Christmas Island

by Natalie Normann

  ‘Not now, anyway. I’m on holiday, aren’t I? Tell me what’s good here.’

  ‘Oh.’ Tor looked at the cake display. Most cakes had been cut in individual slices, showing the fillings. ‘Well. The white marzipan cake with cream and raspberry jam is always delicious, so is the chocolate cream cake. It’s one of my favourites.’

  ‘Are they Christmassy?’ Holly bent down to check out the cream cakes.

  ‘Not particularly. You can get those year round. Let me see.’ He discovered what he was looking for and pointed at a display of chocolate-covered hearts. ‘Those are my particular favourites and this is the only shop that sells them, and you can only get them at Christmas.’

  The girl behind the counter heard him. ‘I have the big ones too. They’re super good today.’

  Tor nodded. ‘Give me two of the hearts and a bag of the smaller ones to take home. And also two of those.’ He pointed at some ring-shaped cakes. ‘Holly, would you like coffee or tea?’

  Holly was studying the board behind the counter. ‘What’s a yule latte?’

  ‘I have no idea.’ He asked the girl who explained in great detail what was in the latte.

  ‘Pepper cake crumbs, ginger and cardamom, with a sprinkle of cinnamon or cocoa. Or both,’ she said in English, smiling at Holly.

  ‘Okay. I’ll have a yule latte, please,’ Holly said.

  Tor shook his head when the girl wanted to know if he wanted the same. ‘Black coffee for me,’ he said.

  Holly laughed. ‘That’s really old school.’

  ‘I don’t like sweet or spiced-up coffee. It ruins the cake.’

  The girl handed them the cakes and told them she’d bring the latte to the table.

  ‘What about your coffee?’ Holly asked when he steered towards a table by the window.

  He nodded towards a side table with cups, sugar and milk, and two large cans. ‘It’s self-service when you don’t need a fancy barista to make your coffee.’

  It took a couple of minutes to get his coffee and when he returned to the table, Holly had picked up one of the cakes. She was inspecting it with a serious expression.

  ‘What is it? And why is it round? It looks like a churro, but I don’t think that’s what it is.’

  ‘It’s called kransekake,’ he said, smiling when Holly tried to mouth the unfamiliar words. ‘It means “wreath cake”, but it’s also called a tower cake.’

  ‘Oh. How is it a tower?’

  ‘It’s round because you can buy or bake a whole cake with rings in different sizes and put one ring on top of the other, so you get a cone-shaped cake. And then you can decorate them. My grandmother used to make one for Christmas, and decorate them with those funny crackers, and then one for 17th of May with little flags on it. It’s tradition, I guess,’ he said.

  ‘And what are they made of?’ Holly broke the cake in two and smelled it.

  It made him smile. ‘No flour if you belong to the gluten free people. Just powdered sugar, egg whites, and ground almond. It’s actually more like baked marzipan, I think.’

  She took a bite and a look of delighted surprise crossed her face. ‘It’s chewy and crunchy.’

  ‘I know. It’s another favourite of mine. ’

  Holly finished both halves before the girl brought her the coffee. ‘It’s damned good. Do they ever put chocolate in them or something like that?’

  ‘My gran would froth at the mouth to hear you ask that. You don’t mess with perfection. Although you can get sticks of kransekake where the ends are dipped in chocolate. I like them too.’

  ‘But you wouldn’t tell your grandmother that?’ She was stirring her latte and laughing at him.

  ‘Not if I wanted to taste the cake.’

  Tor picked up one of the hearts and waved it at her. ‘These are even better.’

  The hearts were thick and covered in chocolate on the top.

  He took a bite and couldn’t help closing his eyes.

  ‘This is basically a soft gingerbread cookie with chocolate,’ Holly said, biting into hers.

  Tor finished his in three bites. ‘Too good.’

  Holly took longer to enjoy her snack. ‘Why do you call the gingerbread cookies pepper cookies? Is there really pepper in them?’

  Tor frowned. ‘Of course. There’s also golden syrup, and the usual Christmas spices like cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, I think. I made the cookies when I was a kid, but I’ve never made the dough.’

  ‘You made cookies?’

