Choose the basket, spare your friend

“We choose.”

Alex raising our bound arms slightkly caused me to look over to him „Orrrrr we just get used to being joined at the hip.“ he suggested with a weak smile. “Showering will be a bit awkward, buuuut….” He trailed off.

Scared out of his wits, but he was still trying put on a brave façade and lighten the mood. That more than his feeble joke made me return his wavering smile with a feeble one of my own.

Between the two of us Alex had always been the raher one, …well I suppose he would go with ‘bolder’. Same difference really. I think the only reason he was the one to panic instead of me, was because he had more time to think about the implications. By the time it really hit me my priorities had already shifted from finding a way out to stopping my friend from doing something incredibly stupid.

Well, probably stupid. He wasn’t a pyromaniac by a long shot, but Alexs’ fascination with dancing flames, had led to the occasional lapse of judgement ( and blisters) during one barbecue too many. So I tended to err on the sight of caution by sheer reflex whenever he said “Fire.”.

But he hadn’t really been in a position to actually explain his plan… I glanced down to the vine binding us. It was actually to green to burn well, so we might actually burn through it without turning our arms into a blazing conflagration. I glanced over to the firepit – If we could get a single coal out unto the surrounding stones…..

“I am sorry.” Alex must have misinterpreted my glance “It was a dumb idea. ”

“No. No. That’s not what I was thinking about. We might actually….” I hastily tried to reassure him, only to interrupt me anew with a shake of the head and a heavy sigh and a nod towards the shrine in the back and the runes in front of it “The vine’s not really the main issue here, is it?”

He averted his eyes as he continued in a low monotone “For a moment back there I thought ‘What if I choose for both of us?’. It didn’t look like you had realized what was at stake yet and…. and I hated myself for it as soon as I thought it, but….. but not doing it meant it would be ME, and …. and I - I guess I lost it. ” his voice got steadily quieter towards the end, as he curled up slightly, drawing his head and shoulders inwards out of an instinctive need to be a smaller target.

Damn! I hadn’t thought about that.

The mental image of my friend betraying me like that, left a queasy feeling in my stomach, but I could understand where he came from. For all his little rebellions, his catholic parents HAD managed to install some Christian virtues in him. Some rather traditional ideas about relationships among them. He never got judgmental about it, but the few times it had come up he had been very adamant that he would never kiss a guy.

And the rods-and-basket stuff implied there might be a lot more than just kissing.

Alex raised his head to look at me, chewing his lip nervously like he always did when he was faced with a difficult problem. A moment later he made his decision, his back straightened and his head swung around towards the idol. I could see his chest rise as he took a deep breath to…..OhshitOhshitOhshit he was doing it!

I wasn’t really sure what ‘it’ was, but there was no way I’d let my friend go through with it.

“Let him keep the rod, I will be the basket!”

I think I was just as shocked as Alex about my sudden outburst.

“You were just about to say the same thing right?” I finally broke the silence, when he didn’t react I added “You were? Right?” I hated myself for doubting him but I needed to know my oldest friend hadn’t been about to betray me.

“Yes.” His voice was hoarse “You…Why?”

Why? Because as recent events proved, he literally would have done the same for me. For some reason Alexs’ hurt expression at me stealing his chance to sacrifice himself struck me as really funny. The smile that started to spread across my face, froze a moment later as I felt …something pull away from me. I shivered as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice-water over my head and the sudden intense sense of loss drove tears to my eyes. It faded after a moment but the feeling of emptiness persited. It felt like waking up in the first week after the breakup: a crushing realization that something important was no longer where it should be.

“What the hell?” Alexs whisper interrupted that joyful trip down memory lane. He was staring at in disbelief, occasionally glancing at the vine lashed around his and someones’ arm, before flicking up again. The foreign limb made a fist and there was the sensation of fingers touching a palm. Another arm rose, to touch first a chest and then a face. The chest was far to flat and the chin far to hairy to belong to a woman, which was a relief. But what the hell was going on?!

“John?” Alex asked hesitantly “That you?” It wasn’t! That’s what was wrong! There was another pang of grief at the realization. Guided by sudden intuition, the name could be found on the wall of the cabin now, intricate lines woven tightly around it. “Come on. Talk to me!” Alex was getting a bit concerned for his friend “What the frigg is going on?”

As if in asnwer, a soft clicking and scraping drew his attention back to the rune-pieces. They were sliding across the floor as if drawn by magnets. Getting up while bound together was a slightly awkward affair, and there was a curious sensation of being adrift as Alex and his friend crossed the floor to see what new message the pieces had formed.

‘OnE ChOoSe THe FATe

FoR BotH

sO leT tHe OtheR choOSE

a NaMe mOrE beFiTTinG oF

a MaIdEn tO bE cOuRtEd’

Alex studied the message for a moment, before asking incredulously “You want me to choose a name? That is all? ” he shrugged “Fine. Will that bring John back to normal?”

A tap on his shoulder and a finger pointed at the name, had him look in confusion. He had to be dragged closer, but a finger tapping on the name made his eyes widen in realization and utter a silent curse “Right! Name have power.” He smacked his own forehead “Should have realized.”

Then he mumbled “Names. Have. Power.” In a more thoughtful tone, and some of his usual fire retuned to him. “Don’t you worry buddy.” He promised his friend ” I’ll make it up to you. You’ll have the best name anyone could wish for.” Before hurrying over to his smartphone, to beseech the mighty internet for clues what this Best Of Names might be.