There's a God Under My Bed

Loki froze. He didn’t know where he was, though he did have a vague idea how he got there.

He’d been out adventuring with Thor and his friends. They weren’t supposed to leave the gardens without asking a guard to come with them, but they had gone anyways. Loki had always been really good at sneaking around the guards when he and Thor wanted to do something they weren’t supposed to. Sometimes they got caught, but that’s only because Thor was always too loud.

They had run off from the gardens, through the city and straight to the forest. Mother said they shouldn’t go in there by themselves because of the bilgesnipe.

“Thor, the Allmother said not to.” Sif said, crossing her arms indignantly, her blonde hair shoulder length and well groomed. Loki stayed sitting on one of the benches with a baby snake he’d found. It seemed to like him, slithering over his hand and through his fingers. He was currently trying to make it invisible.

“But Loki is with us! He could find a way around anything! Right Loki?” Thor encouraged.

He looked up from his now invisible pet, shocked that Thor had asked him anything in the presence of his friends. Usually he was only there because his mother told him he should stay by Thor to protect him. “I—“

“Thor! Sif!” shouted three boys, hurdling towards their corner in the gardens, clutching two bags.

Loki quieted again, turning the snake visible. Its slim pink tongue liked his thumb almost in comfort. Thor laughed, taking the bags. “What have we got Fandrall?”

The shorter boy with wispy blonde hair smiled. “Some food for our journey, though Volstagg has eaten most of it, some ropes, and two spare blades.”

“Excellent.” He said, a grin spreading over his face. His gaze shifted to the third boy, the shorter one with dark hair. “But who is this?”

Fandral’s excitement seemed to heighten. “This is Hogun. His parents are the Vanir nobles. I saw him training out on the fields. He’s really good and I figured he might want to come along.”

Thor began to approach the new Vanir boy when Sif protested. “We can’t just bring along everybody! First Loki, now this child!”

“Sif, if you don’t want to go then stay at the palace and be a lady.” Thor said the word like it was a grave insult.

“Take it back!” she yelled, balling her small fists.

“Sif is a lady! Sif is a lady!” Thor sang, running in circles as his friend chased him. Loki smiled a little, offering his snake a small ant that had been crawling on his seat. The little creature accepted it, opening his toothless mouth for the bug.

Eventually, Volstagg came between the two, pulling them apart. “Enough! Are we going or not?”

Thor brushed himself off, turning to Sif. “Of course we are! We’re going to kill a bligesnipe and bring it back to my father.” He pronounced proudly, his smile lighting up the gardens. Loki sometimes thought that Thor could be a little conceded sometimes, but he had reason to be. He was so strong even for a child. Often he wondered why his mother said he should accompany Thor to protect him. His older brother was much better at fighting.

“Loki, can you help us get around the guards?” Thor asked, taking one of the swords from the bag and strapping it on his waist like father had shown them.

He stood, setting the little snake down. “I can. But—“

“Fantastic!” he turned to the Vanir boy. “You, Hogun, how well can you fight?”

The quiet boy responded by pulling out a smallish mace, twisting it expertly in hand. “Well enough.”

Loki could tell Thor was starting to get ahead of himself. “What do we do, Loki?”

Fiddling with his fingers, Loki reviewed his options. Most of them meant he had to use illusions he had not quite mastered. But if he could make them, perhaps Thor and all his friends would be happy to have him go. Maybe Sif would tell him that he was a worthy warrior if he helped Thor.

The thoughts made his heart beat excitedly. “We will sneak through the gardens to the front gate, then I will create an illusion to distract the guards. Once they’re distracted, we can sneak by.”

Thor nodded in approval but Fandral scoffed. “Could you not simply transport us to the other side of the gate?”

Loki swallowed hard. Was he to disappoint them again? He could hardly move himself from his bed magically without losing consciousness. To move all of them…. “I do not have enough magic.”

“What do you mean?”

Sif sneered, coming out of her pout. “Fandral, you are dull. Even really good sorcerers can’t move many people great distances without trouble. “

Loki’s heart swelled with gratitude. Sif was standing up for him. She must like him more than Fandral.

