." "On my way home I'd considered getting a black helmet, asthma and a red light-sabre." "Or maybe a magic wand, a silly name and no nose." "Instead I went home like a badass villain." "To Mum." "Mega evil." "Mara, Pumpkin..." "Come, sit down here." "I've been thinking about us." "I have the feeling..." "I've lost all contact to you lately." "I want us to go on vacation together." " That would be nice." " It's not all that far away either." "Not far...?" " I thought, maybe Italy?" " Oh please!" "We don't want some mindless beach holiday!" "No, we'll go to the Mühl Valley, near Starnberg." "And together we'll go to Dr Thurisaz's week-long regression workshop." "He called." "And he invited us both." "It'll be great!" "I mean, such an intense and intimate experience will bring us much closer than lying around on the beach side by side, staring out at the sea." "Oh, Mara!" "I can't give her any more." " If she wakes up again, I'll have to get the doctor." " Yes." "Excuse me?" " And who are you?" " A school friend of Larissa's." " If you have to leave, I could stay for a bit." " That's good." "Were you there, too?" "You could say so." " I don't know what's got into her lately." " My mum always says it's puberty." "Ah." "Hello, Dear." "Yes, I have to go." "A classmate's with her." "I think it's puberty." "I'm sorry." "I didn't mean to..." " I don't want to be like that." " What?" "You've shown me how that little boy sees me." "That's how I am." " Maybe not that bad." " I don't want to be like that." "I don't want to be a monster." "You're pretty good at it." "But... it doesn't mean you have to be like that, does it?" " I didn't mean to frighten you." " Neither did I." " Neither did I." "I saw your eyes." "They were completely black." "I know." "Can you show me how to do that?" " Best not." " OK." "But if she wakes up and she's forgotten she's sorry, will you please do it again?" "OK." "Are you still in or did I put you off?" "Almost." "Almost isn't completely, is it?" " Can I put this anywhere?" " On the backseat." "It's a new car." "I still have to settle in." " Where are we going anyway?" " To the Residency." "Very well, Your Highness." "May I ask where this" " turnabout comes from?" " Puberty?" " Too simple." " Child of divorce?" " Too corny." " I want to save Sigyn because she saved me, and return her to Loki so he won't free himself and destroy the world." "That's a reason to my liking!" "Knightly..." "the stuff of heroes and legends!" "If I may allow myself one small comment," "I'm very glad you don't want to go it alone." "I will need support." "The best I can get!" "I'll make a solemn promise: science will do everything in its power..." "And him!" " Him?" "Who?" " Siegfried, the Dragon Slayer." "Hero in the Saga of the Nibelungs." "He bathed in dragon's blood and was invulnerable thereafter." "I want him." "But how?" "I can't just..." "This Nibelungen-stuff is Nordic-Germanic, isn't it?" "Of course it is, but, but, but..." "Professor, you sound like a moped." "You want to take Siegfried to the Firebearer so he'll release Sigyn?" " COURTYARD FESTIVAL IN THE RESIDENCY Why would he?" " Professor," " a true hero needs no prompting." " What does he have that we don't?" "He has a sword, he's invulnerable..." "He's a superhero, of course I want him!" "Unless you tell me Iron Man and the Hulk are Nordic-Germanic, then I'll want them!" "Sure you do." "Typical for the young people of today!" "Do a little googling, clicking and downloading." " But life isn't that simple." " We're here." "What do you mean "here"?" "What's here?" "This is what I see in all my nightmares:" "fire, panic, Vikings and everything!" "We have to prevent it." "Here?" "In the Munich Residency?" " Are you sure?" " Excuse me," " do I need a stamp to come back in?" " Yes." "Thank you." "Thanks." "A hundred per cent sure." "Why?" "I imagined the Twilight of the Gods to be on a more global scale, to be honest." "Sorry." "Next time I'll dream of New York and Autobots." " Spare me!" "And please spare me this..." " Professor, what's this?" "Siegfried on the Gnita Heath before he meets the Lindworm." "So... will you come there with me?" "Somebody has to watch over you!" "Ping!" "Fourth floor:" "Gnita Heath." "Now you'll probably ask me how we're going to find the infamous Lindworm cave?" "On occasion the Lindworm leaves his cave to drink from a spring." "All we have to do is follow this brook, and follow it against the flow since..." "Or we simply follow the..." "Right, Mara, while there's still time," "I'm going to hold the talk about your Firebearer called Loge again," " because you fell asleep from exhaustion last time." " Is it a lot?" " No..." " You're lying." " True." " There is no god called Loge." " What?" "But I was there!" " However... in the three..." "In the loudest three operas" " by composer Richard Wagner a Loge appears." " No!" " Yes." "The opera character is said to be roughly based on Loki, but has nothing to do with him." "Even his name