Searching for Amarillo Pt. 01

This story is based on the characters in my story, Chasing Faeries, where a jilted rodeo cowboy from Texas fled to a remote cabin in Norway seeking solitude. There, he met a forest spirit called a Huldra. They spent a magical evening together, and she did the impossible. She healed his broken heart. When dawn breaks, she tells him a human and a Huldra could never have a life together and she must leave him. She refused to give him her real name, so he named her Amarillo, after his favorite country song. In return, she called him Texas. Texas asked her how he could thank her, and her request was for him to return one year later so they could spend another wonderful evening together. But his love for her is too strong, and he risks a winter trip to Norway to go, "Searching for Amarillo".

This story has the same characters, but takes place several months later. Armed with the above summary, you should be able to enjoy this story without reading the first one.

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POV - Texas, the Rodeo Cowboy

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CHAPTER 1

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I missed Amarillo so much. I couldn't wait until next October. I am a 'fool in love' for returning to Norway in winter, knowing it is going to be dark, cold, and snowy. I contacted a company that runs snowmobile tours and they agreed to get everything set up for me at the cabin. They told me the road to the cabin was unplowed, but I should be able to get within a few kilometers of the cabin by car, and then snowmobile the rest of the way. I had cut plenty of firewood last fall to try to strengthen my shoulder and it should be enough to keep the wood stove going for quite a while. After arriving in Norway, I met the guide, and he went over the preparations.

"In Norway, a wooden cabin is called a hytte. Most Norwegians own one. It is part of the Norwegian soul and is a way for us to spend more time in the middle of our beloved wilderness. But you need to be careful in this forest."

He looked intently at me. "There are stories that this forest is haunted by a forest spirit known as a Huldra. Be careful if you see a tall, fair, and slender woman dressed in white, with golden hair flowing down her back. She may try to lure you deeper into the forest with her seductive singing and dancing to have sex with you. Don't go with her, because once you have sex with a Huldra, a part of your soul stays with her, and she will haunt your dreams."

What the guide described is exactly what happened to me last October. I met a Huldra, and she did the impossible, she healed my broken heart. Then, using the special magical energy of sunrise, she even fixed my bum shoulder. We had sex beneath a waterfall, and the guide was right, Amarillo has been in my dreams ever since.

"And one other thing. Always be polite and respectful if you encounter a Huldra. A hunter was getting ready to shoot a buck when a beautiful woman appeared next to him. She spooked the buck, so he cursed her. She grabbed the barrel of his rifle and breathed in it. She was extraordinarily strong, and he spun partway around trying to pull his rifle away from her. When he turned back, she had vanished. Now he says his rifle has been unable to hit anything, no matter how carefully he aims. He swears she was a Huldra and she put a curse on his rifle."

Amarillo must have found the hunter who shot the red deer doe back in October and handled him in a way only she could.

"I see you brought a guitar with you. There is an interesting concert coming soon near Hol, a bit east of here. I left information on it in your cabin. It's quite unique and you should go if you can. The trail to your cabin is pretty easy to follow, just look for my tracks. Your auto will be safe here next to the road. If you need something, you will have to come back here to find a cell phone signal. There is no signal at your cabin."

I thanked him and climbed aboard the snowmobile. As I approached the cabin the shadows were already getting long, and right after unloading gear from the sled, twilight descended. It was only 4:00 p.m. I was prepared for the cold, but the short days would make it challenging to find Amarillo.

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CHAPTER 2

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Sunrise the next morning didn't come until 9:00 a.m. and I went out to look for tween places. The first tween place I wanted to visit was the waterfall where I caught up with Amarillo back in October. I remembered the general direction and headed off on my snowmobile. Everything looked different under a blanket of snow, and navigating through the tightly packed birch forest was slow. I spotted a clearing caused by an old avalanche, parked the snowmobile, and went forward on foot to find the stream that would lead me to the waterfall.

The snow crunched under my boots, but I did not sink in. I came upon the slopped banks that clearly mark the streambed, and was not surprised to see the stream frozen. I followed the streambed downhill to locate the waterfall, then carefully climbed down to the base. The waterfall was like one of those prolonged exposure photographs of smoothly contoured water, only the water wasn't flowing, it had also turned to ice!

