Christmas Island

by Natalie Normann

  She was sitting at the aft, petting Frøy who somehow seemed to understand how she felt. He kept putting his nose to her face and even ignored the two buckets of crab standing next to Holly’s feet.

  ‘Holly? You need to see this,’ Tor said over his shoulder.

  She stood and came over to him. Frøy followed close by.

  ‘Oh,’ Holly said.

  On the beach there were torches along the water’s edge, and what looked like two huge fire pits about a hundred metres from the small boathouses. She could see people already there, kids running around with lights in their hands, and somewhere, someone was playing a flute.

  ‘This must be why Jack wanted us to use the boat,’ Tor said, laughing. ‘He wanted you to see it from the sea.’

  ‘It’s beautiful. Do they always do this?’ Holly looked at him.

  ‘I have no idea,’ he said, smiling at her. ‘It’s in your honour, isn’t it?’

  Holly couldn’t help laughing at him. ‘You are so funny,’ she said.

  ‘I’m really not. I couldn’t tell a joke if my life depended on it,’ he said.

  ‘Believe me, you’re funny. Even if it is by accident.’

  Holly admired the lights. It gave the beach a magical atmosphere and she loved it.

  ‘Look, there’s Jack at the fire pits. I can’t believe he’s cooking outside.’ Holly was delighted, but then she remembered something. ‘What happens if it starts raining or snowing or another storm hits?’

  Tor looked up. ‘I think it will be nice tonight,’ he said.

  Holly wasn’t convinced. ‘It’s bloody cold, and please don’t tell me the not-rhyming poem about clothes again.’

  ‘It’s December, so of course it’s cold, but the sky is clear, there’s not even a hint of snow, and look, you can see the stars.’ Tor sounded almost giddy.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Holly was concerned.

  Tor frowned. ‘Uhm, yes,’ he said, sounding a bit unsure.

  ‘I’m sorry, it’s just that you sounded so different there for a moment. Almost happy,’ she said.

  Tor smiled. ‘Since you ask, I am happy.’

  ‘Even if I’m leaving tomorrow?’

  ‘Yes, I have decided to live in the moment and not ruin this night. All your fault, by the way.’

  Holly put her hands around his waist. ‘Damn right it’s my fault.’

  He chuckled and bent down to kiss her, quickly, since they were almost by the boathouses now.

  As soon as Tor had moored the boat, he jumped down on the little wooden pier and held his hand out for her.

  Holly grabbed hold and let him pull her up, putting a foot on the gunwale and shrieking when she slipped. For one horrible moment she thought she would fall into the water.

  Tor didn’t let go of her hand and she soon found her footing. He pulled her up to stand next to him.

  ‘Bloody hell,’ Holly muttered.

  ‘Almost everything in Norway is slippery in the winter,’ he said. ‘You want to watch your step.’

  Holly looked down at her feet. ‘Then how can I enjoy the stars?’

  ‘Well, if you fall on your bum, you can look up, but then your back will be aching,’ he said and made her laugh.

  Holly waited while Tor picked up the buckets with crabs. ‘I hope someone has brought bread and butter,’ he said.

  ‘Knowing my brother, I think they have everything and then some. Need any help with those?’

  ‘No, they’re not heavy,’ Tor said. ‘And even if they were, I can’t trust you to carry one. You might fall on your face, crushing the crabs.’

  ‘Cheeky,’ Holly said, secretly happy she didn’t have to help. ‘Jack is down by the fire pit. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to see those.’

  ‘I’m keen to see what he will do with them, to be honest. He said he had an idea.’

  ‘He loves everything he can eat,’ Holly said, making Tor laugh.

  A little figure came running up from the fire pit, clearly heading for them. Behind her Jack tried to make a grab for her, but Rosie was too quick.

  ‘Fløy!’ she shrieked when she discovered Frøy who had jumped from the pier down on the beach.

  She lunged for him, and toppled both him and herself over. The cat jumped away and landed on all fours, but Rosie fell forward and began screaming.

  Jack ran, but Ninni was quicker. She scooped Rosie up and hugged her.

  The little girl stopped screaming when she realised her mother was holding her. She pointed. ‘Pus!’

  ‘Yes, sweetie, I know Frøy is a pussycat, but that’s not the way to say hi to him,’ Ninni said.

