The Odyssey of Bjorn

               The Odyssey of Bjorn

Suzanne Marsh

985AD

The tall ships with the red and white sails loomed on the blue horizon. Men and women began to gather near the shore of the frozen North Atlantic. The women noticed that the flotilla contained fourteen long ships, they had left with twenty five. The red and white sails bespoke of loss and widows. Wailing began as the fourteenth long ship dropped anchor. Men began to row toward the shore of from the long boats. Helga saw Bjorn before he saw her. She ran toward the smaller boat, her arms out stretched. She had been waiting for a year for Bjorn to return safely to her. She thanked Njord god of sea that Bjorn was home safely. She looked around to see women crying knowing that their men were lost at sea. Helga, her blond hair hanging limp sighed as she watched the other women. She took Bjorn’s hand in hers, almost as if he were a trophy to be treasured, as they began the walk to their long house and farm.

Bjorn had a secret that he could not disclose to Helga, if he were found out he would be a dead man. He carried it in his secret pocket sewn into the pelts he wore. He loved her, he just could not trust her to keep his secret.. They lived in the long house with her sisters, brothers and parents. Together they all farmed except for Bjorn, his mistress was the sea. Helga had accepted that from their courtship.

Bjorn, kissed Helga behind the closed door of their rooms. He hated not having the privacy of his own home, but with the diamond he had stole, his dream would now come true. Bjorn had no idea how he was going to barter the diamond then he thought about Jarl Agnart. Rumors among the Viking warriors told that Agnart, although a lord was never one to pass up diamonds for the crowns of the kings. Yes, Bjorn thought that is what I shall do.

The following morning Bjorn was up before sunrise, he moved silently so as not to awaken Helga. He quietly left Helga, opened the door to the long house and plunged into the fog. He strode toward the village and castle of the Jarl. He hoped that the Jarl would not turn him over to Erik the Red, whose hair was as fierce as his temper. He strode toward the castle never expecting to come face to face with Erik the Red. Bjorn, nodded to Erik in passing, he turned running down a steep hill toward his own village. His heart beating rapidly, he entered his long house. Helga, waited until he spoke:

“Helga, I need your help, I took a large diamond from Erik’s stash, I earned it. Erik was not

going to pay the crews this time. I wanted the money to purchase a long house of our own.

I have to get that diamond back where it belongs before Erik discovers it missing.”

“Bjorn, how could you be so foolish? If Erik discovers what you have done he will

execute you. I want you here with me. I will help you return it today.”

Bjorn, realized at that moment that he could trust Helga with his life. Helga decided the safest way was to go to the ship and return it to Erik’s cache.

Erik the Red returned to his long ship before anyone had anticipated including Bjorn and Helga.

They quietly slipped on board, making their way to Erik’s cabin. Bjorn did not believe for a moment that Erik would be there. He opened the door to the captain’s cab, his brown eyes full of fear.

“Come in Bjorn, I have been waiting for you. I know you have stolen the diamond, and now

you will pay the price. You will be taken up the mountain to the snow cave. You will be

put under the water where you will remain for eternity.”

Before either Helga or Bjorn could react, several sailors grabbed Bjorn by the arms forcing him to walk down the plank. The mountain loomed in the distance. Bjorn, did not fear for his own life but he had dragged Helga into this. He only hoped that Erik would show mercy and spare her.

The approached the snow cave. The sailors dragging him into the snow cave. He trembled as he noted the water. The sailors picked him up, shoved him into the pool of water. They held his head under water until there was no more movement…

June 2020

The team had hiked most of the day, the warmer weather in Iceland was still cold to them. Mike Murphy, the head of the expedition hoped and prayed that the story of the diamond was true. The legend of the diamond had been told in the Murphy family for at least two hundred years. Mike questioned his Dad many times about the diamond; it was always the same answer, Bjorn. Bjorn held the clue. Mike told several of his friends about the diamond; hoping to put a team together. Five years later they were climbing the mountain. Mike thought about the diamond and what it had cost Bjorn; would it be worth attempting to find. ‘It is to late to think about that now.’ The team was already snowmobiling up toward the crest of the mountain.

The ride up the face following the map that had been in the Murphy family for over two hundred years. It seemed strange to Mike that it was his fate to find Bjorn. Mike raised his hand to stop the three other members of his team. There, just as the map showed was the entrance to the cave. The four men dismounted and slowly trudged into the opening. They noticed the pool of water. Mike gasped as he looked into the pool. There frozen solid was Bjorn; there was no doubt about it. The red hair, the pelts he wore, the leather boots on his feet. He was clutching something in his hand. Mike, as a scientist thought about attempting to thaw Bjorn out. What a find this would be; perhaps Bjorn could explain how Eric the Red and his ships had made it to Canada.