“Does that mean you’re coming, Sif?” Thor asked, a hand on his sword.

She sighed, looking from Loki to Hogun. “Fine. I’ll come. But if anyone asks, I only went to keep you from getting killed by a beast.” She drew her own sword. “Let’s go.”

Thor lead the way with Loki in his wake with the small snake slithering around his hand while he whispered which steps to take to avoid tripping or breaking twigs. Finally, all of them were hidden behind a pillar, watching the golden gates to the palace. Four guards stood at the entrance, staring determined into the morning sun.

Carefully, Loki set down his pet that slithered and opened its toothless mouth at him. He smiled at the cute animal, stroking its short slinky back with his finger, allowing magic to flow through the little thing.

Volstagg made a gagging sound as he choked on a bite of bread. “Why a snake, Loki? That could be dangerous!” he whispered.

Loki frowned as his little snake became a very long and thick serpent, seeming to be as long as three men put together. Much to his delight, Fandral squeaked in horror as his pet silently wound its way to the guards, hissing at them, fangs dripping. They ran away, the illusion chasing them. Loki could only imagine his friend was confused. He probably just wanted the ants under their boots.

Daringly, Loki shifted his gaze to Sif who only glared at his snake. “Gross.”

Thor did not seem entirely interested in the illusion, only now they were free. “Let’s go!”

Loki quickly undid the illusion, waiting for the snake to glide back into his hand before following his brother. They dashed through the city, staying clear of wandering guards and roads with horses, running through the markets and parks until they came upon a stretch of farms.

They stopped, panting and adjusting their bags and weapons. Thor gestured across the fields to the wide stretch of planes and hills that father told them held dangers beyond their wildest dreams. “There it is. I bet we can kill a bilgesnipe or three in at least an hour.”

Everything started going downhill from there. They ventured into the forest, Thor thundering ahead of the group, disturbing the area around him. Loki followed timidly in his footsteps. They wandered for hours and found rabbits, pheasants, turtles, and birds of all sorts. But no Bilgesnipe. Eventually, they came upon a clearing where Thor threw his sword angrily to the ground.

“Why can we not find anything?!” His voice echoed around the grassy circle they had come about and he threw himself angrily next to a small stream.

Volstagg was staring sadly into the empty bag that previously held food. “Perhaps we should go back and try again tomorrow.”

“I agree.” Fandral stated, wiping his brow. “It’s too hot.”

Hogun said nothing, kneeling near the stream and rinsing his face in the water. Sif stabbed the ground with her sword. “I say this whole idea was stupid. But we’re already here.”

Thor spat into the grass, jumping up. “You all are cowards! We shall find a bligesnipe and kill it! It will be our passage into being warriors!”

Loki did not think it was too hot out. Then again, he never really felt overheated at all. But he did think it was best they go home. Mother would not appreciate that they had left the palace when she told them not to. “Thor, mother—“

His brother roared in fury, shoving Loki aside. “Loki you are supposed to be the mischievous one! Yet you do everything mother tells you to do!”

Loki leaned back, his small snake curling up in his palm. “Brother….”

“No! I am the eldest, Loki! And I say we are finding a bilgesnipe! NOW!” he yelled and a flock of birds flew from their trees. A resounding rumbling growl responded from the grove of bushes behind Thor.

All was still. They watched in horror as a scaly beast with six legs and long curved antlers burst through the trees, breathing heavily, head bent and ready to charge. It was at that time Thor chose to shout something useful. “RUN!”

Loki, unfortunately, had made eye contact with the beast upon pulling out his dagger. He was not a skilled swordsman like Fandral, but he could throw his daggers.

The bilgesnip picked up its first two feet on the right side, kicking up the dirt, preparing to charge. Loki quickly glanced off to the side to find Thor and his friends had run away and were nowhere to be seen. Heart pounding in his chest, Loki did the only logical thing he could have done.

He ran, screaming and clutching his dagger for dear life. He dodged trees, managing not to trip over any roots or stones. But the bilgesnipe seemed thoroughly unimpressed by the trees, squashing everything in its path to Loki.

