{"id":1081,"date":"2019-04-18T06:00:09","date_gmt":"2019-04-18T06:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/?p=1081"},"modified":"2024-08-23T18:36:32","modified_gmt":"2024-08-23T18:36:32","slug":"north-of-nowhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/north-of-nowhere\/","title":{"rendered":"North Of Nowhere"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<aside class=\"other-formats\">Other formats: <a title=\"North Of Nowhere (PDF)\" href=\"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/ebooks\/en\/pdf\/north-of-nowhere.pdf\">PDF<\/a> | <a title=\"Nor\u00f0an nokkurs sta\u00f0ar (\u00edslenska)\" href=\"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/is\/nordan-nokkurs-stadar\/\">\u00edslenska<\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/north-of-nowhere.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/north-of-nowhere.png?resize=1024%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"North Of Nowhere \u2014 Illustration by B\u00f6rkur Sigurbj\u00f6rnsson\" class=\"wp-image-2022\" style=\"width:256px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/north-of-nowhere.png?w=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/north-of-nowhere.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/north-of-nowhere.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/north-of-nowhere.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/north-of-nowhere.png?resize=900%2C900&amp;ssl=1 900w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/north-of-nowhere.png?resize=500%2C500&amp;ssl=1 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Illustration by B\u00f6rkur Sigurbj\u00f6rnsson<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>I sit by the window and peer into the darkness outside. The mighty mountain towers over our village like a monarch sitting on their throne, overlooking their land. I glance at the clock mounted high up on the wall, swinging its pendulum back and forth, patiently counting every second, while sending an endless stream of ticks and tocks through the otherwise silent living room. It\u2019s approaching mid-day and a flock of butterflies is released from a compartment within my stomach, flapping their tickling wings throughout my body. I return my eyes to the mountain, continuing the wait with my eyes fixed into the gloom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s tiring to stare into space without daring to blink, but I\u2019m determined, certain my perseverance will pay off in the end. And it does. It happens. Suddenly. A small glimpse of light reaches over the mountaintop and glitters like the jewels on a royal crown. I watch the coronation of our monarch, mouth agape, struck by the beauty of the moment. The ceremony doesn\u2019t last long, though, and before I know it, the light has faded and left the narrow fjord draped in the same layer of shadows that has covered it for the past couple of months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But dad had been right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I asked him back in December where the sun had gone, he said it had gone behind the mountain. When I asked him if it was ever coming back, he said matter-of-factly, yes, on January eighteenth, around mid-day. When I asked him why it had gone, he said it was because we lived at the end of the world\u2014north of nowhere. His voice had sounded so sad that I didn\u2019t ask anything more and decided to wait, as patiently as I possibly could, for the new year to come and see for myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group book-ad has-text-color has-background\" style=\"color:#000000;background-color:#65aab1\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:33% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/among-other-things.png?resize=683%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Among Other Things \u2014 Book cover Ana Pi\u00f1eyro\" class=\"wp-image-2143 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/among-other-things.png?resize=683%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 683w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/among-other-things.png?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/among-other-things.png?resize=768%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/among-other-things.png?resize=1024%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/among-other-things.png?resize=1365%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1365w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/among-other-things.png?resize=900%2C1350&amp;ssl=1 900w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/among-other-things.png?resize=500%2C750&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/among-other-things.png?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Among Other Things<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>This piece of flash fiction appeared in the flash fiction collection Among Other Things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you enjoyed the story, we encourage you to support the publication by buying a copy of the book. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Among Other Things<\/em> is available as paperbacks from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Among-Other-Things-B%C3%B6rkur-Sigurbj%C3%B6rnsson\/dp\/993594669X\/\">Amazon<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/among-other-things-b-rkur-sigurbj-rnsson\/1146128813\">Barnes and Noble<\/a> and e-books from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Among-Other-Things-B%C3%B6rkur-Sigurbj%C3%B6rnsson-ebook\/dp\/B0DC4VDQZC\/\">Kindle Store<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/among-other-things\/id6636554661\">Apple Books<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/among-other-things-1\">Kobo<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.storytel.com\/in\/books\/among-other-things-9136592\">Storytel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also support the author through <a href=\"https:\/\/patreon.com\/UrbanVolcano\">Patreon<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/buymeacoffee.com\/borkur\">Buy Me a Coffee<\/a> or by rating the book on<a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/217146264-among-other-things\"> Goodreads<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-499968f5 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/among-other-things\/\" style=\"border-radius:50px;color:#ffffff;background-color:#000000\">book details<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A flash fiction by B\u00f6rkur Sigurbj\u00f6rnsson. The narrator sits by the window, staring into the darkness. The clock counts dutifully every second. Something is about to happen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2022,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28],"tags":[73,35,67],"class_list":["post-1081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flash-fiction","tag-iceland","tag-nature","tag-waiting","col-md-6 col-sm-6"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/north-of-nowhere.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1081"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2155,"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081\/revisions\/2155"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}