  Frøy seemed unfazed. He sat and looked up at Rosie and Ninni.

  Ninni sat as well, still holding Rosie. ‘Be gentle, remember.’

  Rosie stretched out a chubby hand and Frøy sniffed it gently. He also allowed the little girl to pet him on the head a few times. Then he walked away, following Tor and the crab buckets.

  ‘Weird cat,’ Ninni said.

  Rosie looked at her mother. ‘Fløy,’ she said.

  ‘Right. You want to go with Auntie Holly so I can help Alma with the food?’

  ‘Kay.’ Rosie held out her arms and Holly picked her up, putting her on her hip.

  ‘Let’s go see if there’s anything yummy, shall we?’ Holly said.

  The other islanders stood around the fire talking and laughing, and greeted her with hugs and more laughs. Rosie had a great time, clearly thinking it was for her benefit.

  Rosie seemed unfazed by the cold weather, but Holly made sure her bobble hat was safely on. ‘Are you cold, lovely?’

  ‘Oh, oh, oh,’ Rosie said, waving her hand.

  Holly turned around and discovered that someone had lit up a Christmas tree. ‘Oh, that’s so lovely. Look Rosie. There must be hundreds of lights on it.’

  ‘See!’ Rosie pointed at the tree, her eyes filled with awe.

  ‘Yes, it’s pretty, isn’t it?’ Holly took Rosie closer and discovered that Frøy found the tree equally fascinating.

  ‘Frøy, don’t climb the tree, please,’ she said.

  The cat ignored her and started cleaning his paw.

  ‘He better not pull it down,’ Britt said behind her.

  Rosie started jumping when she saw her, waving her hand, and Holly had to hold her tighter.

  ‘Hello, little weirdo.’ Britt planted a kiss on the baby’s cheek and made Rosie giggle.

  ‘Frøy is far too well behaved to climb Christmas trees,’ Tor said behind them. He smiled at Britt. ‘Hi, nice to see you again.’

  ‘Right back at you, Tor. I hear you’re leaving tomorrow, Holly.’ Britt turned to Holly. ‘I’m so sorry. I hope you’ll be back soon.’

  ‘I’ll certainly try,’ Holly said. ‘I never had a chance to see your brewery.’

  Britt looked at Tor. ‘Well, you were busy. We'll do that next time, then.’

  ‘Food is ready,’ Jack hollered.

  ‘Yes, that’s what I came to say.’ Tor tickled Rosie under her chin.

  Tobben appeared next to Britt and handed her a beer. ‘It’s what you wanted?’

  Britt nodded. ‘Thank you. Did you bring one for Holly too? And Tor?’

  ‘Ehm, no. I’ll go get it for you. Not for the little person, though. She’s not old enough,’ he said, bopping Rosie on her nose.

  Holly looked at Britt. ‘Did he just make a joke?’

  ‘Apparently so. He can surprise you sometimes. Come on, I’m starving and I think Jack has made a feast.’

  Tor put his arm around Holly’s waist. ‘I think your brother cooks like a mad scientist.’

  Holly grinned. ‘He gets that mad look in his face, doesn’t he?’

  Rosie talked and pointed, clearly enchanted with everything. When they came down to the fire pits, Holly put her down, but held on to the hood of her winter suit.

  Frikk showed up and licked Rosie in the face, making her push him away. ‘Nei, Flikk,’ she said.

  ‘Where’s Frøy?’ Holly l
ooked for the cat.

  Tor pointed to a folding chair close to the fire. ‘There. He’s watching the food. He looks like he thinks he’s the king,’ he said.

  ‘Yeah, but he is, you know.’

  She laughed and pulled Tor closer. The smell coming from the huge pan hanging over the fire made her hungry and Jack was busy filling plates and handing them out to people. His face lit up when he saw them.

  ‘The guest of honour. I have something amazing here for you, Holly. Grab a plate.’

  Someone handed her a plate and Holly took it. ‘What is it?’

  ‘Not sure you should know yet,’ Jack said, taking the plate from her. ‘This is just the appetizer.’

  When he handed the plate back to her, there was one crab on it, turned on its back and lacking the claws. It was filled with… stuff, and had melted, grated cheese on top. Holly frowned. ‘What’s in it?’