  ‘It’s not that difficult. We would always make one of those gingerbread houses. You sound as if you think I grew up under a rock.’ Tor couldn’t help smiling.

  ‘No, it’s just that you don’t exactly seem very social, now do you? They call you the hermit at the shop, you know.’

  She was teasing him now. Tor could see she was enjoying herself.

  ‘I prefer my own company these days,’ he said.

  ‘You know what they say. If you keep to yourself for long enough, you might fall out of the habit of being social. Don’t you miss other people?’

  Holly was trying to drink the coffee and ended up with a froth moustache.

  Tor tried to hide the smile. Holly frowned. ‘What? It wasn’t a funny question.’

  ‘No, you have milk on you upper lip.’ Tor handed her one of the paper napkins from the table.

  That made her laugh as she dried her mouth. Then she looked at him again. ‘Better?’

  ‘Yes, much better.’ He hoped she had forgotten her question, but of course she hadn’t.

  ‘Tell me. Don’t you miss other people? You know, to see, to meet up with, to talk to.’ Holly used the teaspoon to attack the coffee.

  ‘Isn’t that awfully sweet?’ Tor tried to distract her again. She saw right through it.

  Holly smiled. ‘Really?’

  ‘Fine. No, I don’t miss people. I’m happy alone, and I have Frøy for company. I work a lot. My job is demanding and I like to focus on it. Being alone doesn’t mean being lonely, you know that, right?’

  He was feeling slightly uncomfortable talking about himself and he could sense that he was saying too much. He took a bite from the other kransekake.

  Holly had finished the froth and could finally drink the coffee without making a mess. ‘I can see that. I’m surrounded by people all the time, at the hospital and at my flat. My flatmate is my best friend, but she’s also really sociable, so there’s people over all the time. There’s moments where I’m desperate for a few minutes by myself. So much so that I once invented a smoking habit.’

  ‘A smoking habit?’ Tor felt relieved she wasn’t pressing him for more information. ‘That sounds silly.’

  ‘Yeah, it was, but smokers have a legitimate reason to go outside, don’t they? You can’t really say “I’m popping out for a bit of solitude”.’

  ‘Why not? If you need it, I mean. You have a demanding job, don’t you? There must be times when you need a breather. Is that why you came to the island?’ Tor could have hit himself the moment the question was out there. Too personal, he thought.

  Holly pushed the half-empty coffee mug to the side. ‘I can’t drink any more of this. It’s too… too much. I think I’m done with artisanal coffees for a while. A mug of Earl Grey, with just the teabag, would be better, I think.’

  ‘Want me to get one for you? Or at least Lipton Yellow, which is the standard tea in most places, I’m afraid.’ Tor was halfway out of the chair when she put her hand on his. He sat at once, staring at her hand.

  Nobody had touched him for a long time. It was the strangest sensation. Tor pulled his hand back, slowly, hoping she wouldn’t notice. Perhaps he really had been away from people for too long.

  ‘No, I only meant next time we go for coffee. Then I think tea will do fine,’ Holly said, her voice shaking slightly.

  She’s expecting there to be a next time, Tor thought. He fought the impulse to run. After all, he had started it.

  He cleared his throat. ‘Besides the phone, is ther
e anything else you are here to do? In town, I mean?’

  Holly shrugged. ‘I’m just looking at the moment. I bought most of the Christmas presents in London with my dad because Jack said Norway is crazy expensive.’

  ‘He’s not wrong. It can be. I haven’t bought any presents,’ he admitted.

  ‘Really? Do you have to buy many?’

  ‘A few. The problem is that ideally I should buy them today, so that I can send them tomorrow, otherwise the post office can’t guarantee they will get there in time,’ he explained.

  ‘For family or friends?’ She had the most innocent look in the world when she asked.

  ‘Both,’ Tor said, surprising himself.

  ‘Well, do you need any help? Or want the company? I’m really good at buying presents.’

  ‘Are you?’ Tor couldn’t help smiling.

  Holly nodded. ‘Let’s just say I’m an expert at buying stuff quickly. Now, tell me how many you need and for whom. I need to know a little about the recipients.’

  Tor went along with it. It seemed like a better idea than to start rummaging around in the shops by himself.

