There are two big, black dogs in my life.
Oh, yeah, I have two teenage daughters and a husband as well – but somehow they
never seem to take up nearly as much space as our dogs.
My dogs don't do lonely very well. Or to be honest, not at all.
You know those last precious minutes just before the alarm goes off in the
morning? That's when one, or both of them, puts their snout under my sheets and
snorts, repeatedly. I'm not a morning person, but just about any attention is
amazing to them, so they simply laugh at my angry growls and keep at it until I
get up.
They're the kind of dogs that won't leave my side, and that's wonderfully,
breathtakingly heartwarming. Until I have to visit the bathroom, and they sit
there in front of me, staring curiously.
It's also a really weird feeling to walk out of the shower to find both of them
staring at my naked body. What's even weirder is that I still get embarrassed by
it, and cover up with a towel. Also, you know how it's nicer to let your body
lotion dry off before putting clothes on? Well, my dogs love lotion, so either I
hurry getting dressed, or they'll lick it off.
Cooking is an interesting experience, with them trailing behind me between sink,
counter, and stove. Did I mention that they're big? I'm sure you can imagine
what it's like when I'm in a hurry, rushing around in the kitchen with a blur of
black dogs around my feet.
One of them likes to keep his head on my lap when I sit at the kitchen table,
and he can stand there through a whole meal, just resting his big head softly on
my leg. Looking down, I invariably find him watching me, and there's such
endless adoration in those eyes that most of the time I can't make myself push
him away, even though they're not allowed at the table when we eat.
I'm convinced that they have one big brain-cell each, and it's either on… or
it's off.
When it comes to finding or obtaining food, they're incredibly clever. Suddenly,
they can open doors and drawers without any problems at all, and we have yet to
find a puzzle-toy that they haven't figured out in no time at all.
Then when I pretend to toss a ball without releasing it, they run like crazy
through our back yard, searching frantically for it. Finally, they come back
looking happily at my hand holding the ball. "Fantastic, there it is!" they seem
to think. So I fake-throw again, and off they go…
They're certainly not the kind of dogs that fits everyone, but I can't imagine
life without them, and there's one thing I know for sure - life is never boring
when you have dogs like ours.
"The proper way to put it here would probably be to describe how I love to
play with our two big dogs, adore my fantastic daughters and how much I love to
read.
Another way would be to use my imagination and then I would be a super powerful
warrior woman, think Xena the warrior princess (though with less tacky clothes).
Or when I think of it, maybe I'm actually more of a Hercule Poirot (sans the
suit and moustache). Or maybe I'm like Aragorn, strong and cool and then I might
get to meet Gandalf! Or I could be Bella's pretty cousin and snap Jacob up in a
second (yeah, I'm so not team Edward), or wait, maybe I could be like one of
them heroines in historical novels who swoon all the time. I've always wanted to
swoon…
Well, I guess you get how my mind is working (or not working, some say).
Anyways, I like to write. Stories, adventures, romantic and happy stuff mixed up
with sorrow and hardship, and bit of laughter here and there because the way I
see it – life is way too short to go around feeling grumpy."
Sissa Raudulfsdatter
It's the annual midwinter gathering, and Sissa Raudulfsdatter is locked into
a shed – bound, gagged and waiting to be led out to the altar where she will be
sacrificed.
There has never been any human sacrifice in the village before, but this year
Jarl Ingolf decided that the gods require one to give their good graces back.
Sissa is determined to face her fate with dignity and courage but as she
waits for them to bring her out to the altar, the herbs her mother has put in
her final meal makes her dizzy and finally, she faints.
The morning after the sacrifice she wakes up, still alive and still in the
shed. After shouting for help, Sissa's brother opens the door, but he's shocked
to see her because they all thought Sissa was killed the evening before. It's
soon discovered that another girl was sacrificed instead. The village is in
uproar and Jarl Ingolf, who performed the sacrifice himself, is devastated.
The Jarl's brother, Einarr, is given the task to find out what has happened
and because of her ability to figure things out, and since she's the only one
clearly innocent, he asks Sissa to help him. One of the suspects is Einarr's
only son Josteinn, the boy Sissa has had her eyes on her whole life, but there
are others who could be guilty, and as Sissa and Einarr learn more, things start
to become dangerous.
When Josteinn starts to pay her attention, Sissa has to decide how she wants
to live her life. Can she be content living her life in the village as
Josteinn's thrall, his property? Or have the gods carved different runes of fate
into the roots of Yggdrasil for her?
Fantasy Urban [Author Self-Published, On Sale: June 28, 2016, e-Book, /
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