  ‘Crab meat. It’s one of Tor's crabs. They are so delicious,’ Jack said, handing Rosie a small plate with only crab meat.

  She slunk down on the ground and gave one mouthful to Frikk, who patiently stood beside her, and then took one mouthful for herself.

  ‘Why can’t I get what Rosie gets?’ Holly said, still not sure about the crab she was holding.

  ‘Because you’re not a baby?’ Jack said, handing out crabs to other people.

  ‘It smells unbelievable,’ Tor said, waiting patiently while Jack handed him one of the crabs.

  Holly used the fork he gave her to lift the cheese lid, and sniff. It smelled good, Tor was right about that.

  ‘For God’s sake, will you taste it?’ Jack frowned.

  ‘Don’t rush me. Why won’t you tell me what’s in it?’

  ‘Because you’re picky. All right then. There’s crab meat mixed with a splash of lemon, some wild garlic, double cream, and then parmesan on top.’

  Holly scooped some of it into her mouth, pulling a face that made Jack laugh. ‘You’re a hopeless case. Tor, what do you think?’

  ‘I can’t believe you managed to improve on the crab,’ Tor said, making sure the crab shell was cleaned out. ‘Is this the kind of food you’ll serve in the restaurant?’

  ‘Yes and loads more. Scallops are good here, and there’s all sorts of fish, and you should really taste the sea urchins,’ he said.

  Holly wrinkled her nose. ‘No, thank you. Where’s my pie? You promised me my Christmas turkey pie.’

  Tor looked intrigued. ‘Pie is good,’ he said.

  ‘Here.’ Jack took a foil wrapped package and exchanged it for her plate. ‘Share it with Tor, please.’

  Holly looked at Tor. ‘We’ll see,’ she said, holding the pie out of his reach.

  She opened the package and almost burned her nose sniffing at it. ‘Heavenly. I’ll be over there, enjoying it.’

  Someone had put down thick mats on the ground, and Holly plonked down on one of them, close to Jens and Alma. She could see Britt was talking to Olav a bit closer to the water.

  Tor found her quickly and sat beside her, stretching his long legs out in front of him. ‘Mad,’ he said, showing her his plate. ‘Look at this. How does he manage to cook like this over an open fire like that?’

  ‘No idea,’ Holly said, inspecting her pie. It was filled with things she liked, with left-over mash and left-over turkey, creamy sauce and leeks, all covered with a buttery crust. ‘You want to taste this, Tor? Jack always makes this for us every Christmas.’

  She broke off piece and handed it to him. Tor took a large bite. ‘It’s good, right?’

  ‘Delicious. I’ve never had anything like it.’ Tor looked at the plate he had. ‘I’m not sure what this is, but it smells delicious.’

  He tasted it and a slow grin appeared on his face. ‘There’s chanterelles in this and meat, I actually think he’s used left-over pinnekjøtt from Christmas Eve.’

  Holly looked at the stew and shook her head when he offered the plate to her. ‘I want to enjoy my pie.’ She looked around. ‘It’s so beautiful here. Cold, but very beautiful.’

  Jens must have heard her, because he handed her a thick, woollen blanket. ‘We have more if you need it,’ he said.

  Holly pulled it over her lap, and made sure Tor was covered too. ‘This is better,’ she said.

  On the beach, the music played up again, this time with a flute and violin. It was light and slow. ‘What are they playing?’

  Tor listened, then smiled. ‘Christmas songs. You probably won’t know the words but it’s nice though, isn’t it?’

  She nodded. ‘Yes, very much. A bit sad, maybe.’

  ‘I think that’s the violin’s fault,’ he said, smiling at her. ‘Are you still cold?’

  ‘No, I’m fine.’ Holly lowered her voice. ‘I was just wondering how long it’s going to last.’

  ‘Until everyone gets too cold, I’m guessing,’ he said.

  Holly leaned her head against his shoulder. It felt so good sitting like this, not worrying about anything.

  The music changed its tune, and she could see Ninni dancing with Rosie on her arm. Jack came over to them and kissed her, getting a pat from Rosie on his face.

  ‘He’s settled in here so well,’ she said. ‘As if he’s been here all the time.’

  Tor put down his plate and took her hand. ‘He’s happy,’ he said. ‘They both are.’

  ‘They’re lucky,’ Holly said, feeling a bit sad.

  ‘I know,’ Tor said.

