Meet the Characters
Erika
Erika dodged low branches as she sprinted through the forest. Those Vikings wanted the precious rod she’d stolen from them.
She ran faster, then skidded to a stop. Pebbles skittered. They sprayed over a cliff edge. She scowled at the cliff and herself for taking a wrong turn. The Vikings drew their swords and closed in.
Erika peeked over the edge. A farmer sat beside a hay pile, milking a cow. From this height, he was smaller than an ant.
A cliff ahead; Vikings behind. Erika jumped.
Finch told everyone his nickname. He told people he’d only just met. Sometimes, he forgot to tell people his real name. He just called himself Finch. His real name was Adam Bird. Adam was a skinny kid. He wore these big glasses. They were too big for his face, making his eyes look larger than they were.
One day, a kid in first class called him Finch, and the nickname stuck. The class had been looking at pictures of birds. The teacher held up a picture of a finch, and the kid yelled, ‘Hey, that looks like Adam!’
Finch
Karl
Karl was worried. On a scale of zero to ten, it was an eleven. He knew he should focus on something more important, like making friends. Or his footy tackling. It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried to forget the worry. The more he wanted to ignore it, the more it returned.
Other kids had worries. Some worried about doing well in tomorrow’s math quiz. Sam, a boy in Karl’s class, was Marshton School’s representative at the State Spelling Bee next month. If anyone should be worried, Sam should.
Karl had no one to talk to about his worry. And that made him worry more.
Ulf was a Viking. He was in charge of a large Viking clan that sailed on longships to distant places. The clan did this partly to find out what was there but mainly to loot and steal stuff.
The Vikings didn’t start that way. They began as peaceful farmers. Some, like Ulf, were worried their lands would be taken from them. So, Ulf decided to strike first. There are times to hit and times to sit back and chill. Ulf wasn’t into chilling.
Loki lived in Asgard. He was a god, an ice giant, and Thor’s half-brother. Loki caused trouble; other gods called him the Trickster.
Anders Frost was a teacher. He was so good at his job, he was promoted to Principal of Marshton Public School. The same school Karl, Finch and Erika attended.
Ulf
Brain Box
Merry Christmas, kids!