The Sunstone

Eons ago, (and that is a very, very long time), there was a Viking named Agnarr who sailed to Iceland.  Leaving his longboat at the base of a cliff, he set off to explore the island with his Viking crew.   He knew his boat would be safe there.  After all, there were very few people in Iceland in those days, and who would dare steal from a Viking? 

As he walked away with his men, a small brown mouse poked his head up and watched them.  The mouse was Tassi and he had been a resident of the longboat for several years.  As they sailed back and forth, Tassi enjoyed exploring each new land and sampling the endless supply of new foods.  He stretched out along the wide bench, sunning himself in the weak afternoon rays, when suddenly a shadow crossed over him.  He sat up and looked around.  “Strange,” he thought, “it must have been a bird.” and he laid back down.  Just as he started to close his eyes again, he caught a quick movement at the end of the boat.  Tassi looked around slowly.  Everything seemed to be in order.  The oars were all neatly lined up, the boxes of food and supplies tied down in the center, and the prized Sunstone hung at the bow, glinting and sparkling in the bright sunshine. Ship captains used the position of the sun in the sky to navigate their ships.  The Vikings used the rare  stone to navigate on cloudy days when they couldn’t see the sun.  Otherwise, they would not be able to tell which direction they were going if it were cloudy or raining.  The Sunstone was a crystal spar that they could only find in Iceland.

As Tassi watched, a strange-looking creature jumped into the boat and quick as a wink snatched up that glittery rock, disappearing back over the side rail.  Tassi stared, shocked, as the little man scampered away with his prize.   This simply would not do!  Without the Sunstone, the Viking captain would not be able to navigate except on sunny days.  Their adventures and exploring would come to an end!  Tassi jumped over the side of the boat and ran as quickly as he could after the creature.  “Stop Thief!”  he shouted, “You stop there!”

The little man paid him no attention and quickly disappeared from sight.  Tassi looked around in desperation.  He spotted a bird with a black and white body and bright orange-colored feet and beak.  He knew Icelandic bird was very smart and could fly very fast.

“Mr Puffin!”  he shouted, his whiskers shaking violently as he ran, “Mr Puffin!”

The Puffin turned to look and the tiny mouse scampering excitedly toward him.  “Well, hello there little one!”  he said, cocking his head as he looked down.

“Mr. Puffin, thank goodness you are here!” squeaked the little mouse in his squeaky little voice, “I am Tassi and I sail with the Viking Agnarr”

“Good Morning, Tassi, I am Fimm, at your service—how can I help you?” the Puffin said as he bowed to the little mouse.

“I was standing guard on our Viking longboat as everyone else went exploring, when a strange little man with thick eyeglasses jumped on board and stole the Sunstone!” Tassi explained quickly.

To his surprise, the Puffin chuckled and shook his head.  

“That would be Window Peeper you saw.  He is one of the Yule Lads and often swipes the most sparkly and glittery trinkets.  You are in luck, Tassi, I can indeed help you.”  He bent down and Tassi quickly scrambled on his back.

Fimm took off and flew several miles, to a tall cliff wall that was covered in a creepy fog.  Fimm spoke quietly, “You stay here, I must ask for help from the Hidden Folk.  I do not know where the Yule Lad’s cave is.”

Tassi watched as Fimm approached an opening in the stone wall.  As if by magic, a beautiful creature appeared, smiling and nodding.  Fimm bobbed his head back and fluttered his wings.  The beautiful woman pointed to a spot high in the mountains and as Tassi watched, she disappeared in the swirl of fog.  Fimm came back to where Tassi had waited.  “That was Sigga.  She is a very old and wise member of the Hidden Folk.  She showed me where the Yule Lad’s cave is.  I can fly us there, but you will have to sneak in and steal back the Sunstone.  Just be very quiet and don’t get caught!” he warned.  Tassi nodded.

 A puffin can fly as fast as a horse can gallop, and Fimm flew as fast as he could toward the cave the Hidden woman had pointed out.  He landed on a tiny ledge and as quick as Window Peeper had stolen the Sunstone, Tassi jumped off and scampered into the hidden cave.

Fimm paced nervously as he waited for Tassi.  Minutes ticked by and Fimm worried about his new little friend. Suddenly, he heard squeaks and shouts! A rustling noise grew louder by the entrance to the cave.  Fimm saw a brown blur come flying out at top speed, barreling right for him!  He heaved a huge sigh of relief when he saw it was Tassi, the sunstone sparkling as it dangled from its leather string grasped tightly between the mouse’s jaws.  Fimm scooped him up on his back and took off from the cliff, flying straight back to the beach.

Minutes later, Fimm had dropped Tassi and the precious Sunstone back at the longboat, just as the Viking Agnarr and his crew appeared in the distance.  Fimm watched later as Tassi sailed away on his next adventure, but knew they would see each other again the next time Agnarr’s longboat brought Tassi back to Iceland. 

-Short Story by Heidi Herman