Akershus

The ereatheral poise in the silouetted figure's gait reinforces the fortress walls, making them seem taller than they were five minutes ago. Five minutes ago I was just another tourist, walking up the slick, glistening cobblestone path, taking photos of the orbs of light bobbing on the black water below. A subtle, ineffable peacefulness had settled over me as I'd realized I was all alone in a bailey that had began witnessing history 30 lifetimes ago.

This tranquility had coaxed me towards the arched entryway leading to the castle. I'd glanced up at the walkway atop the entryway where the guards used to keep watch. "Allure!" I'd grinned, surprised I'd remembered the technical term I'd learned in some high school history class. But the grin quickly faded when I noticed something move along the allure.

It was was the outline of the plumed bowler hat that tied my ankles together. It was the outline of the bayonet that sucked the air out of me.

Utter silence deafens my ears, causing them to ring slightly. My little toe goes numb as my boots surrender to the damp earth. A rancid taste of nothingness seeps into my dry tongue. The only parts of me that seem to still function are my eyes, pupils having driven out the irises, which follow the figure intently as it marches right to left, with such slow grace that it almost seems to float.

As I continue watching, the consistency in the figure's movement begins to melt my startled fear into a cautious sense of security. I scold myself for not immediately realizing the figure is merely a member of Norway's Hans Majestet Kongens Garde. "The bayonet is an odd touch," I think to myself, "but it has a certain quaintness to it, I suppose."

Upon reaching the end of the length of the allure, I expect the guard to turn around and continue left to right. But instead, he disappears, descending down the allure's steps. Transfixed, I wait for the figure to reach the bottom and pass through the entryway. But nothing appears. Nothing?

Without thinking, courage takes fear hostage, and I run through the entryway and climb the stairs to the allure. When I reach the top, a subtle, ineffable peacefulness is the last thing that settles over me as I realize I am all alone...