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A blue light came from
the forest outside Uddevalla at night, Ristu swore. The spot would spin
your compass, make you feel hot and then cold, and kill you if you
stood in it too long. No one had seen it but old Ristu, and Ristu was a
drunk even by Scandinavian standards. But Lars was stuck in Uddevalla
for another week until his ship launched, so he had some time to kill,
so he asked Ristu to show him. Ristu staggered through the woods,
seemingly going in circles, Lars following along with the lantern.
Ristu stank of vodka, but herring fishing taught Lars how to breathe
through his mouth if nothing else. After two hours they came to a burnt
spot in the woods. Lars took out a compass, and sure enough it was
spinning wildly. Lars was amazed there was any truth to this
phenomenon. Ristu jumped up and down on the ash, saying the spot was
getting hotter. It felt colder to Lars. A blue light appeared from a
spot three feet above the ground, like a candle flame without a candle.
It grew immediately, enveloping Ristu's body to the waist. It then
flashed hard, knocking Lars on his back. Lars picked himself up and ran
back to the sizzling spot. The top half of Ristu's head was lying on
its side, cut cleanly at the upper lip, brain and blood spilling on the
freshly charred soil. Lars had no idea where the rest of Ristu was, but
it wasn't here. |
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