by Zara Zenia
“I would like to get started,” Mary said, her voice so soft we almost didn’t hear her over the register.
“Me too,” I commented when her words registered. “That’s what I was getting ready to do when you came to the door, Mary.” I smiled. “But you’re right, we needed to get the shopping out of the way.”
She smiled back.
I handed the girl my card again and signed, then waited for the other two to finish. “Thank you so much,” I said with a little wave at the girl.
“Hauskaa päivän jatkoa. Aja varovasti.” She smiled and waved back.
“What did she say?” Dee asked.
“I think it was ‘have a nice day. Drive safe,’ if I translated correctly,” I replied as we put the bags in the back.
Three hours later, I had put away my groceries, taken a shower, and dressed in a pair of jeans and a fuzzy blue sweater. I pulled on a pair of knee high black boots, and then went back to the bathroom to deal with my hair. I never really knew what to do with it, so usually it ended up in a ponytail or a bun, just so that it was out of my way. I brushed it out and decided to go with my usual bun. I put on my glasses and then glanced at the time on my phone.
I’d told everyone to meet at the tavern a little before six, and now I was the one running late. Sighing, I went into the living room and rechecked the fire, then pet Smoochy. “You stay here, nice and warm, okay, Smooches? I’ll be back in a little while.”
Smoochy meowed and then went back to sleep.
Shaking my head, I picked up my notebook and pen from the desk, put on my coat and gloves, grabbed my purse and headed outside. The tavern was next door to the lodge, so I didn’t need to drive. “Dee!” I called, seeing her a few yards in front of me.
She turned and waved, and then stopped to wait. “Hi,” she said as I caught up. “I thought I was going to be the one running late.”
We walked swiftly to the tavern and when we pulled open the double doors we were blasted with a wave of heat that immediately felt wonderful after being out in the near zero temperatures. Everyone else was already there, including Oskar. He and Carl were already drinking, clinking glasses and grinning from ear to ear.
“I see you’ve started with out us, did we miss any stories?” I asked, biting my lip, half worried about Carl and half worried about missing something important.
“No, kultaseni, I was just sharing a good mug of mead with Carl and getting to know more about your group and America. I’ve never been.”
“To America?” I asked, surprised, though I didn’t know why. I’d never even left the States before, so it shouldn’t surprise me that someone from Finland had never been to the U.S.
He shook his head and grinned. “I love getting to know about new places. This Indiana sounds interesting. Carl was telling me all about it.”
“I see. Professor, have you eaten?” I asked cautiously, looking him over.
He smiled. “Just ordered. No need to worry that I’m over doing it on the mead, like I did on the plane. Sorry about that. I was just feeling a bit blue about Cheryl and the kids.”
I nodded. “I understand, sir.”
“Cheryl and the kids?” Oskar asked.
“My wife and kids, well, ex-wife. She moved the kids to Texas recently and I’ve been taking it a bit hard. It’s why I agreed to come on this trip actually. If I can’t spend Christmas with my kids, I might as well be in a different country, right?”
“And what better country is there than Finland?” Oskar said with cheer.
“Right you are, my friend!” Carl agreed and clinked his glass mug to Oskar’s. “Being here, I find myself in a really cheerful mood.”
I set my notebook and pen down and took off my jacket. I was just about to pull out my chair when suddenly there was a large hand pulling it back for me. I looked up into Oskar’s twinkling blue eyes and he smiled. “Th-thank you.”
“My pleasure, kultaseni.”
“You’ve called me that a couple times now, but I don’t recognize it, what does it mean?” I asked curiously.
He paused for a moment and then said cautiously, “Kultaseni. It can mean several different things. At this moment, when I say it, it means dear.”
I looked at him for a moment and I could have sworn there was something hidden in his eyes, but then they were back to their twinkling merriment and he grinned. I smiled back at him and sat down. He took the seat next to me and reached across the table and grabbed his mug of mead, taking a drink. He raised it in the air and suddenly a waiter appeared, setting down a new glass in front of him.
“What might I get you?” the waiter asked.
“Umm, can I try a small glass of the mead?” I asked. I wanted to taste it, but I wasn’t so sure I wanted to get drunk.
He nodded. “Of course. I’ll bring you both a menu,” he said, nodding to me and Dee. “What can I get you, Miss?”
“I’ll have some of that mead too, especially if it will warm me up.” She smiled.
“It is sure to do that, Miss.”
“And how is Mr. Smoochy this evening?” Oskar asked, looking at me.
I laughed. “Smoochy is feeling very content lying in front of the fire. I don’t think he’s moved from that fur rug since we got here, except to potty and nibble on his food for a minute.”
Oskar laughed a loud booming laugh that filled the room. His laugh was infectious and caused the atmosphere in the room to become even more jubilant. “The cat has got the right of it, doesn’t he? What could be better on a cold winter night than curling up in front of a crackling fire and watching the Revontulet?”
“Revontulet?” I asked, not recognizing the word.
