Christmas Island

by Natalie Normann

  Anja came bouncing in to the kitchen. ‘Pappa forgot to put the porridge in the barn, so we had to go back,’ she said.

  ‘Really? But everything was ready.’ Sigrid gave her daughter a hug. ‘Good thing you remembered.’

  Alma pointed at Jack. ‘Let’s put food on the table.’

  She started handing plates of food to those closest to her, and pointing at the door. ‘Dining room, please. Jack will bring the meat.’

  Holly took the beer bottles Britt gave her, and followed Tor out. He was carrying the bowl of mash. ‘This smells amazing,’ he said to her.

  ‘What does it mean that they forgot the porridge? Anja didn’t bring any into the kitchen,’ Holly said.

  ‘Oh, that. It’s another old tradition. On farms, they put a plate of rice porridge in the barn. For the barn-nisse? If you don’t he might get pissed,’ Tor said.

  ‘Right. I know this. Alma said that when she followed me into the house my first full day here.’

  Jens had opened the doors at the end of the lounge to let them in.

  ‘I love this,’ Holly whispered when they entered the dining room.

  Another fireplace warmed up the room and a long table stood in the middle, with chairs enough for everyone. Two huge candelabra lit up the table.

  ‘You can sit where you want, Holly,’ Alma said, coming in after her. ‘It looks a lot more formal than it is.’

  ‘It looks so lovely,’ Holly said, smiling at her. ‘Do you really do this every year?’

  ‘Of course. Christmas is special.’ Alma set down small bowls of some kind of jam.

  ‘They’re bringing the rest. Just sit,’ Alma said.

  Tor pulled her down next to him. ‘I’m starving,’ he whispered.

  ‘Me too.’ Holly smiled at him.

  She took the napkin and looked at it. ‘This is beautiful. Do you think she made this too?’

  The napkin was embroidered with silver stars. Tor put his on his lap. ‘At this point, it wouldn’t surprise me if she built the house herself.’

  Holly had Anja next to her and the little girl chatted with her in English, trying to explain Norwegian words for her.

  She noticed that Tor was looking at her and leaned in. ‘If they bring out the weird jellied fish or half a sheep’s head, I’m leaving,’ she whispered.

  ‘I’ll be right behind you,’ he whispered.

  Jack and Petter brought in plates filled with dark brown meat that reminded Holly of lamb chops. I like those, she thought and smiled at her brother.

  ‘I’m making turkey on New Year’s Eve, I promise,’ he said.

  ‘With all the trimmings?’ Holly said.

  ‘I promised, didn’t I?’

  Holly enjoyed the dinner. The meat was tender with a lovely smoky flavour.

  ‘What do you think?’ Tor sipped his glass, filled with Britt’s beer.

  ‘I like it. It’s a bit fatty, but I hope nobody expects me to eat that.’

  ‘Not at all. I don’t. The food is rich, but that’s what the beer is for. It helps with the digestion,’ Tor said.

  ‘And this will make it even better,’ Britt said, hearing the last of his sentence.

  ‘What is that?’ Holly looked at the bottle she was carrying. It didn’t have a label.

  ‘This is the water of life, my friend. Aquavit. It will grow hairs on your chest. I mean, if that’s something you want, of course,’ Britt said with a naughty smile.

  ‘I’ll pass, thank you,’ Holly said.

  ‘No, you have to taste. I have made this myself, and you are all my guinea pigs. If this goes well, I’ll up the production and perhaps have something to sell in a few years’ time.’

  She filled a small shot glass with the slightly golden fluid and handed it to Holly. ‘Sip it, don’t down it. You might have a heart attack.’

  Holly looked at Jack who seemed to enjoy his glass.

  ‘Okay, here it goes,’ Holly said, taking a sip, Then she had a coughing fit that brought tears to her eyes.

  ‘I’m having what she’s having,’ Tor said, holding a glass out to Britt.

  ‘What is that? Moonshine?’ Holly said, drying her tears.

  ‘Yes, sort of, but it’s also delicious, isn’t it?’ Britt said with obvious pride.

  ‘I’m not sure.’ Holly lifted the glass again, and to the delight of everyone else, took another, much more careful, sip. The liqueur was smoother now, but still strong enough to bring tears to her eyes. ‘At least I’m not coughing,’ she said, putting down the glass.

