by Zara Zenia
“So what’s the deal, Janice? I thought you were here to research Santa Claus, not drool after hulking Finnish guys,” Mike sneered.
“Screw off, Mike. I’m here doing research for my dissertation, why are you even here? You aren’t interested in any of this, so why are you really here? Hmmm?” I put my hands on my hips.
“Maybe it’s the company I was after?” He shrugged. “I mean, we’re ideally matched, Janice.”
I rolled my eyes. “No. We definitely are not.”
“Why not? Name one reason why you won’t go out with me?” he challenged.
“How about several? Number one being Erin. Number two, you’re a sleaze. Number three, you make my skin crawl. Number four, you stick your nose in my business constantly and it drives me crazy.”
“So I drive you crazy?” He grinned.
“Oh my God. Is that all you heard of what I said?” I shook my head, dropped back down into my seat, and pulled the book I was taking notes on back toward me.
“One of these days, Janice, you and I are going to be doing the mattress mambo, guaranteed.”
“Only in your dreams,” I muttered.
“We’ll see.” He smirked. “I’m going over to the grocery, I’m hungry. Anyone want anything?” he asked.
“Bring me back some crackers,” Dee replied.
“Okay,” he said with a nod and took off through the door to the library.
“He’s not wrong you know.”
I looked over at Dee and my eyes grew wide. “What? You think Mike and I are ideally suited?”
Dee burst out laughing. “No! I meant he was right about you drooling over Oskar!”
I let out a breath of relief. “Oh. Yes, well, I can look all I want, can’t I? I’m single. Doesn’t mean I’m going to jump the man’s bones the minute ya’ll’s backs are turned.”
“I don’t see why not. He clearly wouldn’t mind having you in his bed, either. Why else would he stop in here every day?”
I frowned. “For the books? I mean it is a library.”
“Right. He’s here for the books, what was I thinking?” Dee laughed.
I rolled my eyes and got back to work.
Later, after dropping everyone off, I headed over to the restaurant and ordered dinner to take back to the cabin. I’d seen Oskar and some other Finnish men who had similar looks to him going into the tavern, which was why I was once again ordering from the restaurant. I waited a few minutes for my order and then headed back to my cabin.
I pushed the door open, set my bag of food on the table in the kitchen area and called, “Smoochy, I’m back! Where are you, sweetie?” I started to take my coat off and then stepped in a puddle of vomit. My eyes widened and I looked down to see several puddles around the room and then noticed Smoochy listless on the floor by the fire. “Oh no! Smoochy, what’s wrong, baby?”
I hurried over and picked him up and he wasn’t as affectionate as normal, he just wheezed and remained slightly limp in my arms.
“Oh my God, Smoochy! Okay, hang on sweetheart, we’ll go get Oskar, he’ll know what to do!”
Chapter Eight
Oskar
“Miss, you can’t bring your animal in here—”
“Where’s Oskar? I need him! Smoochy is sick!”
I spun around in my seat, hearing Janice’s panicked voice. I pushed out of my chair and strode over to her. “What’s wrong, kultaseni?” I asked looking at her huddling her cat to her chest.
“It’s Smoochy, I came home to see several puddles of vomit and he’s wheezing and not acting at all like himself!” She had tears spilling from her pretty blue eyes and I knew I had to help her.
“Come, we’ll take him to my clinic, you drive, I’ll hold Smoochy.”
She nodded and handed him to me and then ran back outside and down the path to her vehicle. I followed behind her quickly and climbed in the passenger seat next to her. She was pulling out of the parking lot before I even got the seatbelt on. We were in front of my clinic within minutes. I handed Smoochy back to her and unlocked the door, then let her in before me. I turned on the lights and took her back to one of the exam rooms.
“What’s wrong with him?” she asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t know yet,” I pulled out a stethoscope, “let me listen to him.” I gave him a thorough examination. “Okay, so his eyes are a little red and watery, and he’s lethargic, more than a cat should be. I think it’s probably a bacterial infection, but I’m going to take a little blood and run some tests just to be sure.”
“Okay, just make him better,” Janice agreed, nodding as she stroked Smoochy’s fur.
I left the room and got the stuff I needed to draw some blood. I made quick work of it, and Smoochy didn’t even flinch as I drew the blood. “I have to go run it now, it will be a little bit, but while it’s working, I’m going to put in an IV and give him some fluids.”
Janice nodded again, still stroking his fur. “Whatever he needs.”
I hurried to get everything going, most of my patients were reindeer and other larger animals, like my dogs, but occasionally I had pets come in like Smoochy, so I did keep a few supplies on hand for them as well. While I was in the backroom, I let myself relax some and I dropped the magic I used to hold my more Human appearance. It was hard holding it for such long periods of time and I usually took a few minutes during the day to drop it here in the clinic.
I heard Janice’s shoes squeaking on the floor and quickly pulled the illusion back over me just as she entered the room. “Is Smoochy doing alright, kultaseni?” I asked.
“I don’t know, he’s closed his eyes and he’s not moving, his breathing is really shallow, Oskar, I’m so worried.”
