Chapter Text
“Once upon a time—”
“Oh my god, I’m not five!” Logan protested, though she was smiling as she did so. “I don’t need a bedtime story, grandpa.”
Tor picked up the inflatable toy hammer from her bedside table and playfully bonked her on the head with it. It squeaked, and she giggled. “Yeah, well, I got stuff to catch up on since your mom reconnected with her roots! And you bringing those books with ya this time reminded me of a good story.”
Logan snuggled down in her blankets. “A mythology story?”
“Let me get back to tellin’ it and you’ll find out.” He cleared his throat and started again.
“Once upon a time, not all that long ago, there was a man and his girlfriend.”
Logan interrupted again. “Shouldn’t it be wife? People in fairy tales don’t have girlfriends.”
Tor insistently whacked the squeaky hammer on the bed a few times.
“Okay, okay!” the teenager relented, laughing. “I’ll be quiet.”
“The man and his girlfriend were very in love, and they lived together in a cottage on a tiny island in the middle of a lake.
“They would often go for a swim in the lake, even though it was so deep no one had ever touched the bottom and lived to tell about it. Some people even said it was a magic lake, and that a witch had once used it as her cauldron. Strange creatures were said to lurk within its depths. The Finns, you know like in Watery? If they ever went in the lake, they would throw a stone into the water and tell the näkki to leave them alone.”
“What’s a näkki?” Logan asked.
“It’s, uh… It’s a water spirit, like a nixie. Or a mermaid, or siren, that drowns people. You know?”
She nodded, satisfied with this explanation.
“Anyway, one day, the man’s girlfriend went for a swim as usual. But this time, something went wrong, and she drowned. The man jumped in to save her, but he had noticed too late. He dragged her back to land, but she was already dead.
“The man was beside himself with grief. He remembered the tales of the lake’s magic and the witch, and he set about figuring out how to bring her back to life. Most of his friends told him not to meddle with the old magic, but he didn’t listen. He did strange things, forbidden things. Something worked. She lived again.
“But she had come back wrong. Her eyes were like black holes, her skin was deathly pale, and she didn’t act like the same person she had been. It was like some evil possessed her. At first, the man looked past it because he was so happy to have her back. But finally, he realized he had not brought his girlfriend back. He had brought back something else wearing her skin. And it was dangerous to everyone except him.
“So, he decided he had to kill her. The conventional methods didn’t work, so he came up with a plan. He tied her up and jumped into the lake with her, holding her as she struggled and sank until she no longer drew breath, drowning them both in the inky depths of the lake. And as they drowned, there was an earthquake, and the very island upon which they had built their cabin was swallowed up by the lake, never to be seen again.
“But there was just one thing he hadn’t planned on. According to legend, whenever someone drowns themselves in that lake with feelings of despair, they don’t die, but instead become changed. They turn into a näkki. That’s what happened to the man. And so they say to stay away from the lake, or the näkki will try to drown you, too. The end.”
Logan frowned. “That’s sad. The poor guy just wanted his girlfriend back. But I guess that’s what happens when you mess with stuff you don’t understand, huh?”
“Exactly.”
Now she smiled, a little mischief sparkling in her brown eyes. “Is the lake supposed to be the one here? Cauldron Lake?”
Tor hesitated, scratching his head with the squeaky hammer. “Uhh…”
At that moment, Odin appeared in the doorway, sipping a mug of hot milk. Alcohol was forbidden while Logan was staying with them, which was no small feat for the brothers, what with their rock ‘n roll past.
“What’cha talkin’ about in here?” he asked. “Are we doing bedtime stories?”
Logan sat up, excited. “Grandpa Tor was telling me about the näkki in the lake! Is it true, Uncle Odin?”
The smile slipped from Odin’s face, and he fixed his good eye on Tor. “Dangit, bro! What’d you tell her that for?”
“I-I just thought she’d like the story! She likes mythology and stuff like we do, you know,” protested Tor, though he looked a bit sheepish. He knew Odin didn’t like people talking about the näkki.
“Yeah, but now she’s gonna try goin’ to look for it, ya idiot!” He turned to Logan, his voice gentler but just as firm. “Don’t you go near that lake, ya hear? It’s dangerous. Too many people have drowned.”
“Aw, come on, bro. She can handle herself. She’s got the Anderson blood in her.”
Logan gave Tor a slightly apologetic look. “It’s okay. It was a good story, but if Uncle Odin doesn’t want me to go to the lake, then I won’t.”
The two brothers exchanged looks, and then sighed.
“Okay,” said Tor, standing up. “It’s past your bedtime, anyway. Goodnight, sweetheart.”
“Goodnight,” echoed Logan, settling back down under the covers.
Odin turned off the light as Tor left the room. “Goodnight, sweetie pie.”
Then he closed the door, leaving the teenager to her thoughts in the dark bedroom. She stared at the blue moonlight that fell across the floor in thin bars, seeping in through the slats in the window blinds and between the old curtains. Was there really a näkki in the lake? She had promised she wouldn’t go to the lake, but she was still curious to find out for herself. Maybe she could ask around and see if anyone else knew something. Or maybe it was just made up. In any case, it intrigued her, and she drifted off to sleep with those thoughts swirling in her head.