is a mistranslation." "I'd like to know why the figment of a composer's imagination lives in a volcano thinking he's a god." "Maybe it's something to do with those voices I heard." "Are they Wagner's too?" "Best ask someone who likes Wagner." " I think this is the place." " So... where's the dragon?" "Lindworm, please." "Look!" "Siegfried and his sword Balmung, or..." "Sigurd and his sword Gram, or Gramr, depending on the saga's version." " You don't think this underwear model is sexy, do you?" "I hate the word." " Please!" "Nowadays you see them in any commercial..." "God, is he taking his shirt off?" "Yes, among Teuton's it's considered very heroic, among professors it's considered very silly." "You think." " I can take pictures with my phone in a vision like this?" " How would I... know." "What are you doing?" "Go ahead, look..." "Look for a hollow where, according to the saga, you can heroically slay the Lindworm from below." "Is it his's fault you know the saga?" ""His's" is incorrect..." "It's amphibian!" "God, it's amphibian." "Yes, I've always said it was!" "It has an affinity for water." "No fire breather." "Take its picture." "At least it's proof!" "Far better than this jumping jack." "Do you want a poster of him over your bed?" " You want a Lindworm over your bed?" " I carried one over my threshold once." " You're married?" " Divorced ages ago." "Spákona!" " The bowl!" " Loki, not now!" "No!" "Damn!" "OK, just quick." "Here you are." "Forgive me, my Spákona." "Loki needed you because the worm..." "Not now." "Ciao!" "What was that...?" " He says we should run." " Good idea." "Good idea." "Dear me." "What happened back there?" "Loki contacted me through you." " I never even noticed." " But that beast did." "First I thought we had to run, but leaving the vision solved the problem..." "No!" "A Southern Teuton?" "How can that be?" "It's all my fault!" " Mara!" " No!" " What will you do?" " Get rid of it, but I must get close or I'll take everyone!" "A mediaeval market?" "What's going on?" "Where am I?" " Thank you." " But I wanna!" "Any closer and you'd be hugging it." "Sigyn?" "Why did you come here again?" "I can't protect you anymore." "I'm not alone." "Hi there." "Sigurd!" "Hero of the old songs." "OK, plan A:" "Magic Sword versus Magic Chain." "Fail." " This isn't the Gnita Heath, but the Firebearer's home." " Right." "So, Firebearer versus Siegfried plus Water Beast?" "As crazy as it is brilliant." " Thank you." " My pleasure." "Thus it was time for the final enemy and plans B and C." " These voices, is that the choir you...?" " That's right." "You hear it" " every time the..." " Spákona!" "Oh, shit." " Let yourself be led to my lair?" " What?" "Which god speaks in alliteration?" "Look at me!" "Shiver me timbers!" "What is that?" "I've never seen him like that either." "Worms!" "What words will you wage..." "Fafner?" "The Waterworm..." "What I said before, about crazy and brilliant?" "Drop the brilliant." "Kneel down before Loge!" "And underscore "crazy", twofold." "Plan B:" "Water Dragon versus Fire God." "Epic fail." "He says he'd gladly die to protect the two women." "No mention of me." "Just saying." "Looking forward to follow Fafner into the flames, Siegfried?" " It's in the saga, right, the thing with the dragon blood?" " Definitely." " It does say "invulnerable", right?" " Yes, yes." "Plan C:" "Superhero versus Fire God." "Total flop." "Except this..." "Be gone!" "You amuse me." " Nothing more important?" " No." "Yes!" "Take cover!" "Sigurd!" "He's good." "He can take quite a bit." "I still suggest a strategic retreat." " Come on." " I'm so sorry." "We'll be back." " I promise." " It was a pleasure..." "To the Gnita Heath!" "Oh, shit!" " What?" " Battery's empty." " Shit!" "I offer you the blessing of a merciful death, for now you need not witness how it burns, your world, when I grow strong!" "Gather your powers." "I'll try to stall him." "Correct me, if I'm wrong..." "Here's how I see your impressive display:" "Loki won't herald the end of the world but you will." "As soon as you're strong enough." "I see." "He finds that funny." "That's an infectious laugh you've got." "I'll make you a proposition!" "Every self-respecting god needs prophets to announce his coming." "And that's where we could come in." "We could roll out the red carpet in our world, get people in the mood for Armageddon." "To the best of our ability, of course, and within certain limits." "The problem is, we'd have to get home first." "Be so kind as to tell us how to get there, we have a tiny transport problem." "Silence!" "You don't have to decide now." "We can discuss it later." "No problem." "One more question." "Sigyn." "You need her magic powers to control water as well as fire." "As the professor mentioned Sigyn, I remembered my very first rescue attempt." "How could I extinguish his flames when new ones appeared all the time." "Ha!" "Not all the time." "The flames were gone." "Just like now." "And something else