I set the IV I was preparing down and moved to her. “Janice, I promise you, he’s going to be okay. Now, let’s get him these fluids and then I’ll check the blood to see exactly what we’re dealing with.”
“Okay,” she agreed as I herded her back to the exam room.
I set up the small IV and got it working on Smoochy. After a minute or two, he let out a pitiful meow. “Poor little guy. We’ll get you all fixed up, promise.” I looked at Janice and smiled. “I’m going to go grab the blood and check out the results, okay? I’ll be right back.”
She nodded.
I headed back to the lab and looked at the results of the blood test. It was as I suspected, a Staph infection. Moving to my locked cabinet where I kept all the medications, I opened it and grabbed the appropriate antibiotics, before walking back to the exam room. “Here we go. It’s a Staph infection. Pretty common in cats.” I handed her the antibiotics. “I’ll give him a dose here, once the IV is finished and then you can give it to him every twelve hours, okay?”
“Okay, how do I get him to take it?”
“It’s a liquid, so just use this syringe. I’ll show you how to get it in him. He may not want to eat much over the next few days, especially if he’s on a hard food diet, so you might tempt him with a little bit of fish.”
“He gets a mix of hard and soft food, but I bet he’d love some fresh cooked fish,” she said with a smile. “I’ll get him some from the restaurant.”
“Or the tavern, the cook there is better.” I grinned. “Though, I’m biased.”
She laughed. “You are friends with the cook, aren’t you?”
I nodded. “I am.” I loved her laugh and wished I could make her laugh again. “Jakob is a good man.”
“You say that about everybody,” she said, laughing again.
I shrugged and felt a little thrill of excitement in my heart at her laugh again. “Well, we Finns are the friendliest people.” I disconnected the IV from Smoochy and then gave him a round of the antibiotics.
She smiled gently at her cat, stroking his fur. “Thank you for taking such good care of him.”
“You are very welcome, kultaseni.”
She picked Smoochy up and cradled him. I cleaned up the exam room and then turned off the lights. We headed outside an
d I locked up the clinic, and then took him from her arms and climbed into her vehicle. She drove us back to the resort and parked in front of her cabin.
“Thank you again, Oskar. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost him. He’s my only family.”
“It was my pleasure to help, Kultaseni.” I got out and carried Smoochy to her door. She opened the cabin and we went inside. I noticed the vomit and the fact that the fire had dwindled down to embers. “Why don’t I help you get him settled and then help clean up and restoke the fire for you?”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that—”
“But I want to,” I assured her. “And it looks as if you’ve left your dinner to get cold too.” I smiled at her. “Where do you want him?”
She looked around the room, and then toward the bedroom. “Ah… let’s bring him in to his bed, I’ll set it up by my pillows, so he can be close to me.”
I followed her into the bedroom and noticed that fire in here had also dwindled down to embers and there was a distinct chill in the air. She picked his cushioned cat bed up from the floor and set it up next to her pillow. I set Smoochy in his bed and he turned around once and sank down, curling his fluffy tail around himself. He let out another meow, this one sounded better, more content.
“Now, how about I fix up your fires, while you warm up your food, and then while you eat, I’ll get the cat messes cleaned up.” I smiled.
“Oh but that’s not fair—” she argued.
“I’ve already eaten, and you’ve had a busy day researching. I’ll take care of all of this, now go, doctor’s orders.”
She laughed. “Fine, far be it for me to argue with a doctor.”
“That’s right,” I said, shooing her out of the room.
I moved to the fireplace, and removed the screen, and then put in a couple of logs and some of the smaller kindling to get it going again. As soon as it was once more roaring and crackling, I returned the screen and headed into the living room to do the same to it. I’d just finished with it when she pulled her food from the microwave and came back into the livingroom with it. She set it on the table and got comfortable on the couch and then began to eat as I went into the kitchen and got out a large bowl, as well as the cleaning supplies from under the sink. I meticulously scrubbed up each puddle and was glad the carpet was stain resistant. I cleaned out the bowl, rinsed out the rag and put the supplies away.
“Okay, I think that should do it,” I said. “Where do you put your dirty laundry to be washed?”
She blushed. “Oh, just leave it in the sink and I’ll take care of it.” She set her bowl back down on the table and stood up. “Oskar, I don’t know how to thank you. You’ve not only taken care of Smoochy tonight, you took care of me too.”
I moved toward her and took her hands, thrilling in the way she squeezed my fingers and made my heart sing. “It was my pleasure, kultaseni.” I leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “I should go.”
“No— I… I mean wait,” she blushed hard, “stay for a little bit?”
I cocked my head to the side. “You wish me to stay for a little while?”
She nodded and drew me over to the couch, sitting, she pulled me down next to her. “You said… that first day we met… you said that you had many Christmas stories, that you knew the folklore around here… but you didn’t really share it with us…”
I smiled. “Oh. I suppose I was just so happy to have new people to get to know, I was more interested in hearing about you all than talking about the folklore.”
“Will you tell me some now?”
I hesitated for a second and then nodded. “Have you heard of the Tonttu?”
“Hmm, is that the Christmas elf? I haven’t really gotten to look into them yet.”