He turned and nearly hit his head on the tall, flat stone cliff before him.

This is how I will die. I hope mother gives my books to Thor. He would like the ones about adventurers. Loki thought, back pressed against the wall as the bilgesnipe neared. In one final act to protect himself, Loki held up his dagger, took aim and threw it straight into the creature’s eye.

Letting out a fierce snarl, it stopped to violently shake its head, desperately trying to tear the obstruction from its eye. Taking this opportunity, Loki edged along the wall until he saw a little break in the stone. A crevice. Not very tall, nor very wide but large enough for a man to get through and certainly large enough for Loki.

Hastily, Loki made for the tiny den diving inside of it as the bilgesnipe whined in the field. Once safely inside, he sighed with relief, opening up his palm for the little snake to be free. It mouthed his thumb affectionately, staring up at him with large back eyes.

What now?

Loki exhaled noisily, cramping further into his cave until his back pressed against the wall. He wished to be anywhere but where he was. Anywhere in all of Yggdrasil. Even Jotunnheim would be better.

In a sudden swirl of rainbow colored magic, Loki found himself no longer in the cave but instead laying flat on his back under some wooden structure.

He felt a gentle wiggle in his hand, his pet asking for release. Carefully, he opened his palm, letting him go.

Where was he? Certainly not on Asgard. They did not have such strange craftsmanship. Slowly, he moved to look from under the structure, ever more confused by his surroundings. They were not on Vanaheim either. He had been there. Nor were they on Alfheim or Jotunheim or Muspelheim. This didn’t look anything like the description in his book about the Nine Realms.

His heart beat faster and faster as there was movement above his head and two small feet dangled off of the edge of the structure. Was he on Midgard?

The feet touched the floor and he watched as they carefully moved to a set of doors against the other wall. From where he lay, Loki saw that the feet were attached to a pair of legs adorned with strange short pants on them. The two doors silently creaked open to reveal clothes suspended by a bar. It was similar to his closet at home. Except his was much bigger.

The feet turned around, treading silently back towards him. He was taking note on how the feet crept, so very similar to how he would sneak around the guards sometimes. His heart stuttered when the feet stopped by the bed and knees hit the ground in front of him. Before he knew it, the face of a young girl was staring at him in triumph, then in disappointment.

“You’re not a monster.”  She whispered, not bothering to hide her frustration.

Surprised and relieved, Loki shook his head.

The girl stood up again, walking around her room. “Darius said there was a monster that went and in my closet and under my bed. But you’re just a kid.”

Cautiously, Loki pulled himself from under the structure he supposed was her bed. His bed was not built like that, but he was on a different realm. “My brother told me that there were Jotunns in my bath onetime.”

The girl stopped looking around her room to stare at him. She had wide blue eyes, clear and curious. “What’s a Jotunn?”

He stared back. “You do not know what Frost Giants are?”

“Are they like the abominable snowman from Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer?” she asked, sitting on the edge of her bed that was piled high with purple covers and fake animals.

“What are those?” he asked in turn, eager to know more about this strange girl. “Where am I?”

She looked at him like this was the most obvious thing. “My bedroom.”

“What realm?” he asked as his little snake slithered onto the toe of his boot.

The girl tapped her chin with a small finger. “Well, we live on planet Earth. Did you mean planet? Or state? This is New York.”

“So I am on Midgard!” he said, bending down to look under her bed. He had found a secret passage between worlds!

“You talk funny.” she commented, bending down to look under her bed with him. “Are you from England? My aunt lives in England and my uncle Henry talks like you.”

Loki shook his head, standing up. “I am of Asgard.”

“Huh. I’ve never heard of it. Hey! Is that your pet snake?” she asked, bending down to his shoe.

Shocked that she had not called his friend gross, he bent and picked up the snake, letting it run over his fingers. “Yes. I found him earlier today away from his nest. He’s my friend.”

She stood up too, her face very close to the little snake, it licked her nose. Her giggling reply made Loki feel at ease. “Would you like to hold him?”

The girl nodded, holding out her hand as the little snake slithered into her palm and mouthed her index finger. “What’s his name?”