Mike radioed to the USS Polar Star.

“Hey Tom, this is Mike, we found our objective; frozen solid. The body is perfectly preserved.

Is is possible that if we thaw the body he might come back to life?”

“Mike, have you been nipping at the Irish Whiskey again?”

“No Tom but I would like to try and thaw this fellow out.”

“We can try that is all I can say. Bring the body back to the Polar Star.”

“Roger, thanks Tom.”

Mike and his team began the process of chipping the ice from the clear blue pool. ‘What sort of information can Bjorn give us?’ Mike thought as he chipped away near the face and arm. Once the team had cleared the ice to the body, they then lifted the body gently onto sled. Bjorn, his hand still clutching whatever he died for, looked as if he were merely sleeping. His hair shaggy and a bright red. The pelts were also well preserved. This intrigued Mike, he really did not believe that the frozen man was so well preserved, almost as if he had been hibernating for a thousand and thirty five years.

The Polar Star lay anchored, awaiting the team. The Captain had been informed of the body being brought aboard. Captain Lance Beau was curious as the rest of the crew as to what this frozen man looked like. Doctor Thomas Macklin waited patiently for Mike and the team. He was in awe that the body was not corrupted, after all it was over a thousand years old. He hoped his idea of thawing the man would work. He had done it before at Chicago’s Northwest Hospital, but that was on a young boy who had fallen into frozen Lake Michigan. This was a whole new concept. Finally they heard the Chinook helicopter approaching the landing area of the Icebreaker. Tom Macklin ran toward the helicopter, with several corpsmen. Mike jumped off first:

“Tom, the body is very well preserved. Is it possible that we can thaw him out. Although

I am not sure what we will do with him if he is alive.”

“Mike, I can make no guarantee that we can bring him back, a thousand and thirty five years

is a long time. Although, if it is more like a hibernation then we may just have a chance.”

The Hyperbaric Chamber had already been prepared as was a crash cart. Tom lead the way into the chamber:

“This is phase one, we have heated blankets to cover him with that should help raise his

temperature; the Hyperbaric Chamber will supply the oxygen. Theoretically this should

assist him to breath. The crash cart has all the other essentials such as: adrenaline, an

intubation kit, respirator, and defibrillator. Let’s hope that our iceman will come around

soon.

Four days later, a groggy, grumpy Viking awoke in the Hyperbaric Chamber. Tom summoned

Mike to the hospital area. They both stared in awe as the Iceman began to stir. Bjorn, had no idea where he was or why he was here, the last thing he remembered was being held in the water until he

had lost consciousness. He spoke in Norse, the closest translator was on a Norwegian ship somewhere in the Atlantic. The Polar Star radio operator informed the Captain who then let Tom know they had found a translator. Bjorn began to scream, with terror, yelling: where am I? What am I doing here? Get me out of this thing NOW!!!!!! The Norwegian translator chuckled then replied: “relax you are safe.”

Bjorn calmed down; Mike approached the chamber with both his hands above his head. He entered the chamber:

“Bjorn?”

Bjorn nodded yes then broke into the viking dialect. Mike grabbed the microphone:

“Tom, get the Captain, we need that translator NOW.”

Moments later the translator was back on the radio:

“Ask him if he has any idea where he is?”

“he says no, he wishes to know how he arrived here.”

“tell him we found him in a frozen pool in Iceland.”

“He says what great ship is this.”

“tell him it is the Icebreaker US Coast Guard Ship Polar Star. We need to keep him

top secret.”

“He speaks Norse not Norwegian, how is that possible?”

“Long story made short, he is a Viking, he is top secret.”

“A Viking, are you pulling my leg?”

“No, I am not. We thawed him out, we have a great number of question for him as

I am sure Norway does also.”

Bjorn, could not understand what was being said. The translator asked him:

“What year is this?

“985”

The translator did not try to explain that it was 2020. He would leave that to a different translator.

Mike then had the translator ask Bjorn:

“Where is the diamond you stole from Erik the Red?”

Bjorn simply stared opened mouthed:

“I put it back.”

“Then what were you clutching in your hand?”

“A medallion my wife Helga gave me. It is made of gold. I also have my knife.”

“Thank you Bjorn.”

The legend lives on. Bjorn in effect was forced hibernate. He is now one thousand thirty six years old. He still is attempting to understand all that happened to him. He enjoys being on any shipping vessel. He misses Helga; although he still thinks of her as his wife.