Walking around, two memories were burned into my mind. Amarillo had healed the red deer doe here, and I had danced with Amarillo next to the waterfall. I walked around to the side of the frozen waterfall and found a small cave behind it. Entering carefully, I saw the rock where Amarillo and I had made love, then noticed something odd on the back wall. It was the sketch I had made of Amarillo and me! But it wasn't on paper! My sketch was carved into the rock! This was something only a Huldra could do!

Amarillo had been here, so this must certainly be a tween place. I began singing our song, 'Amarillo by Morning', knowing that she loved music and art. I stepped outside the waterfall to look for her, but nothing. I called out her name, but again, nothing. After an hour, I gave up and made my way back to the snowmobile.

I had been told that a boundary between water and land was a good tween place, so I made my way up to the top of the mountain to where Amarillo and I had stood, watching the Northern Lights. There was a lake there, and the lakeshore met the requirement for a tween place. But when I arrived, the lake was gone! I stopped the snowmobile where I remembered seeing the lake and got off. Nothing looked familiar. I brushed aside a layer of snow with my boot, and there was only ice! Spotting movement beneath it, I looked carefully and saw a fish staring up at me! The lake had frozen! I returned to the cabin, realizing I would need more thought on where to find tween places.

Over the next few days, I went out before sunrise and stayed out until sunset, searching for Amarillo, but without luck. At night, my mind replayed all the suggestions I had received on tween places. I threw out everything that was a boundary between earth and water. There were no such boundaries in Norway in winter because everything was frozen! The remaining clues on where to find Amarillo were more enigmatic.

Between the light and the dark

Between the stars

Between the first and the last

Between the mundane and the magical

Between this world and the next

Between here and there

Neither one place nor another

Nothing made sense! I was frustrated and began to doubt myself. I had no idea where to find these places and feared I would have to wait until spring before I found Amarillo. I decided to spend my days sitting on the fence rails, the place where I first saw Amarillo, and playing my guitar. It had been a tween place then, a boundary between forest and cabin, but now everything was white and cold, and lonely.

That night, I looked outside and noticed it getting brighter. The moon was almost full and was reflecting off the snow, making it bright enough for me to navigate at night. I decided to look for Amarillo at midnight, the tween time between one day and the next. As I headed out, wispy clouds were casting a veil over the moon, but it was still plenty bright. I had no problem seeing the landscape, so I turned off the headlight of the snowmobile.

I paused frequently to look and listen, but all I saw was silvery blue snow, and all I heard was wind. Then, I spotted something I overlooked during my daylight runs. It appeared to be standing stones, possibly a tween place. Reaching them, I called out for Amarillo, but without luck. The wind picked up, and the moon became obscured by clouds. It started snowing. It was not yet midnight, but I decided it would be wise to head back to the cabin. I turned on the headlights and began following the trail I had just made.

The snow became heavier, and gusting winds blew it across the trail. I was in a whiteout! I continued onward using dead reckoning, but everything was strangely unfamiliar. I panicked when I realized I might pass the cabin without even seeing it! The sputtering of the engine caught me by surprise, and my snowmobile died. Where was I? And how close was I to the cabin?

I couldn't remain with the snowmobile. I had not brought any shelter, had nothing to start a fire and no way to signal anyone. Even worse, no one knew I was out here. There would be no rescue party. I must be close to the cabin, and even though the snow was getting deeper, I had no choice but to walk.

Every step felt like I was lifting a 50-pound weight with each foot. The going was slow in the knee-deep snow and the blowing snow obscured every landmark. Off in the distance, I heard a pair of snowmobiles, but there was no point in yelling. They would never hear me over the sound of their engines.

Exhausted and unable to feel my hands or feet, I fell forward into the snow. I tried to push myself up, but could not muster the strength to do so. I realized that I was going to freeze to death, here in Norway, in this cold lonely forest. I felt a burst of warmth within my torso but realized it was my body shutting down its extremities, sacrificing them in a useless effort to save itself.