“He does not have one.”

The girl huffed. “I think his name should be Frank. He looks like a Frank.”

“But that is a ridiculous name. Why would he be named Frank?” he asked her as she stroked the snakes back.

She brought up her other hand to scratch the mess of brown hair on her head. “Well what would you name him?”

Loki thought for a second. “Jörmungandr.”

She stared at him. “That’s a silly name.”

“Is not!”

“Yes it is!” the girl said. “I mean, my friends have weird names sometimes, but...hey, do you want to be my friend?” her blue eyes switched from frustrated to curiosity again in a matter of seconds.

Loki tried never to be flustered. It seemed very common to do so. But he had no idea what to say. He did not think he had many friends. Perhaps Thor when he wasn’t with his friends. Or his mother. “I would very much like to be your friend.”

She smiled, sitting down on her bed. “Cool! Well, I’m Darcy.”

He sat down next to her carefully, unsure if he was allowed to or not. He heard most men weren’t allowed to sit on a lady’s bed. But she didn’t seem to mind. “I am Loki, Prince of Asgard.”

Darcy blinked at him, letting the snake curl up on her knee. “Loki? You’re a prince?”

He nodded suspiciously. Most people knew what Asgard was. But here this girl did not. “What is your status, Darcy?”

She thought about this, as if deciding what the word status meant. “Well, I’m in fifth grade and my mom is a doctor and my daddy is a fireman. When I grow up, I want to be president.”

“A Fire Man?” Loki asked. “Is he of Muspelheim?”

“No, silly goose! He puts out fires with a big hose! You don’t know what a fireman is?” Darcy asked, giggling as Jörmungandr slithered over her toes.

Loki did not understand why you would need a hose to put out a fire. On Asgard they simply used magic. “I see. Darcy?”

“Yeah Loki?”

“What are those?” he asked, pointing to a tub of colorful prisms in the middle of her purple room.

“My Legos. You’ve never played with Legos?” the sound was almost sad.

“We do not have them on Asgard.” He explained, desperately wanting to see what they were.

She picked up Jörmungandr, excitedly standing up to go press a white tab on the wall. As soon as her fingers came in contact, the room flooded with light. He covered his eyes. “You are a sorceress!”

Darcy sat down. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve just done magic! I could not conjure such bright candles!” he exclaimed in a whisper, looking to the ceiling where indeed strange orbs of magic glowed.

“My mom says that light switches are magic too. But I know its electricity.” Darcy said, switching the lights off again. “Those are too bright.”

Loki was so confused yet so interested. “Where can I learn more about this electricity?”

Darcy tapped her chin. “Hmm, I have a book!” she ran to a small white shelf with very skinny books all propped up. “My grandpa gave it to me. He says I won’t learn about it till middle school or high school, but I wanted to know more anyways.”

Quickly he took the book, noticing the words were all in English, the common language of Midgardians. Of course, he spoke it as well as many others. He studied them all in earnest, trying to understand. He skimmed the book taking in all the words as Darcy moved to the tub and began taking out her Legos.

“Darcy?”

“Yeah?”

“May I borrow this book? I promise I shall return it.” He asked, setting it down.

Darcy took out a couple of the hard colored blocks and began sticking them together. “Okay. When you finish it, can you explain electricity to me? I still don’t get it.”

He nodded enthusiastically. “I would be very happy to. What are you doing?”

Darcy rubbed her eyes as she stuck the pieces together. “I’m building a house.”

Loki sat down with her, picking up a toy experimentally. “What is it made of?”

“Plastic. Do they have that where you’re from?” she asked, her multicolored box set firmly on the ground.

Loki shook his head, picking out all the green legos. “No.”

“You must be from a weird place if they don’t have plastic. Hey, can I borrow one of your green ones?” she asked, shoving two bits of brown plastic together.

He handed her one and she stuck it to the brown. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

He searched through the tub, deciding he wished to build the Palace but was out of green Legos. He picked up a yellow one and changed it to his favorite color. Smiling at his success, Loki did this a few more times, unaware of Darcy’s staring at him. “Woah. How did you do that?”

