Under the bridge

It's the morning in Seattle, and the city is bustling about. After getting a cup of warm coffee - in my OWN cup, mind you, since Seattlans will let you know exactly what they think about you using disposable plastic cups - I'm walking through Gas Works Park which overlooks an inlet. This site used to be an oil plant, but is now a popular spot for people to walk around outdoors and appreciate views of the waterway and city beyond it. There's a special form of irony in there somewhere, that a place that used to pollute the city is now a place that brings people joy.

I grip my warm coffee tighter and pull my jacket closer to me to soak in the warmth. It is a cold morning, but i am thankful that there is no wind and rain out at the moment. I arrived in Seattle yesterday and spent time visiting some of the more usual tourist destinations. I went to the Space Needle and saw the city from above, I tasted the delights found at Pikes Place Fish Market and went on an afternoon whale watching tour.

It was incredible! My jaw dropped when a pod of orcas swam towards us. They went under the boat, and as they did so, they turned on their side so they could look up at you as they passed from below. The white pattern of their skin highlights their eyes, and even though I was only afforded one quick look, their eyes seemed to be full of intelligence and wildness. It left me in awe for hours, and I continued riding that high as we continued a tour around the islands found in the Puget Sound.

This morning I wanted to stretch my legs a bit more, so after walking through the park I continued by exploring the streets around it. Only a short distance away is the Fremont Troll, an 18-foot high troll statue lying under a bridge. The sculpture has been there since 1990 and sounded interesting enough, so I thought I would take a walk there to see what it's all about.

As I round the corner, the sand colored troll comes into view. I see its long fingers spread across the ground in front of it before I see its large face hovering over the ground I'm walking on. It has a long beard and a bushy moustache above its upper lip. As I get closer, I see that under one of its hands is a Volkswagen, hewn from the same material the troll is made from. It looks like the troll has snatched the car from the roadway and has held it captive under its large hands and powerful grip.

The design is rough, rather than being cut with smooth and refined edges. It looks more earthy this way, more natural, and offers a sense of realism that more modern art can lack.

I walk closer to it, and as I am approaching one of its fingers, I swear it moves. I stop in my tracks and watch the long fingers intently, waiting to see if my eyes continue to play any tricks on me. When I don't see anything else, I look up and glance at its face from below.

When its eyes open, and I can see its pupils fixated on me, I shriek and scramble backwards. I can feel other eyes on me, and with a wide-eyed panic look stricken on my face, I glance around me to see people passing by who are looking at me strangely.

"D-did," I try, and swallow before trying again. "Did you s-see that?" I whisper to the person who is nearest to me. They scrunch their nose and step around me, putting distance between us like they don't want to catch my crazy. After their cursory glances, the other people just continue walking by as though they are used to people randomly shouting on the streets.

A shuddering breath leaves my lips and I steel myself to take another look. Two eyes, now very open and alert, are staring straight at me. I let out a surprised gasp before covering my mouth with a hand.

What the hell is in this coffee? Was I drugged? I know marijuana is legal here, but that wouldn't make me hallucinate!

"Youngling," the now alive troll says in a gravelly voice. "Why have you come?"

I look around me again, seeing that no one else is reacting to the voice that echoes under this bridge. Not wanting to feed my delusions, I choose not to answer it.

I close my eyes, blink hard and open them again.

But the troll is still staring at me.

"Why do you smell of both night and day?" It asks me, its voice booming under the bridge once more. It's moustache moves up and down with each word it speaks.

I shake my head, now hoping that I have been drugged and haven't lost my mind. At least if its drugs I know the effects will be temporary.

"Did you come to mock me? To see in person the punishment in person handed down by your kinfolk. To see the stone troll slowly being trapped immobile, to then even more slowly, thaw out one painful inch at a time until death becomes a notion as alluring as freedom." The troll says wearily, but even though his words were harsh they lacked any luster.

I glance sideways at someone who is walking by close to me, and as our gazes connect I give a small, awkward smile before quickly looking away.

"Tsk," the troll says with an impatient click of its tongue. "You are aware that they cannot see me or hear me speak. My prison is masked in the illusion of a foolish troll statue, one the mortals come to point and gawk at. The same mortals I used to hunt now take pictures of me with them standing in front of me with daft expressions to make selfie. It's ludicrous."

My head tilts in confusion. "To take selfies," I amend. Keeping my voice quiet so as to not attract too many curious gazes.

"That is what I said. To make selfie."

"No," I say with a shake of my head. "It's to take a selfie, or to take selfies."

"How preposterous," it huffs, and despite the weirdness of this all, I chuckle.

"Look -" I start, walking closer to whisper, but keeping a close eye on its fingers so that if anything so much as twitches, I can run away safely. "Just about none of that made sense. I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Hmm," the troll muses, and if it could move more it wouldn't be surprised if it would rub its moustache in thought. "You seem to be telling the truth. Youngling...who are you?"

"Me?" I ask while pointing to myself. "I'm Meridian."

A cold wind suddenly sweeps under the bridge as the troll's eyes fog over and turn completely white in color.

"Meridian," the troll's voice sings to me, and a shiver crawls down my spine. "Light and dark. Bloom and rot. Void and prominence. Life and death. Hello, creature of the night. Hello, princess of the light. Hello, clawed beast and blossoming flower. A world cleaved in two, fissures hardened by centuries. You belong to no one as much as you belong to them all."

"I…I don't understand," I tell my wicked hallucination.

"Then you will bring death to us all."