  ‘It grows on you for sure,’ Britt said, looking pleased.

  Holly turned to Tor. He handled it a lot better than her, clearly enjoying the drink. ‘Good for digestion, right?’

  ‘It is, absolutely, just don’t try to blow out any of the candles,’ he said.

  Holly giggled. She felt light-headed and happy, and so full she wasn’t sure she could stand.

  Tor enjoyed the aquavit. There were some interesting flavours in there. ‘Did you put orange in this too?’

  Britt nodded. ‘Only a hint. I didn’t want it to overpower the caraway seeds.’

  ‘It doesn’t,’ he assured her.

  ‘Mamma!’ Ole sat next to his mother and had clearly run out of patience.

  Holly nudged Tor. ‘What’s going on?’

  ‘Oh, Ole wants to know when Julenissen comes –Santa Clause, I mean. Poor kid. It’s going to be at least another hour. Sigrid is telling him it’s not all about the presents. As if that ever helps,’ Tor said.

  Poor Ole looked so dejected.

  ‘Dessert time, and then dish washing,’ Alma said. ‘Can’t have Julenissen come in to a dirty house, now, can we? Ole, do you want to help me with something in the kitchen while the others clear the table?’

  Ole nodded. ‘Okay,’ he said.

  Tor stood at once, ready to help with clearing everything away.

  ‘Please, sit. There’s not room for everyone in the kitchen anyway,’ Ninni said. ‘Holly, can you take her while we do this?’

  Holly lifted Rosie across the table, making funny faces to make her laugh.

  Tor looked at the little girl and she grinned back at him.

  ‘She’s awfully friendly, isn’t she?’

  ‘Oh, not all the time. Like my father often says, she has a great pair of lungs on her,’ Holly said.

  Rosie’s bow almost fell off, and Holly straightened it. ‘So, are they really expecting us to have room for dessert?’

  ‘Yes, they do. It’s a…’ He laughed when Holly stopped him.

  ‘I know, I know. It’s a tradition.’ Holly leaned forward and kissed him lightly. ‘Is there any moonshine in this dessert?’

  ‘I’d be surprised if there was.’ Tor didn’t care about dessert. Not with her so close to him. He felt as impatient as Ole.

  Holly smiled. ‘What?’

  ‘What what?’ Tor said.

  ‘Nothing. You had a peculiar look on your face for a second. Are you all right?’

  He leaned over and whispered in her ear what he wanted instead of dessert, making Holly laugh. Rosie laughed too, delighted to be part of the joke.

  The table clearing didn’t take long, and the dirty dishes were quickly replaced by delicate porcelain bowls with a Christmas pattern

  Holly showed hers to Rosie. ‘Look. There’s a nisse-brownie. See?’

  Rosie put her face as close to the bowl as possible. ‘Pus,’ she said, pointing at a tiny cat next to the nisse-brownie.

  ‘You’re right. That is a kitty. Good girl,’ Holly said.

  Rosie clapped her hands.

  The rest of them came back with serving bowls of what looked like cream and small mugs filled with red sauce.

  ‘It’s cherry sauce,’ Jack said, reading her mind.

  ‘That’s a relief. I love cherries.’

  Jack nodded. ‘I know. But there is also raspberry coulis for those who prefer that.’

  Rosie pointed at one of the serving bowls and started jumping i
n Holly’s lap. Holly looked at Jack. ‘You better give her something before she implodes.’

  ‘Chill, Rosie.’ Jack put a spoonful of the dessert in a bright red plastic bowl and handed it to her.

  Rosie took it with both hands and put as much of the bowl as possible in her mouth.

  Holly looked at the dessert. ‘What is this?’

  ‘Rice cream. It’s made of the same type of porridge we had yesterday, but mixed with whipped cream and more vanilla,’ Tor said.

  ‘You can get a nut,’ Anja said, using her spoon to chop at the cream in her bowl. ‘I found it last year,’ she said.

  ‘There’s a blanched almond in there somewhere, and if you find it, you get a prize,’ Tor said.

  Holly emptied the bowl, with no sign of an almond. Tor shook his head when she looked at him. ‘Me neither.’

