Erik the Viking Page #17

ODIN:

Fenrir the Wolf has gone, Erik. But will men cease fighting each other? THAT is not in our power...

Odin starts to laugh. All the other children start to laugh... so do the dead heroes. Erik and his men look round uneasily.

ERIK:

I have one more request before we return...

Erik turns towards Helga, who is still standing at her trough of dough with her arms up to her elbows in flour. Aud watches Erik with sadness in her heart.

ODIN:

Return? You have set your foot in the Halls of Asgaard, Erik.

You cannot return.

Aud looks round to see how the others react. It is as she had feared. Erik pales. The blood drains from the other's faces. Aud whispers something to Harald. Harald looks at her blankly.

AUD:

(whispering)

PLEASE!

HARALD:

But you're all imagining this... whatever it is.

AUD:

(earnestly)

You're the only one who can. PLEASE.

Harald look around at the dumbfounded Vikings. Then he shrugs and wanders off, disappearing through the closed doors of Valhalla.

ERIK:

You mean... we must stay here forever?

As he says this Erik's eyes turn again towards Helga. He is clearly thinking at least there are compensations... Odin, however, is laughing again.

ODIN:

Stay HERE? Ha ha! This is Valhalla. This is reserved for those slain-in-battle.

HORRIBLY SLAIN WARRIOR

(grinning cheerfully)

Yeah! We're the LUCKY ones!

A HORRIBLY SLAIN FRIEND OF HIS

Yeah. It's much better than dying of old age.

The ghastly and dismembered dead warriors all chortle no end at the dismay written on the face of Erik and his men. At the same time there is a grinding, winching sound. All those around the hearth-place fall back as a vast grating is winched up from out of the flames. The Vikings look at each other.

ODIN:

For YOU there is only the Pit of Hel!

As Odin says this there is a roaring sound and the flames and smoke are suddenly reversed and as the roaring increases the flames are sucked down altogether to reveal the black Pit of Hel itself. And now the Pit is sucking the Vikings into it... their hair blows... they try to withstand the force that is drawing them towards the abyss... The Gods look on in some amusement. But some of the dead are concerned.

SVEN'S GRANDFATHER

Son! My son!

SVEN'S DAD

Get lost!

SVEN:

Dad! Grandfather!

Sven tries to reconcile his father and grandfather, but it's no use. He is sucked towards the Pit.

VIKINGS:

Help!

ERIK:

(to Helga)

I tried to save you!

HELGA:

Why should you care?

ERIK:

I don't know! I just did!

Erik can no longer withstand the force that is sucking him down to the Pit of Hel. Suddenly, however, Snorri has leapt from the ranks of the dead. He grabs Erik and tries to stop him sliding towards the Pit of Hel. But it's no good.

ERIK:

No! Let go, Snorri!

SNORRI:

I've got you!

ERIK:

You'll be sucked down too!

SNORRI:

No! Arrgh!

Meanwhile, Ivar and Thorfinn and Leif the Lucky have also leapt forward to save their comrades. They put up a fantastic struggle but remorselessly they are all sucked down.

VIKINGS:

Aagh!

The Vikings clutch at the stone floor, their fingers trace blood as they try to cling on... but to no avail. The first are already toppling into the Pit.

VIKINGS:

Noooh!

VIKINGS:

Ah!

And the rest - including Aud - soon follow. The mouth of the Pit of Hel, through which the Vikings are now tumbling higgledy-piggledy, is a round white disc set in the unutterable blackness of the pit. However, as the Vikings free-fall slowly towards camera, they are lit up by a faint, reddish glow from below. They are staring, wild-eyed and screaming as they fall. As they fall, Erik manages to smash his axe into the side of the Pit. Thorfinn grabs his leg and holds onto Sven's foot. Leif clutches at Sven's belt. Sven's dad hangs onto Sven's foot. Ivar clutches Thorfinn's foot. Erik clutches Ivar's leg and Aud clutches Erik's. They dangle like this for some seconds, and look fearfully beneath them. Then they can see the Infernal Regions of flame and molten lava... somehow suggesting the face of a huge and sinister creature. No wonder they're scared out of their wits. Meanwhile, Odin and Thor appear at the top of the Pit and look down with mild amusement. Thor casually points his hammer and a streak of lightning zaps Erik's axe. It instantly glows red hot. Erik screams. Suddenly we hear a new sound - a long, high, sweet note.

AUD:

Listen! LISTEN! The third note!

But it's no good. Erik has to let go of the red-hot axe. Everyone screams as they start to plunge down towards the Pit of Hel. Cut to GOLDEN DRAGON. Harald Missionary is blowing the Horn Resounding.

HARALD MISSIONARY

(to himself)

I want to go home... Oooh!

Suddenly GOLDEN DRAGON, the Horn Resounding and Harald Missionary shoot up into the air and disappear from sight. Cut back to the Pit of Hel. The Vikings are looking down as they fall - they are still scared but gradually start laughing... laughing as they fall down and down and down until they fall out of sight. We are left with a blackness and just the white disc of the mouth of the Pit of Hel above, until the disc changes magically into the moon. There is a series of splashes. The note begins to fade and the camera slowly pans down to reveal the Vikings all fallen into the duck pond back at Ravensfjord. They are laughing and whooping and splashing each other.

ERIK:

I don't believe it... Ha ha ha! It brought us HOME!

LEIF:

But who BLEW it?

IVAR:

Oh! Who cares? We're HOME!

THORFINN:

Mum! Dad!

SVEN:

We're back!

Sven embraces his father and dances him around with joy.

ALL:

Yo hoo! We're here! We're...

Suddenly the joy drains from their faces and they each gape in horror. What is it they see? We cut to see that out of the huts the women and children and old men are emerging - but they are anything but happy. In fact they are all bound and gagged. Behind them emerge the sinister figures of Halfdan the Black, Gisli and maybe half a dozen armed men. Halfdan and his cronies no longer look sleek and self-assured. They are haggard and desperate. Their faces are streaked with dirt and sweat, and their clothes are torn and soiled. They have clearly been going through a lean time, since Ragnarok ended, and have descended on the village for revenge and for whatever plunder they can find. They have a few sackfuls of booty with them. They herd the women, children and old men into a pathetic huddle in the middle of the village. Halfdan is spitting evil and hatred.

HALFDAN:

Throw down your weapons - or we shoot the children first.

Erik hesitates... The others look at him. What choice have they? Reluctantly, Erik throws his weapons into the pond. The others follow suit. Halfdan watches. His men stand around him in a tight group with their backs to each other.

HALFDAN:

Good... Good... Right, now we'll just shoot the children anyway...

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