Giant Under the Mountain: Archetypal Worlds, #0.5

By Michael A. Susko

Jerell and Bill have the same dream, revealing  an island which only appears at a certain time of the year. The land is filled with archetypal realities and an unexplained pressure. Gaining allies along the way, the two companions try to stop an impending death. In the end they face the Giant under a mountain who holds the mystery of sacrifice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AllrOneofUs Publishing
• Release date: Oct 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201530938

Michael A. Susko

The author, an independent scholar, has degrees in Philosophy and Counseling Psychology. For many years, he taught a college course on Indigenous symbolism with an emphasis on imagery found on stone and in the landscape. Having experienced gifts from the Indigenous related to sites that Native Americans inhabited, and having studied their narratives, he offers this work.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

HIDDEN ISLAND

Jerell and Bill decided to cross the lake after they had a remarkably similar dream. In the dream, they crossed the waters to tame a hot spot, and encountered a hybrid creature, half-man and half-feline. The creature tried to place an impossible demand on them, but they had escaped.

They went to an Interpreter, an old man who lived in a thatched hut on a hill and was ignored as a crazy hermit. But Jerell and Bill had known him since childhood and knew he had wisdom about things of which others knew little. He told them the dream was a sign that an adventure was at hand.

They are people needing relief from pressure, he added, although he didn’t say what the pressure was. A hidden island lies in the middle of the lake, one not seen by all, but to those who go searching. Access to this island only comes to view on the eve of the shortest day of the year, the Winter Solstice. Your mission will then take you to the mountains.

Jerell and Bill decided to go and went with the expectations the Interpreter had provided. They took a rubber raft to shore, early on the eve of the Winter solstice. They saw, even before setting out, the island, half shrouded in mist.

Lands just don’t appear, considered Bill. Could it be an illusion, a mirage?

Something’s there, Jerell answered. And there’s a reddish glow around it.

The land faded in and out of the glowing mist, revealing shadowy mountains. Bill,  reminded of the Interpreter, repeated, At certain times there are openings to other lands.

Most people would take that for crazy talk, mused Bill. Why would a land just appear to us at a certain time?

I don’t know, but it’s happening. Maybe the glow is the pressure the interpreter talked about, something the land and people there are feeling.

They placed the raft on the lake. The waters are freezing cold, Jerell remarked.

It’s not the cold I’m worried about, put in Bill. The current is strong and jerky. Maybe we should wait until the waters are calm. How long do you think the land will stay in view?

We have several hours till the solstice itself. I gather we’ll need some time on the island.

As the morning progressed, the waters only grew rougher. At noon, the raft broke loose from its moorings. They rushed into the water after it, only to see it break against rocks. Then the raft bobbed up and down like it was attached to something.

It hit what looks like an animal! yelled Bill. Be careful!

Jerell rushed to where the animal was floundering. The raft had spread like a flag, clinging tightly to its sides.

The creature moved toward the shore, struggling for a foothold on the bank. Jerell grabbed for it, and hooves rose, landing on either side as Jerell fell. A large brown horse with a shaggy mane stood up, spraying water like a dog. The raft with its white and blue markings still clung to him, a narrow strip of red outlined where the raft first slapped him.

The horse was much larger than normal. If the horse had wings, there would be no doubt it could fly, thought Jerell.

The horse whinnied as if to thank Jerell for helping him out of the water. Then it rolled on the grass to