I imagined myself back in Texas, under the sizzling summer sun, riding bulls at the rodeo. I lay my head down on my hands and began singing "Amarillo by Morning". My last words faded away into the wind, "Amarillo by morning, Amarillo's where I'll be."

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POV - Amarillo, the Huldra

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CHAPTER 3

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Der er ugler i mosen! I sensed something was not right. The Cold. The Wind. The Snow. But something else too. The Sun. The Heat. The Bulls. Bulls? Could it be Texas?

Texas must be somewhere in my forest for me to sense him! I reached out and called upon the energies in the forest to help locate him. There! Face down in the snow! Not far from his cabin. Somehow, his inner spirit is moving away from him! How is that possible? Oh, No! Texas has entered a tween place, caught between the world of the living and the world of the dead!

I asked the wind and snow to allow me to freely pass so that I could reach Texas, and a small tunnel opened around me amid the storm. I stood in the odd stillness, and just above, the blowing snow passed over me. I was grateful and thanked nature for its help. I skied towards Texas, moving faster than I had ever gone before, hoping to reach him in time. There! Just ahead! A dark figure partially buried in the drifting snow.

I reached his lifeless form, opened his helmet, and kissed his ice-cold lips. His eyes opened a crack but then closed. He was alive, but barely.

"Texas, your inner spirit is fading and lingers in a tween place. We are close to your cabin. I must get you there quickly, or I may not be able to bring you back!"

I bent over and lifted Texas, placed him over my left shoulder, and slipped my feet back into my skis. We soon arrived at his cabin. I carried him inside and laid him down on one of the small beds. Picking up several pieces of wood, I thanked the tree's spirit for providing us with heat. Soon, the fire was roaring in both the wood stove and fireplace. Pulling blankets from the other bed, I spread them in front of the fireplace. Then turned my attention to the listless Texas, helping him out of his clothes, and laying him down in front of the fireplace. I removed my tunic and spooned close behind him, covered us both over, and pressed myself against his frigid body. The fire was on one side, I was on the other. There was nothing more that I could do.

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CHAPTER 4

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I woke the next morning in the same position, warm, comfortable, and happy to be with Texas. I had gotten up during the night to tend the fires, but Texas never stirred. The faint glow of the coming sunrise peeked through a frosted window. I carefully slid away from Texas and stood up. He stirred and rolled over onto his back, then opened his eyes and smiled at me. As I moved about the cabin, his eyes followed my naked form. I tended the fires, keeping them extremely hot, and filled a kettle of water to make coffee.

"How are you feeling this morning?" I asked.

"I am alive, thanks to you. Back in October, you healed my broken heart. Last night, you saved the rest of me. My hands and feet still tingle, but I am quite warm and very happy at the moment."

"You are like the yolk in an egg! What are you doing here in Norway in the middle of winter?"

"Searching for you. I missed you so much I had to come and find you!"

"Det er helt Texas!"

"What does that mean?"

"It translates to 'It was totally Texas!', but it means 'That's Crazy!'. It is an older saying we have and refers to how unpredictable cowboys were in old Wild West movies. You almost died out there in the storm."

"How were you able to find me?"

"Your 'indre ånd', what you may call your inner spirit or soul, had entered not one, but two tween places and was moving between all of them. It lingered between the world of the living and the world of the dead. But it also drifted between Texas and Norway. Because you had entered these tween places, I was able to sense you. You must love something or someone in Norway."

"I do! I love an incredibly special woman. She is funny, beautiful, and enchanting. When I look into her eyes they twinkle like stars. And she can do magical things."

"One day you will have to introduce me to this magical star-eyed woman."

"I am looking at her now."

"I told you before, I cannot do magic. Magic is something unbelievable, yet, as you see it happening, your disbelief dissolves. But that does not make magic real, because your eyes can deceive you. I am a nature spirit, a warden of the forest. The forest is what gives me my healing powers, and it allows me to pull mystical energy from it. The energy is not magic, because it is real. It surrounds us when we are in the forest. It is here now, between you and me, between the trees and rocks, between the land and this cabin."

"I can follow that." Texas stood up. "It sure is warm inside the cabin. You have those fires going really well. It's hotter in here than a summer day in Texas."