  ‘My mum and her partner are readers, so I’ll need a few books for them. My dad is in Tromsø and his wife loves crime story box sets, so I thought I might see if I can get a hold of something they haven’t seen yet. Then there’s Kari and Henrik. Henrik is my friend and business partner. They have two kids who only want Lego. Doesn’t matter what it is as long as it’s Lego.’

  ‘Kids are easy. I bought a stuffed sheep for Rosie, that’s my brother’s little girl. They have their own flock of sheep, so I think it will be a success.’

  ‘I haven’t seen any.’ Tor wondered how Frøy would react to a flock of sheep.

  ‘They’re kept on a small islet off the coast of the big island. My dad and I aren’t convinced they’re sheep. They look like shaggy goats.’

  ‘Must be Old Norwegians or something,’ Tor said, laughing when she gaped at him. ‘What? I know we have different kinds of sheep, okay. We have all sorts of farm animals in this country.’

  ‘I would love to see them, actually. Do you know how to drive a boat?’

  Tor frowned. ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘You know. One of those boats with an engine at the end. Jack has one in his boat house and so does Ninni. I think one is also a row boat.’

  Tor raised his hands. ‘Are you sure you want to get into a boat with me? How can you be sure we won’t end up in Iceland or Shetland – or, more likely, at the bottom of the sea?’

  ‘I thought all Norwegians could do stuff like that.’ Holly looked disappointed.

  ‘Not really. Some of us have lived in a city all our lives. Fortunately for me though, I grew up with boats.’

  Holly cocked her head. ‘You’re joking now, right?’

  ‘About the boat? No. It’s old and not very fancy, but it’s perfect for my needs.’

  ‘Oh.’ Holly looked puzzled for a second. ‘Can you take me to the islet?’

  ‘Probably, if I knew where to find it. And also, we would need permission to do so.’

  ‘But they’re my brother’s animals,’ Holly said. ‘Of course I can go see them.’

  ‘Have you asked him if you can go there?’

  Holly frowned. ‘I don’t have to. He’s my brother.’

  Tor wasn’t so sure that was enough. ‘Islets like that are mostly private and you can’t just walk onto private land. Also, when there’s animals, there are other restrictions.’

  Holly didn’t look pleased. ‘Yes, well, maybe I’ll just take out Jack’s boat and row to the islet,’ she said.

  Tor hid a smile. ‘You can row a boat?’

  ‘I’ve been in a row boat in Finsbury Park,’ Holly said, on the defensive. He didn’t have to know it had only happened once… during a hen party. ‘I mean, how hard can it be if my brother can do it?’

  ‘Please don’t try to do something like that alone. It’s dangerous,’ Tor said. ‘It’s really difficult unless you know what you’re doing, and on this coast the weather can turn quickly.’

  Holly sighed. ‘You can row, right?’

  ‘I can row a boat, no problem there, but rowing about in a park pond in London, or in the Oslofjord where you always see land, is very different from here, where at some point you see nothing but water. You could get in real danger.’

  Holly sighed. ‘I’m sorry. If you don’t want to, that’s fine. It’s not like I’m desperate to see the sheep-goats. Jack and Ninni can take me. To be honest, I wanted to take a trip on the sea, not with a ferry, but with a small boat. Just to see how it is, you know?’

  Tor wasn’t sure where the words came from, but they flew out of his mouth before he could stop himself. ‘I go out fishing most mornings. You can come out with me.’

  Holly gaped. ‘You have your boat here?’

  ‘I do. It’s not fancy, and you need to dress appropriately. It can get bloody cold out there. And I would pick you up at eight o’clock.’

  He realised he was trying to talk her out of it. Himself too.

  Holly beamed. ‘Thank you! I would love to go. When?’

  ‘Ehm, I will let you know. I don’t really have a fixed time table,’ Tor said, hoping she would have forgotten by then.

  Chapter Ten

  He was doing it again. That thing that made her laugh at him. Holly could see he wasn’t sure why she was laughing, or how easy he was to read.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said.

  ‘Okay.’ Tor looked a bit confused.

  Holly made a note not to tease him anymore, but he was too adorable. She decided to play nice. Especially to make sure he wouldn’t change his mind about taking her out on the boat.

