I run to the tree, not daring to look back. My lungs burn as I gasp at the icy air. When I get near, the cord jumps in my pocket. I reach inside and stare in disbelief at the translucent, pulsating thing in my hands. It leaps to the ground, then lengthens to ten times its size and slithers towards the tree. I lurch forward and snatch it with both hands. The other end disappears into the hollow of the trunk, jolting my arms.

A thousand voices cry out. Shadowy faces rush past me at impossible speed. I bend my legs and brace my arms. The apparitions spin around the cord, then disappear into the tree with a whoosh and a crack. I shut my eyes and turn my head. Grit my teeth and hold on. Twice the cord twists in my hands and I nearly drop it. My arms shake. Still the dead come.

The whirlwind slows – ghostly faces continue to rush by but there are fewer now. There’s no way to tell if Mormor is among them; I just have to hope.

I drop my shoulders and sigh. It’s worked, the dead are returning.

My relief doesn’t last long.

A figure stands on the other side of the tree. The draugr. Its head jerks in my direction. With no ghostly army to hold it back it comes straight for me, its gait clumsy and lurching.

The cord tugs in my hands. The dead are still flowing into the underworld. If I let go now, they may never get back. I have to hold on.

The creature is close. Just twenty paces away.

I glance at the axe in the snow. With one hand holding the cord, I bend down and grab it. More ghostly faces rush past. I need both hands to fight, but I can’t drop the cord. Not yet. I have to give the dead a chance to return.

And then I see her.

‘Mormor!’

She stands halfway between me and the draugr, somehow managing to resist the pull of the cord. My heart wells with love. I gaze at her shimmering apparition and this time I know she can see me too. Her eyes gleam, as if she’s illuminated from within.

I step towards her, wanting to say so much but unable to get the words out. All I manage is a half-sobbed, ‘I love you, Mormor.’

She smiles and gives me the tender look I’m so familiar with – the one that tells me not to upset myself. I don’t have to explain because she already knows.

‘Yes, child. I’m here. I love you too, more than you can imagine.’

She moves towards me, her smile radiating kindness. I long to touch her, but I’m afraid to drop the axe or the cord. She’s so close. I reach out my hand …

The draugr howls.