"Good. Then you won't need to put on your clothing. Come sit, absorb the warmth, and we will have coffee."

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Chapter 5

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I removed the kettle from the fire and let it sit for a minute. "Tell me about your home, the one you love so much."

"I had a mighty nice house in Texas, with 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, an outdoor pool, and a hundred acres of pastureland to raise cattle. Then I got hurt and it all went away."

I looked at Texas. "I am puzzled. A house is not a home. Home is the land, the rocks, the trees, and the animals. It is the wind, the sky, and the stars above you. It is the wisdom you have so you know when the snow will come, and when it will leave so that life itself will renew. It is your closeness to the land, and how everything is connected together. Home is the weather, the colors, the smells, and the mysteries. We are each part of our home, and it is part of us. Home is where your spirit finds comfort."

"You have taught me many things about life, Amarillo, and I agree with you about the house. But your definition of home is missing something especially important. I visited my grandfather as you asked me to, and when I spoke with him, he told me that our spirit does not dwell in a place, nor our minds, but rather our spirit dwells within our hearts. It is our heart that connects our spirit to both the earth and to the spirit world. Our heart is like a doorway, and love is the key to opening that door."

"You are right, Texas. Love is the answer. I told you your grandfather was a smart man. Much smarter than me. All those things I mentioned are part of the earth. But without love, our spirit cannot connect to them."

"Whoa!" shouted Texas. What are you doing to that coffee?"

"I am stirring the coffee grounds, so they settle."

"That's not how it's done. You should slowly add cold water and let the grounds sink. That's the way I make cowboy coffee."

I waited a moment for the grounds to finish settling, then slowly poured the coffee into two mugs, serving it black.

"This isn't cowboy coffee, Texas, it's Kokekaffe. It is the way we make coffee here in Norway, and I have made it perfectly. Now taste it."

He took a sip. "It is good."

"Tomorrow morning, I will let you me your cowboy coffee so I can compare."

I saw him take another sip. The coffee was good, but his eyes betrayed him as he smiled. He just realized I will be spending tonight with him here in the cabin.

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Chapter 6

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"You must eat some food. You cannot live on air and love. I will make you a traditional Norwegian breakfast."

"I apologize for leaving the kitchen in such a mess. It's something us cowboys do."

I washed the frying pan and was glad to see the pantry stocked with Norwegian foods. I found eggs and scrambled them to make a simple meal. On the plates, I put a slice of wheat bread and topped it with eggs, smoked salmon, chopped spices, and a garnish.

"Come over to the table and eat."

"Are we out of bread?" he asked.

"No, there is plenty."

"Wait. Is this one of those Norwegian open-faced sandwiches?"

"We call it smørbrød, and this one is laks og eggerøre, which means smoked salmon and eggs."

"In Texas, we call this a fish taco."

I watched him pick up the sandwich, put his thumbs underneath, and use the rest of his fingers to fold the bread in half. As he took a bite, most of the eggs fell out the back of the sandwich and onto his plate. I looked away but could not help myself and started laughing. Then I turned my attention to my plate, where I neatly sliced off a small piece of the sandwich with my knife and fork. I grinned when I saw him try to reassemble his sandwich on his plate, and then pick up his knife and fork.

"I guess I'm a long way from Texas."

"Yes, you are, but I will teach you about Norway!"

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Chapter 7

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When I finished, I stood and took my plate to the sink. As I turned, I noticed Texas staring at me.

"You are so beautiful, the way you move. So smooth and graceful. I'm sorry!"

"Sorry for what?" I asked.

He collected his plate and stood up. I saw his erect cock.

He looked down and said, "For this."

"You do not need to be ashamed of your body, Texas. We do not have a problem with nudity here in Norway."

"But the effect you have on me. It is so easy for you to tell. And yet, there is no way for me to know whether I affect you in the same way."

I walked over to Texas, put my left hand on the side of his face, and began softly stroking. I looked into his eyes. "You need to look closer. Let me tell you the ways. Here is number one. Do you not see my nipples?"

"I do, they are wonderful, but it could just mean you are cold."

"You told me the inside of the cabin is as hot as a Texas summer day. My nipples are erect for another reason."