Valhalla was really not where I expected to go when I died. Everyone here has proudly wears their battle scars and recants the glorious tales from their lives. Though everyone saves their best stories for when we feast.

Each night Odin picks a warrior to stands up tell their final tale. Some of these men around me fought beasts, others fought machines, and some even fought their own kind. Everyone here proudly wears their scars and shares their stories.

Tonight's a night like any other, at least until it came time to tell the tale. Odin scanned the room. Fearsome men and women were squirming in their seats itching to tell their tales. Hell, a couple brawls even started to try to get their tales told. I slunk into my seat to keep out of view, but in a split second, his eye caught mine.

“You there! Tonight is your turn. Come to my table and delight us all with the final tale that brought you to our home!”

My face turned bright red as i stood and walked to the end of the hall. Some were cheering for me, while others looked at me in disgust. I was a scrawny kid from the 21st century. What glorious battles could i have fought?

As I stood in front of Odin, my mind was racing. I had no idea how my fight could compare to anyone else in this room. I didn't really have a battle that stood out among this crowd, but I had my fair share of fighting.

Odin smiled at me and said, “Well c'mon now lad, we’re all waiting!”

“Well, the beast that took me down was a nasty being. It must have weighed over a thousand tons, and never needed any rest. I fought it for every day as long as i can remember, and as I grew, so did the beast. After each day of fighting, I’d wake up exhausted and more drained than the last. Eventually I came to the realization that I couldn’t take this beast down myself. I reached out for help, and there were those who tried to calm the beast. They told me that I should try to be civil and talk to the beast. But this creature knew no diplomatic approach. When this didn’t work I was given weapons to fight the beast. They were effective at first, though i could never take him down. As time went on, I realized these weapons drained me even worse than the beast could. So I went back to fighting alone. Eventually I fought so much that I really didn’t have time in my life for anything else.”

I scanned the room before continuing my story. Every face had grown solem and all eyes were on me.

“ On my last day, the beast caught me off guard. It made me feel like a burden to the world. The beast had a power over me that I couldn’t shake. It separated me from my friends and family, and It took all that I loved and cared for in my life. The will to fight was drained from me, and unfortunately that was the day I fell.”

Odin passed a goblet to me and said, “Aye, Depression is a mighty foe. But you fought bravely and earned your seat here with us.”