She abandoned her Legos to take his hand and look at it like it was the most interesting thing in the world. “Magic.”

Darcy’s smile lit up the room. “I knew there was such a thing as magic! You’re like Harry Potter, except you’re in Slytherin and you like snakes and stuff. Can you turn the ones in my house purple?”

Loki nodded at the girl’s enthusiasm. Perhaps his magic was different than the magic on Midgard. Gingerly, he picked up the house, turning them the same color as her bed cover. She took it back, eyes full of wonder. “That’s so cool! Thank you!”

They built things with the Legos for a while longer, Jörmungandr going inside Loki’s palace to curl up. Darcy yawned, standing up and stretching. “Wow. I’m tired. I don’t think I’ve ever stayed up this late before, even on New Year’s Eve with my cousins.”

Together, they took apart the Legos filling the bucket back up and jörmungandr returned to Loki’s palm. “I suppose I shall try to go back to Asgard now.”

Darcy nodded, her eyes closed like she was ready to fall asleep at any moment. Suddenly, they flicked wide open. “Wait! I have to give you something! And do you know if Frank likes dead flies? Because I have a lot of dead flies.”

Loki shrugged and Darcy went to her window sill where a few dead flies lay. “I keep asking my mom if I can get a pet iguana to eat them, but she says no.”

Jörmungandr, seeming to understand his purpose, left Loki’s hands to go and close his small mouth over a fly. “I think he likes them. So far he has only eaten ants.”

“I got bit by a red ant once. It hurt and my mom put a band-aid on it. But I have something for you!” she said, rushing to a big wooden chest that squeaked when she lifted the lid and she dug around in it for a second. Loki noticed several things inside of it: more toys, books, colorful stones and bits of odd shaped nuts. “Here. I found this yesterday with my friend Avery. I was going to use it in an art project, but I think you should have it.”

He held out his hand as she placed a long white feather in it. “I think it’s either a dove or a seagull feather, but I’m not sure. I think it’s pretty.”

It was an odd gift, Loki thought. But she was right, it was very pretty. “I will treasure it. Thank you very much Darcy.”

“You’re welcome!” she said, not hesitating to wrap her arms around his body in a tight embrace. He was so surprised that he didn’t hug her back. As far as he knew, no Lady showed a man this affection unless they were his wife or mother or sister. Occasionally his mother hugged him, but not so casually.

With that she went to her bed, jumping into it before scrambling under the sheets. “Loki?”

“Yes Darcy?”

“Can you come and visit me again? Maybe that way I can show you my other books and we can play monopoly. My brother won’t play it with me because he says I’m boring.”

Loki did not understand what this game was, but found himself very much wanting to meet his friend again. “I would love to.”

“Awesome.” She said, rolling over. “G’night.”

Kneeling down with his feather and her book, he shuffled under the bed. “Goodnight Darcy.”

Then, Loki wished to be back on Asgard so he could go to his room and write with the feather from his new friend and read the book she had lent him. In another rush of rainbow colored magic he found his back against the stone wall of his cave, bright sunlight pouring through the crack which he had entered.

Loki stood, shimmying out of his cave. He looked down at the book. Should he tell someone that he had been to Midgard? His father must not have known about the small passageway. But what if Thor found out? What if Thor found out and he met Darcy and Darcy wished to be Thor’s friend instead of his? Thor already had so many friends.

No. He wouldn’t tell anyone. He and Darcy could be friends and they could play games and nobody was going to make her think he was strange or different.

The sky was darkening and Loki figured he had better start looking for Thor. His mother would be disappointed if he did not look out for his brother. Carefully, Loki began retracing their steps, following the broken path of trees the bilgsnipe had left till he got to the clearing.

But there was no Thor. He kept searching, walking around into the denser wood until he was sure they had all just gone back to the palace without him. Then he heard voices.

“Honestly, father! Loki was eaten by a bilgesnipe! We saw it run after him! It’s been hours!” said Thor. “I say we hunt down every beast on Asgard and murder them for what they’ve done!”

Quickly, Loki looked down at his book whispering a spell so it shrunk and he could place it in his pocket.

