Wednesday, 14 September 2011

Viking Raid-Victim

I sit here and watch as the Vikings come sweeping down stream in their boats of dragon. I see women and other children flee from areas closest to the water, to take shelter in their houses from the incoming threat. As the boats of floating death come nearer, I see that it is not just one, but two boats floating down the river. Panic is flowing through my quiet little village, with the men, and those old enough to attempt to defend the village scrambling to get whatever potential weapon they can and preparing to fight. I my oldest brother rushes past me with our fathers sword, I stop him, I know this will be the last time I should have any communication with him, he cant fight, he has only ever held that sword once, and has never even practiced swordplay with a stick and a tree. Before I can say anything an elder man yells at him to come outside and form a battle line. My mother rushes inside with tears welling in her eyes, but I can also see fear and anxiousness. She hides what little valuables as best she can before coming over to me and attempting to shield my view of what is happening down by the shores.
By the time I can negotiate my position so I can see what is happening, the Vikings have already landed and are on their way up the hill towards our defence and my brother. As the first wave comes through the barrier of men, I see the brother slice down a Viking warrior before being knocked to the ground by another one. I close my eyes and tuck my head into my mothers embrace. She must have been watching as I feel her squeeze me tighter, let out a little scream, and the start crying onto the top of my head. I dare not look for fear of seeing him lying dead on the ground, head cleaved in half by a Viking battle axe. I can hear noise and the screaming of women and children, and the sound of breaking ceramics in the houses close to us, and know our time will come soon. The sound of wood and reeds being cracked in two by a large Viking shield is not a sound that you want to hear, though it didn't last for long however, as  my mother screams as a large set of arms comes between us to drag her away from me.
“Don’t hurt my boy”. I hear her scream.
 I open my eyes to see her being dragged by her hair out the door, I yell after her and get up to run after her, but as I go to get up, I feel a hand placed on my shoulder, and a point of cold steel, warm with the blood of my townspeople, pierce the skin of my back, before forcing its way through me. I look down to see a metal tip, shiny with my blood poke its way through the skin of my stomach, as I scream, my stomach muscles contract, sending waves of unbearable pain throughout my body, it was at this point the sword is withdrawn from me, sliding with ease through the soft flesh that was me. I black out and fall, landing in a pool of my blood that had already collected on the floor beneath me. That is where I lay, slowly bleeding out into a peaceful oblivion.

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