“Well, it’s not a Christmas folklore story, but loosely translated, Revontulet means ‘Foxfire’.” He smiled, his eyes lighting up as everyone at our table waited to hear what else he had to say. “As legend has it, every night, an Arctic fox runs across the snow, sending up sparking crystals into the sky, creating the glow of the Revontulet, or as I believe you may know it, the Northern Lights. Different sparks of crystals create different shades in the sky. Giving us a wonderful show to enjoy each night of winter.”
“Wow,” I commented, thinking about the lovely story.
“There are other stories about the lights, but you aren’t here for those,” he said, gazing into my eyes. “I believe you mentioned Christmas folklore.”
I nodded as the waiter returned with my small cup of mead and a menu. “Thank you,” I said.
“I’ll give you a few minutes.”
“Taste your mead. It is a specialty here in Joulupukki.”
I lifted the glass and sniffed it. I could smell apples and honey and… maybe cinnamon and something else fruity. I looked over at him and asked, “There aren’t any strawberries in it, right? I’m allergic…”
“No, kultaseni, no strawberries. Though there are cranberries, please tell me you are not allergic to those?”
I shook my head and took a sip. It had a spicy, sweetish honey taste that warmed me right up and I smiled. “It’s good.” I took another swallow and began to relax.
“You’ll need a bigger glass then,” he said with a grin.
I laughed and said, “Let me finish this one first.”
“Oskar, how did Joulupukki get its name?” Carl asked from across the table as he cut into his salmon.
“Hmmm, well Joulupukki, comes from before Christian times. It traditionally means ‘Yule goat’ though I’ve also heard it translated as ‘Christmas goat’ but technically ‘Yule goat’ is a closer translation. It is said that in those days, at Yule, a man was transformed into a goat and performed for the gods and goddesses in the hopes that he would be granted their leftover foods to sustain the people through the winter.”
“But isn’t he conflated with Santa Claus?” Mike asked.
“He is. The man who is transformed, is generally depicted with a white beard, wearing red robes with a blue band and white fur. He walks with a stick and rides in a sle
igh pulled by reindeer.”
“So why name this village after the Joulupukki?”
Oskar shrugged. “Why not?”
“So there isn’t any particular reason this village is named Joulupukki?” I asked.
He smiled. “We like our traditions here in Finland. Much of our traditions revolve around Christmas, and why wouldn’t it? We’re a winter wonderland after all.”
I nodded and set my notebook down and picked up the menu again. I could see the waiter heading over to us again and I hadn’t decided what to get yet. I scanned it quickly and decided on what looked like salmon soup.
“Have you decided, Miss?”
“Yes, I’ll have the… lohikeitto… did I say that correctly?”
“More of a ‘kay’ sound than a ‘key’ sound,” the waiter answered with a smile, “but not bad.”
“And more mead here, and a full mug for the lady this time,” Oskar put in with a smile.
“Of course, sir. Your kalakukko will be right out also.”
Oskar nodded.
I glanced at the menu to see that kalakukko looked like some sort of rye bread with an inserted meat mix of some kind. I knew ‘kala’ could mean ‘fish’ so was this some sort of fish-bread casserole?
“You would call it fish pie.”
“That obvious that I was trying to figure out the translation?”
He laughed again, setting the entire room off into jubilant conversations. “Joo, had that look about you.” He reached for my hand and a flash of warmth shot through me at the connection.
I smiled. “So are you from here?” I asked.
“Joo. My family goes back as far as I can remember. I don’t think we’ve ever lived anywhere else on Earth. The climate here suits us Halfardssons.”
“You like the Arctic weather?” I said arching a brow.
His laughter was once again full of joy. “I do. Finland is a magical place.”
“Hmm. Well, I must admit, it is charming. Winter has always been my favorite season. Though I’ve never been anywhere quite so cold.”
“It does not get this cold in Indiana?”
I laughed. “No, we get cold temperatures, but it’s rarely below zero. I think the coldest it usually gets is somewhere around twenty degrees Fahrenheit.”
“That’s a veritable heatwave here,” he said with another booming laugh.
“You would probably melt in our summers then,” I said laughing too. “We average at about eighty-six degrees.”
He nodded, a twinkle in his eyes. “I would be a pool of melted flesh upon your floor.”
The evening continued with much laughter and after dinner, Oskar led us in a round of Finnish Christmas songs while the waiter kept our mugs of mead filled. I found myself halfway back to my cabin glad that I hadn’t driven over there.
“Smoocheeeee, I’m back. Did you miss me, baby?”
Smoochy got up, stretched and then came over to me, hopping up into my arms.
I pushed my face into his fur and hugged him. I pulled back and smiled. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had so much fun. I plopped down on the couch and sighed. I sat there contentedly for a few moments and then it dawned on me.
Oskar had only shared one real folklore story and on top of that, I’d managed to leave my notebook at the tavern.
Chapter Four
Oskar
With a grin, I got the dogs out of the heated kennel and hooked them up to the sled. I shook the reins and the dogs took off, heading back home. We entered the Pyhä Luosto National Park and I directed the dogs over the front side of Luosto Fell to the hidden cavern we used as an entrance on the back side of the Fell. I pushed a button on the sled and the entrance shimmered and opened. The dogs continued into the cavern. The ground in the entrance area was frozen ice. We continued deeper into the Fell, moving down to a flat area where the dogs came to a stop.