“Quiet Thor! The bilgesnipe has not eaten Loki. We gutted it and the only thing of Loki’s we found was his dagger in the eye.” Came the rough voice of his father.

“Father? Thor?” Loki asked, peering from around a tree.

They both turned to find an immaculate and unscathed Loki. “Loki! You’re not dead! Mother would have killed me!”

Loki smiled rushing over to his brother and father. “I’m sorry. I could not fight off the bilgesnipe anymore after my dagger had been lost. So I hid from it then came to find you.”

“Don’t be sorry! You nearly killed it! The beast could hardly move when we found it! Then father came in and…” Thor looked like he wanted to say something else, but Odin stared at him harshly.

“Thor Odinson, I have told you before and I will tell you again, if your wish is to hunt then wait until I or the guards take you! Do not lead a group of your friends into such dangerous situations!”

Thor waved his hands around. “But Father it was fine! We could have managed it had Loki not run off! Then it followed him!”

The Allfather’s scowl deepened. “Perhaps if you had known more about them before you go charging into their nests. The mother is now dead and her children will die now as well. Loki was wrong to follow you, but he fought well. For that I must be thankful. He fought to save his life, not because he wished to kill.”

Loki looked down at the toes of his boots, uncomfortable with the praise. It was not often that Odin gave any inclination that he was better than Thor.

“Yes Father.” Thor agreed, him too looking at his boots in discomfort.

Odin’s expression softened. “Come. Let’s go home. Thor, you smell terrible.”

That night, after being taken home on Odin’s horse and feasting in the hall, Loki retired to his room, setting Jörmungandr down on his desk along with his feather and book which he enlarged once more. He looked down at the little snake. “Midgard is strange, don’t you think?”

Jörmungandr only mouthed his pinky in response.

Tired, Loki put the book on his shelf to read later and shed his boots and coat, throwing his body face down in bed. There was a knock at his door, “Enter.”

Loki sat up, expecting to see his valet or perhaps his nurse, but it was his mother. “Well haven’t you had a long day today?”

He nodded as she walked up to his bed, sitting on the covers. “I was scared for you Loki. When the guards came to the palace to tell your father that you and your brother were gone I cursed myself a thousand times over for ever teaching either of you anything.”

Frowning, Loki reached out and took her hand. He truly hated to see his mother upset. “I’m sorry mother. But I remembered what you told me about keeping Thor safe. So I went with him.”

With a soft smile she stroked his cheek. “You’re too kind, Loki. Who is your friend?”

Loki’s heart stopped for a second, as he thought she meant Darcy. But he came to his senses as the little snake curled onto his hand. “jörmungandr.”

His pet slithered to Frigga, tongue flicking her finger affectionately. “He is sweet. Whatever you have done for him, Loki. He very much likes you.”

Loki smiled at this as jörmungandr returned to his pillow. “Mother? What do you know of Midgard?”

Her blonde brow crinkled, “Why do you ask?”

“Because I have no books that talk about Midgard as it is today. I wish to know. Father says that a good king will always try to know as much as he can to understand the people.” He explained. It was not the entire truth.

His mother sat back on his pillows, setting her hands in his lap. “Well, let’s see. Magic on Midgard is different. On Asgard we have such a vast understanding of its workings and how to control it that many can study it with ease. On Midgard, magic comes in the form of something called science. It has taken them years to make of it what they have now.”

Loki frowned. “Do Midgardians know of the rest of the realms and their magic? Why have they not learned from us?”

Frigga laughed, kissing his forehead. “Loki, you are too smart for your age. Midgard doesn’t know of Yggdrasil, and learning magic from Asgardians would tip their world indelicately. Of course, it is a subject open to controversy. Perhaps you should figure it out yourself. I shall try to find you some books on Midgard, alright?”

“Thank you mother.” He said, nodding and falling back on his pillows. “I shall see you tomorrow then.”

“Yes. Sleep well, Darling.”

Loki fell asleep on the thoughts of reading Darcy’s book tomorrow and finding out how to get back to Midgard. He would see his friend again even if it meant throwing every dagger in Asgard at Bilgesnipe.