  Ole suddenly jumped up from his chair, holding the little almond in his hand. ‘Mamma!’ he yelled.

  Sigrid took his hand and talked quietly to him. Ole sat, holding the almond as if it was a precious gift, for a moment forgetting the presents under the tree.

  Jens stood and came back with a little present for him.

  ‘Here you go, Ole. I hope you share it with your sister. She shared it with you last year, you know.’

  Tor translated for Holly while Ole opened the package and held up his prize: a big marzipan pig.

  ‘What happens if you don’t like marzipan?’ Holly whispered to Tor.

  ‘I don’t think anyone has ever not liked marzipan,’ he said. ‘It’s the most Christmassy sweet there is. Norwegians eat about forty million pieces of marzipan during the season, and there’s only a little over five million of us. And then there’s Easter.’

  Holly laughed. ‘Let me guess. More marzipan?’

  ‘Yes, except it’s yellow instead of green or red,’ Tor said.

  They were interrupted again by Frikk barking. This time he sped out of the dining room, annoying Frøy who jumped up in the nearest chair.

  Tor leaned towards Holly. ‘Look at the kids,’ he said.

  Ole and Anja stared at each other, wide eyed and excited.

  Olav went to open the door. They could hear voices, and then he came back, smiled at the kids and said something in Norwegian. The two stood from their chairs and walked over to their father.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Holly asked.

  Jack winked at her, and stood with Rosie on his arm.

  ‘Ho, ho, ho,’ a happy voice said.

  Holly had to stop herself from laughing when the new guest came into the lounge. His face was covered by the world’s most fake white beard, topped with a red Santa hat askew on his head. He was wearing large boots and overalls that looked much like the one Tor wore in his boat. A long, red coat completed the outfit. He dumped a huge burlap sack on the floor, clearly filled with presents.

  ‘Ho, ho, ho,’ he said again, followed by something else.

  Ole and Anja nodded and answered him.

  Tor whispered in Holly’s ear. ‘He says, “are there any good children in the house?” And they tell him they have been so good all year.’

  ‘This is Santa Claus?’ Holly said, not sure what to make of it.

  ‘This is Julenissen. He’s one of Norway’s old traditions; not Viking old, but old.’

  ‘Okay. What’s going on now?’

  ‘He’s asked the kids to be his helpers while he hands out the gifts. See, he has the big bag with him.’

  Holly watched as Julenissen, otherwise known as Jens, took out one of the presents, read the label on it, and then handed it over to one of the kids.

  Anja came running over to her. ‘For you, from Alma and Jens,’ she said, before running back.

  Holly was delighted when she opened the package to find a bright pink bobble hat. ‘This is fun. Do you have an Easter Nissen too?’ She pulled the hat over her ears, and was granted a huge smile from the Julenissen.

  ‘Nope, that’s all bunnies and chickens, I believe,’ Tor said.

  Holly could see Jens was enjoying himself as much as the kids. Rosie was curious about him, but cautious. She was standing at a safe distance, holding on to Petters’s knee. When Jens read her name on a package, she looked at Jack who nodded. ‘Go on, Rosie, get your gift.’

  Rosie shook her head. ‘No.’

  Ole took the gift and gave it to her. ‘For Rosie,’ he said.

  Jack had to help her. He took off the ribbons and showed her how to open it.

  Holly had a lump in her throat. They were so adorable. She could see Ninni thinking the same. She had sat next to her father and was taking pictures of the two.

  Good, I can send Dad some of her pictures too, Holly thought.

  Rosie ripped off the paper and held up a fluffy sheep, her little face beaming at Jack.

  ‘Is that your sheep?’ Tor asked.

  ‘Yes. I think she likes it.’

  Holly didn’t remember all the details. It took a good hour before there were no more presents left. The lounge was filled with wrapping paper and the kids were mental with happiness.

  She had a few gifts herself after a while, and so did Tor, much to his surprise.

  After the excitement, everyone had to wave off Julenissen, although they were told they couldn’t go outside. The reindeer were wary of strangers and only Julenissen could handle them.

  Afterwards there was coffee and more cake, and everyone had to have a taste of Jack's eggnog.