I stepped off the sleigh and unhooked the dogs, giving each of them a pat. “Good job, boys,” I said, putting the sleigh and harnesses away.
The dogs hurried to the water trough and got drinks and then took off ahead of me down the path to where we made our homes. Using technology from our home planet, we’d created a huge underground village with greenhouses and bright colorful lights in every shade. We had fir trees and grass, and colorfully built homes. There were walkways and what I supposed could be termed roads, where Reilendeer used skateboards and bikes from the Human world.
The dogs were already in my yard playing when I reached it. I went to my shed and pulled out the bag of dog food and filled up their bowls.
Down here, hidden from the Human world, most of us Reilendeer chose to be in our natural form, which was Humanoid, but our legs were those of a deer and our feet hooves. Our ears were also those of deer and we had antlers of varying sizes. I tended to keep mine short, it just made it easier to get in and out of my house. My father though, his antlers had eighteen points at minimum, though around his birthday he always grew a few more. He though, never went out among the Humans. Being so old, he could no longer get his magic to hold a Human form.
We’d been here on Earth since before I was born. I could barely remember my mother, she, like most of the women of our race, had died. There were very few left, and those that were, were over four hundred years old. In fact there weren’t that many of us Reilendeer left at all. There were less than two hundred of us left in our colony. And I was the only heir to the throne, as both of my brothers had been killed by Humans while in their reindeer forms before I’d been born.
I decided to go and speak to my father. I wanted to tell him about the visiting Americans. I thought it was the perfect time for more of the Reilendeer to come up to the surface and feed on the good cheer and happiness that they exuded.
I made my way over to the council building where I knew my father would be. I headed in, smiling at the few people I ran into. I found my father sitting with his advisors at a large table in the council room.
“Oskar, come in, what news do you bring us?” my father asked.
“Hello, Father, everyone.” I gave them all a nod. “There are American’s visiting Joulupukki. They will be here for the next six weeks. They are a fun group, academics. They could use some Christmas cheer, and I think it would be a good time for us to feed well upon the joy we can bring them with our presence.”
My father frowned. “More of us mixing with the Humans, Oskar? I fear that could be a dangerous adventure, you know what happened to your brothers—”
“Father, with all do respect, my brothers were killed in reindeer form and it was over two hundred years ago! Humans, like all species, have evolved.”
“Not enough, I watch what they call news upon those black boxes of theirs. I may not be able to go out into the Human world anymore, but that doesn’t mean I am not informed, my son.”
I sighed. “Father, these people aren’t here for hunting. They aren’t looking to harm anyone or anything. They are academics. They are here to research Christmas folklore. They are staying at the resort. And… several of them are female. I have already felt a connection with one… it is possible that she could be my mate. It is also possible that others could find their ma—”
“It’s too dangerous, Oskar! Have you not watched what they do to those who are different?”
“Those are merely entertainment, Father, movies! If you and the others would come topside, you’d see! And if we don’t try again to connect with the Humans, we’re going to die out as a species anyway!”
“There is always a chance we could go back to our planet—”
“Really? We’ve had no contact with our planet for a millennia! You ran from the planet because of the war, for all we know, our planet was destroyed! Earth is our home now, Father. You chose it because we could blend in with the reindeer herds. We’ve built all of this—” I threw my arms wide, indicating our village. “And for what? So we can die out? No!” I slammed my hands down on the table. “We need to at least try!”
My father looked at him and then to Esteri, the oldest living female Reilendeer at five hundred forty-three. “What do you think, Esteri?”
She looked thoughtful. “Halfard, if our species is to continue on, the young one is correct. We have no way back to our home planet, and even if we did, we have no idea if it’s even there. Earth is our home now. Humans are a fairly young species, but if we are to survive, to see more Reilendeer born, we must try again to connect with them. Oskar and some of the others have been out into the Human world, they’ve learned as the Humans learn. They’ve brought us Human inventions. Our technology may still be more advanced than theirs, but they are still a very creative species. Given time they will catch up and possibly surpass us. We can only hope that they continue to evolve and become a more caring species.” She looked at me and smiled. “Are these Humans trustworthy, Oskar? Can you with your whole heart say that they will not harm us?”
I frowned. “Honestly, I don’t know. I would like to say yes, but, I cannot make any guarantees. I think we should be cautious and hold our Human forms while in their presence. And should a connection build between one of us and a potential mate, then we reveal ourselves to that one Human. It is in our best interest for the time being to remain hidden. There are still those Humans who wish to exploit things they don’t understand.”
My father nodded. “Then, with my advisors agreement, we will allow you and the others who have mixed with the people in Joulupukki to introduce more of us to the Human world.” He still looked worried, but I was glad he was going to allow this. “Having more people around is good for our kingdom to feed more fully upon joy and cheer. Though please, my son, caution those who go up to hold their Human form at all times while in the presence of the Humans.”