was gone too..." "The voices." "The voices are gone." "A global fire no one can extinguish!" "No!" "Every final enemy has a weak spot." "And I had a new plan." "You've just got an ego problem!" "What?" " What are you saying?" " You told me yourself." " Me?" "You're a product of a mistranslation and lots of opera stuff!" "Time-out!" " Shouldn't you be gathering your strength?" " Pseudogod!" " In silence?" " Pseudogod!" " Don't listen to her." "My mistake." " The guy's already boiling with rage!" " Exactly!" "We must get him enraged," " at all costs, now, because..." " Loge, hear me!" "If you let the little seeress and her fellowship live, I will be yours." "For get it!" "I'm here to save her." "Bugger off, fire jerk!" "I said, silence!" "You see, Little Worm?" "Laugh at Loge, and he will wage his rage at you!" "Come on then!" "Is that all you got?" "No, much more is in my might." "Feel my flames." "Go on then!" "Come on, you fire jerk!" " You will kneel and pray!" " Mara!" " And you will return the bowl you stole from me!" "Your god commands you:" "you will crawl in the dust!" "Spákona..." "Now you kneel before me." "You dare face Loge standing upright?" "On your knees!" "Am I being cheeky?" "You..." "I'm sorry." "It must be puberty." "There's one thing girls in puberty are really good at:" "infuriating others." "Be silent!" "Wanna know why we're so good at it?" "How...?" "We know your weak spot." "No...!" "Mara, how did you do...?" " How did you know...?" " The voices." "The choir." "I thought it sings when Loge arrives and grows louder as he gets stronger." "But it's the other way round." "Loge comes because the choir sings." "And without it he grows weaker." "You drained his powers before the choir returned." "That's brilliant, Mara!" "I'm impressed." "Now what?" "Without the Firebearer's magic everything returns to its normal place, where it scientifically belongs." "And rightly so." "I'd love to translate it, but it's too pompous." "I'll be right back." "I could never thank you enough." "So I'll leave it." "As you well know, these bonds obey you." " Yes, but..." " You also know not to trust Loki." "I know very well why my husband has been faithful to me for 2000 years." " I didn't really want any more of that..." " Magic is a sharp sword." "But only you decide whether it kills, or shares bread." "I have often used this power, not infrequently for evil." " Use this power more wisely than I have." " She will." "Have no fear." "Right then." "One final question." " OK, come on." " What are you going to do?" "Oh God." "They've all seen it." "In seconds the whole world will know:" ""Professor Weissinger, Munich University, on horseback with Siegfried." Bravo." " I'd even prefer the picture with the life jacket." " Come up here." "OK, Loki, I hope this is going to work, otherwise we're all f..." "Uh, right." "That's Old Nordic and means "forget"." "Who taught you..." "But of course!" "Loki!" "Forget, forget, forget..." "Forget!" "You have never seen a professor on a horse." "Certainly not with Siegfried." "Who's Siegfried?" "Erase, erase!" "Erase all pictures." "Lindworm?" "Never seen one." "What Lindworm?" ""These aren't the 'druids' you're looking for."" "You see?" "What?" "You can do more with your powers than destroy." "You can heal as well." " You!" "And you!" "Here!" " You and him!" "Too!" "I was called here, because we were close by when... something." "What?" "Something was up." "Right, Anselm, there was something?" "Yes..." "I don't know." "Was there something?" "It could well be." "Something's always... somewhere." "My university offers an interesting lecture:" ""Forgotten Battles." "When the defeated remain silent."" " Good day." " Bye." "This isn't over yet." "Hey look, there really is something to drink." "What might this be: "hemp mead"?" "I'm dying to find out how the choir gave the Firebearer all that power." "We really have to find out who or what is behind it." "But not right know." "And we actually solved every single thing I had nightmares about." "You did a great job, Mara." " We." " You!" "And me." "And maybe your little Sigi helped a little too." "Sigi!" "Mara..." "Siegfried!" "Mara!" "Yes?" " Do you like coffee?" " Only if it's not instant." " And cake?" " Only if it there's no banana in it." " Mum wants to know if you'd like to..." " I do." " Friday?" " Love to." " Great." "Thanks for everything." "I thank you!" "For the little trips into Vicky-the-Viking land." "Would you like to know why Loki did have a Suebian Knot after all?" " Because contrary to my knowledge it already existed..." " Wrong!" "Loki didn't know what a Suebian Knot is." "You said yourself he had one." "Sigyn'd just tied his hair together to keep it from hanging in the limewater." "Bravo..." "And suddenly I realized something." "I'd never been really alone." "I always had my mother." "And my mother... had me." "I always knew I had it in me." "Mara, Pumpkin, we've only just begun!" "BASED ON THE NOVEL BY TOMMY KRAPPWEIS"