  By the time Holly followed Tor into his house later that night, she was exhausted. They both were, and ended up falling asleep in Tor's bed with Frøy curled up on top of the duvet.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Holly was woken up by Frøy jumping up and tapping her lightly with his paw. She looked at him. ‘What are you doing?’

  The cat blinked at her. Holly smooched him and laughed when he wriggled away. ‘That’s what happens when you wake someone up too early. Remind me never to drink aquavit and eggnog ever again in my entire life, especially not with beer.’

  Her head felt as if it was a size too small. The wine bottle she and Tor had shared when they returned to the house had not been a good idea. Not at all. She looked at the nightstand and smiled. The troll figurine Tor had given her had a manic toothy smile and she loved it. The troll book, too. Although right now, she felt more like a troll herself.

  ‘Where’s your butler?’

  Frøy turned his head and looked at the door just as Tor came in, carrying a tray.

  ‘I’m right here. I have the perfect hangover cure for us,’ Tor said and put the tray on the nightstand.

  She couldn’t see what was on it as he had covered it with a lid or something, but it was food. She hoped he didn’t expect her to actually eat anything right now.

  Holly tried to sit up, but her head pounded. ‘Oh, my god, I’m going to die,’ she muttered.

  ‘Move over,’ he said, and sat on the bed.

  The smell of hot food wasn’t that awful. ‘What did you do?’

  He handed her a bottle of water. ‘Drink this first. It’s carbonated mineral water. I’ve already had one bottle. You need fluids.’

  Holly opened the bottle and took a sip first. It was ice cold and despite the slightly salty flavour, she drank half the bottle. ‘That was lovely. Thank you.’

  ‘Try to sit up again. You need to eat something.’

  ‘Not sure I can keep anything down. I thought aquavit meant water of life, not death,’ Holly said.

  ‘Yeah, I’m not so sure about that one myself.’

  Tor arranged the pillows behind them and she sat up, grumbling as she did so. ‘This better be the best hangover cure of all time,’ she said.

  ‘Oh, it is. This is the food of my people,’ he said, grinning at her.

  ‘God, no more weird Viking food. I can’t handle it,’ Holly said, her stomach threatening a full revolt.

  ‘No, this is a modern invention.’ He took the lid of the tray and handed her a plate. ‘I apologise for the top
pings. You can pick off the pineapple. The rest is cheese and bacon.’

  Holly stared at the slice of pizza he had put on the plate. It looked like the ones she bought at the supermarket. ‘You have pineapple on pizza?’

  ‘Yes, I know most people hate that, but it’s my favourite. It doesn’t really come like that. I always add it before cooking it, and I forgot this morning.’

  Holly took a huge bite and closed her eyes. ‘I love Hawaiian pizza. And you put bacon on it. God, this is so good.’

  He laughed. ‘There’s more, but you might want to be careful. We can eat the rest later.’

  ‘I also love cold pizza,’ Holly said before kissing him and stealing his pizza slice.

  ‘Hey, not fair. I’m hungry too.’ Tor reached out to take it back.

  Holly tried to cram it all into her mouth, but failed because she was laughing so hard. Tor took the slice back and finished it in seconds.

  ‘That’s so rude,’ she said.

  ‘That’s my name,’ he said, and pulled her under the covers. ‘How’s your head now?’

  ‘Slightly better. How’s yours?’

  ‘I probably have a higher tolerance for aquavit and beer and wine, also I’m bigger than you.’

  Holly snuggled into him. ‘I need that nap so badly.’

  Tor enfolded her in his arms. The room was cold and calm, and she closed her eyes.

  When they woke up a few hours later, there was a text on Holly’s mobile phone.

  She read it while Tor was downstairs in the bathroom.

  It was short, and she didn’t know if she should be happy or sad.

  Tor saw the indecision on her face when she came downstairs, dressed in his sweatshirt again.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘They want me back at the hospital in two days,’ she said, leaning against the door-frame.

  Tor folded his arms across his chest. ‘Oh. So soon?’

  ‘Yes, I’ll have to leave sometime day after tomorrow. If I can even manage to change my flight,’ she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

  ‘That’s good, isn’t it?’ He didn’t look like he thought it was good.

  Holly nodded. ‘It should be, but I was just getting used to the idea of staying here until New Year’s Eve. With you.’