  The music changed again, and Tor stood, pulling her up with him. ‘Come.’

  Holly followed, still holding his hand. She soon discovered who the musicians were. Sigrid and Olav played together, their children dancing in front of them, Ole with a hotdog in his hand.

  Tor looked her. ‘Would you care to dance?’ he said, trying to sound posh.

  Holly laughed and curtsied for him. ‘Thank you, my lord.’

  He pulled her gently towards him and they swayed to the music. When the tune changed, the dancing changed. Tor twirled her around, grabbing her just before she almost slipped on one of the rocks on the beach.

  She caught a glimpse of Britt and Tobben, dancing tightly together. They looked like they were having fun.

  Holly held on to Tor. ‘Don’t let me fall,’ she said.

  ‘I won’t,’ he said in her ear.

  At some point, Ninni came over to say goodnight.

  ‘It’s Rosie’s bedtime, I’m afraid. Jack’s staying a bit longer though, to make sure the fire is out.’

  Holly gave Rosie a kiss, but she was half asleep on Ninni's shoulder.

  ‘Did you have fun?’ Ninni asked. ‘I hope you’ll come back soon. Next time I promise we’ll be here the whole time.’

  ‘I’ll hold you to that. I’ve had a wonderful time. It’s such a special place,’ Holly said.

  Ninni smiled at Tor. ‘I hope we see more of you, too.’

  Tor nodded. ‘I’ll be here for a while longer,’ he said.

  The house was rented until well into January, but he didn’t say that. It would be strange without Holly now. He probably couldn’t go back to being a hermit again.

  When Ninni left, it seemed to be the end of the party. The other families went home right after, all of them making sure they said goodbye and wished her a safe journey home.

  Jens and Alma hugged Holly, then him, before leaving.

  ‘I think it’s cold now,’ Holly said.

  ‘We better see if Jack need any help with the firepits,’ Tor said.

  Jack, it turned out, had everything under control.

  ‘You going back?’ he asked.

  Tor nodded. ‘Yes. We have to get up early tomorrow, as you know.’

  Jack smiled. ‘It’s a surprisingly long trip to London from here. Come for dinner before you leave, too, Tor. The door is always open, you know.’

  ‘Thank you. I appreciate that.’

  He stepped back and let Holly say goodbye. She would be up early the next morning to catch her flight to Oslo, so this was the last time s
he would see her brother before she left.

  ‘Do you want me to let Danny and Dad know you’re coming?’ Jack said.

  ‘No, I’ll call them from the airport in Oslo. I’m flying into London so late anyway, I’m just going straight home from the airport. I’ll see them over New Year’s,’ Holly said.

  Jack hugged her and made her laugh when he swung her around.

  ‘I’m sorry we didn’t get much time together while you were here,’ she said.

  ‘You were busy,’ he said, grinning at Tor.

  ‘And you weren’t here when I arrived.’ Holly kissed him on the cheek.

  Tor looked at the fire pit. He could still see embers in the ashes. ‘Do you have to stay here long?’

  ‘Nah, I’m just about to pour seawater over it and pack my stuff,’ Jack said. ‘Most of it I’ll leave here, like the pan and the table, and come back for it tomorrow.’

  Holly took Tor's hand. ‘He’ll be fine, I swear.’

  ‘She’s right. I’ll be fine. I love this,’ Jack said, smiling at them.

  Tor helped Holly on board the boat and discovered Frøy was taking a nap on the cushions in the aft. ‘Clever you,’ he said.

  Jack was almost a shadow on the beach as the torches were out now as well.

  Holly shook her head. ‘Look at him. We’ll never get him back to London again.’

  ‘Did you think you could?’ Tor started the boat, turned on the lanterns, and they headed for the pier by his house.

  ‘I haven’t really thought about it. I guess I just assumed he would at some point.’

  Holly turned to Tor. ‘But he’s here to stay now. I wish I could stay longer, too. With you.’

  Tor pulled her closer to him. ‘I wish the same.’

  The hours went too fast, Holly thought when they walked through the glass doors at the little airport. Neither had slept much, and it was still dark outside when they headed out from Tor’s house.

  Tor pulled her suitcase for her, all the way from the marina where he’d docked his boat not too far from the airport. The boat had brought them there faster than the ferry and the airport bus would have.