  ‘I’m not sure if I’ll manage to eat anything sweet ever again after this,’ she said.

  He smiled and the tension between them disappeared. ‘Of course you will. That’s the spirit of Christmas.’

  ‘Pretty sure it isn’t.’ Holly grinned.

  ‘It is here. Christmas in Norway is mostly about the food. You’ll see.’

  Holly pushed back her chair. ‘I need to walk it off. Let’s go find your presents. Have you made a list?’

  Tor stood. ‘No, why would I do that?’

  ‘So that you remember everyone and you can jot down a few ideas on what to get them.’

  ‘But I already told you.’

  Holly linked her arm to his and strolled down the street. ‘Is this whole street closed to traffic?’

  ‘Yes, I think so. It says so right there.’ Tor pointed at a sign on the wall.

  ‘“Gågate?” What does it mean?’

  ‘Directly translated it means “pedestrian street”. You know, a street where you can walk.’ He steered her towards a toy store. ‘I can see Legos from here.’

  Holly couldn’t help but smile when they got inside. Toy stores are the same everywhere, she thought. The store was brimming with over-excited children who wanted everything they could see and exhausted parents who tried to hold them back.

  ‘I think you’ll have to fight your way through,’ Holly teased.

  Tor looked around. ‘I’m bigger than them.’

  A joke. Holly jabbed him with her elbow. ‘You’re bigger than everyone. You can’t do that. We have to wait in line. Tell me about the kids. How old are they?’

  ‘Nora is nine and Leah is six. Nora wants a building, doesn’t matter what it is, and Leah wants an Olaf, whatever that is. I asked their parents so that they will get something they want.’

  ‘That’s thoughtful of you. Asking them, I mean.’

  Tor smiled. ‘How else will I know what they want, especially now that I’m here?’

  ‘Good point. I think I see Olaf over there.’ Holly handed him a box with the jolly snowman. He examined it.

  ‘This is it?’

  ‘You obviously haven’t seen Frozen. There’s a glitch in your social education.’ Probably not the only one, she thought.

  ‘Olaf it is, then.’ He s
miled at her. ‘I’ll find the building. Nora loves to build houses with Legos and her dad wants to see if she will like to build something bigger, more complicated. Like this.’ He took down a box with the skyline of London. ‘What do you think?’

  ‘I want to build it. This is lovely, Tor. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled.’ Holly smiled at his obvious delight about the girls’ gifts. It was… charming. They joined the queue.

  ‘You’re close to them, aren’t you?’

  ‘I’m their uncle. Neither of us have any siblings, and Henrik and I have been friends since kindergarten.’

  Holly thought about her own brothers. ‘There are times I would have loved to be an only child. Having two brothers can be exhausting for a girl.’

  ‘What? They were horrible to you?’

  ‘Not really. Jack is older than me and he’s the responsible one. My mum passed away when I was four, so I hardly remember her. Danny is the youngest and he’s a pest. A loveable pest,’ she added when Tor looked concerned. ‘We fought tooth and nails when we were growing up, but we’re good friends now.’

  ‘That must have been hard for you, to grow up without your mother.’ The concern in his voice was sincere and Holly swallowed a surprising lump in her throat. Oh, I should never have mentioned Mum. I talk too much, she scolded herself.

  ‘Not really. I was so young. I’m not even sure if I remember her or if what I remember is something Dad or Jack told me,’ she said, keeping her voice steady.

  She hardly ever talked about her mum. Especially not to someone who was practically a stranger. ‘I think it’s your turn,’ she said, pointing at the cashier.

  She waited at the side while Tor paid for the gifts and then followed him to the bookstore. Neither of them mentioned their families again.

  It looked and smelled like every other bookstore she had ever been inside, and she perused the shelves while Tor tried to find something for his mother.

  An entire table was dedicated to Christmas books. Another to troll books. She picked one up and leafed through it, fascinated by the detailed drawings, mostly in black and white.

  ‘I’m not sure how they became a symbol of nastiness on the internet. They’re really more of a force of nature and an attempt to explain nature, and why we get scared in forests,’ Tor said, popping up beside her with a few books in his hand.