An Unexpected Visitor

Everything is ready for ritual. My altar was decorated, my quarter candles were glowing warmly in my ritual room and my ancestor connection meditation was ready to go. I was excited about this ritual. It was Samhain, the only day of the year when the veil between the worlds was thinnest. I was excited to see who would show up. I lit my altar candles and cast my circle. I stood before my altar and made my offerings. I was invoking my Viking ancestors as I left my offering of a thick medium-rare T-bone and a bottle of dark ale on my altar. I sat in my comfortable chair, closed my eyes as I lost myself in my ancestor connection meditation. I had just gotten to the good part, the part where my ancestor shows up. When the mist cleared I saw a gorgeous Viking warrior helping himself to the T-bone steak and ale on my altar. I heard his sexy voice caressing me like a silken glove. “Thank you, lass. Just the way I like it.”  I sat there gaping at him as he ripped into the steak like he hadn’t eaten in centuries. He down the ale in two gulps and stood looking forlornly at the empty bottle. “Have you any more of this fine ale, lass?” He smiled at me as he raised his eyebrows.

      “Who are you?” I stammered.

“I beg your pardon, lass. I’m called Eric. You did call on your Viking ancestors? Did you not? So here I am.”  He took one step forward, and in that one step covered the two to three feet that separated up and gave me what can only be described as a bear hug.

   “Yes, I did. I stammered, I had apparently lost the power of intelligent speech. “But none of them ever came in person before. I don’t understand how you are even here. How is this even possible?

“The clan is proud to call you one of ours. We see how hard you work to honor us and how desperately you need our help in your current situation. So they sent me. Well, actually I asked to be the one to come to you. I have something I need of you as well, lass.”

   I invited him to sit on the sofa and went to the fridge to get him another bottle of “this fine ale”.  Once again he drank it down in two gulps and set the empty bottle carefully on my coffee table. We say staring at each other for a few long minutes. I finally broke the silence. 

    “Uh, so, Eric, what is it that you need of me? I know why I called out to my ancestors, but why do you need my help?”

“Why don’t we work on taking care of what you need first, that is why I’m here, isn’t it?”  He flashed me a smile that made me wish with my whole heart that he was the one and not the one here to help me look for the one. I gave a lopsided grin in return, that last thought didn’t even make any sense to me. “Well?” He interjected, thankfully getting my thoughts off that runaway train.

I looked at him forlornly, “I’m already in my mid-thirties and have yet to find a man who loves me, truly loves me. I’ve had dates, sure. I’ve even had a few long-term relationships that all ended with him leaving and me sitting in a puddle of tears with a box of tissues. I’m starting to think there is something wrong with me.”  I could feel the tears gathering at the back of my eyes, threatening to overflow at any second. He was my ancestor for fuck’s sake, the last I needed was to become a pathetic hot mess in front of him. I stared at my hands that I had just been wringing.

   He looked at me, his eyes full of compassion, and held out his hand. I hesitantly put my hand in his. “Look at me, Tessa.” He gently brought his other hand under my chin and lifted my face so that I was now looking directly into his warm green eyes. “There is nothing wrong with you. There must be something wrong with the men of this time that they can’t see how beautiful you truly are.” He whispered softly. 

    “The men of your time are different?” It almost came out on a sob.

“Yes and no.” He stated simply. “A man of my time would know how to take care of his woman. He’d know how to love her. They would be team, supporting and loving each other no matter what was happening around them.” He had to tread gently with her, much as he now wanted to show her just how a 'man of his time' would love his woman.

    “How long can you stay?” I asked, holding my breath.

“For as long as it takes for you to find a man of your own.” He kissed my forehead and gave me a little wink.

  He stayed with me for six months. We laughed at the profile pictures on more than one dating website, he held me as I cried over hopeful dates gone wrong. We talked about ourselves and about our passions. He was a carpenter, or woodworker as he called it. I loved listening to him talk about how he loved working with wood and how he go into the forest and ask the tree’s permission first. He told me he loved how my whole face lit up when I talked about my music. He loved to listen to me play. I finally found someone who loved me for who I was and now he had to leave me. I felt like the universe was playing some kind of cruel joke on me.  “So you really have to leave me?” I asked through tears.

“I could never leave you, lass. I love you. I asked that they send me to you because I was in the same situation as you. I couldn’t find a woman who could see past my physical appearance. You actually listened to me when I spoke about my love of woodworking and my respect for the trees that provided the wood. You saw past my physical appearance and directly into my soul. Do you have any idea how rare a thing that is, in any time?

     He opened the portal that would take him home and held out his hand to me. I took it without thinking twice about it.  The next thing I knew, I was standing among my clan, my man by my side.  The elders were clapping him on the back and wrapping me in bear hugs.

   “There will be some fine feasting tonight." They were very obviously overjoyed that Leif had found his woman. Then they turned to me. "Welcome home, lass. You'll make a fine wife for our beloved Chieftain."

So I became the Chieftain's wife, I bore him many children. One of them became one of the finest warriors of any age. Perhaps you've heard of him? We named him Leif.