I smiled, I liked the fact that she was interested in Finnish folklore. “Joo. The Tonttu, are similar to the Christmas elves in different Christmas fables. They are small, like children. Normally they dress in red coats and pants and can usually be seen in the weeks before Christmas. They wear pointed hats with sleigh bells at the tip, but you rarely hear them, let alone see them. If you decide to look for them, there are three places they are known to hide. The most common places to find them are in the saunas. Their second favorite place is the stables, but sometimes you can find them in your house, assuming you have children, though you may not realize they are there.”
“Why the saunas? I get the stables, being there are animals there and it’s closer to nature, and even houses with children makes sense, but saunas?”
I grinned. “Well, you are aware that the sauna is very much part of Finnish Christmas traditions, joo?”
She nodded.
“I believe the Tonttu like it because it’s so warm, and it’s a place for gathering and a place for adults to talk without the children being there. The Tonttu like to listen for reports of children’s behavior. They do that because the Tonttu report children’s good and bad behavior to the Joulupukki. Children must always be respectful of the Tonttu, giving them offerings of porridge and fresh fruit, or soups, else they will suffer the consequences.”
“The consequences?” she asked, her eyes bright.
“Mmm, dire consequences. No presents,” I said, keeping a straight face.
“And has anyone ever reported seeing one of the Tonttu?”
“Well, I have encountered such a creature.”
“You have?” she asked in surprise.
“Well, I was positive at the time, you see. And I did not wish to be without presents, so I made sure to leave a bowl of soup and some fruit for the creature and when I checked, the soup had been eaten and the only thing left of the fruit were the orange peel and the apple core.” I smiled.
“Oh, yes, then it most definitely must have been a Tonttu.” She grinned and there was a merry twinkle in her eye.
“You cannot deny the evidence,” I replied chuckling. “And now, I really should take my leave, I have to get up early tomorrow.”
She sighed, and then smiled as we both rose from the couch. “Thank you again, Oskar.” She walked me to the door.
“You’re very welcome, Kultaseni.” I leaned forward, pulled her into my arms for a much too brief moment and kissed her forehead. “Sleep well, kultaseni,” I murmured and headed out into the night.
Chapter Nine
Janice
I decided to do my research from the cabin for the next little while so I could keep an eye upon Smoochy. Oskar stopped by daily and I usually tried to get him to share another Christmas story with me, but today I wanted to see what his thoughts were about the comparisons of the Joulupukki and Krampus. Whether he thought they might be related in some fashion.
“Come in,” I said when he knocked on the door that evening about three days before Christmas eve.
“Hello, kultaseni, how is our little patient doing?” he asked with a smile.
“See for yourself,” I said, gesturing to Smoochy back to his happy self, playing with his toys in front of the fire.
“Well, he looks like a happy boy,” Oskar said with a chuckle.
“Can I get you a drink?” I asked.
“I’ll take a water,” he commented as he squatted down to pet Smoochy.
I brought him a water and sat down on the couch. “Sit, I have some questions,” I said, wanting to dive right in.
He chuckled again, his eyes twinkling. “You, kultaseni, always have questions. It is what I like about you, your inquisitiveness. Now, what would you like to ask me today?”
“Well, I was looking deeper into the Joulupukki and since he can be traced to back before Christian times, I had to wonder if he is in anyway related to Krampus, the Pagan figure from central Europe. He too is depicted as a goat man, with horns, but is instead the one who punishes naughty children.”
“Joo, I am aware of Krampus, but no, they are not related. Not for the Finns in any case. Krampus is not something we associate with Yule here. Joulupukki on the other hand was a man who shifted into a goa
t to sing and entertain the gods and goddesses in the hopes to bring food to the tables of his family. From my understanding, Krampus is an actual figure from Pagan times, possibly associated with the horned god.”
“Yes, that is what I have found in my research, but I needed to ask, you see, just to be sure. I haven’t found any mention of Krampus in the books, but with you knowing all the Finnish Christmas lore, I couldn’t leave that line of questioning out.” I smiled, glad to have my work verified.
“Very understandable. Now what other facet of our Christmas lore are you tracking down? Mike mentioned a while back you were tracking down the stories of the flying reindeer?”
He seemed hesitant now, as if it was a topic he didn’t want to discuss, but felt he needed to ask.
“Well, I thought I had tracked down a story about flying reindeer, but I couldn’t corroborate it with any other sources.” I frowned. “It was a small article in a newspaper from nineteen twenty-three. A man who was known to drink heavily had encountered what he claimed were flying reindeer in Pyhä Luosto National Park. Everything about the man that I could find, said he was known to spin wild stories. His death certificate says he died of lung cancer in nineteen-eighty-three and he had no family, so I can’t even talk to them.”
“Ah, well, we do have many reindeer here, though I’ve not seen a one of these reindeer fly.” He smiled.
“What about the reindeer who pull Joulupukki’s sleigh? Did they or are they said to fly?”
He shook his head. “No, not in any of the stories I’ve heard before. As far as I know, the only stories I know of flying reindeer are the ones in The Night Before Christmas.”
I sighed. “That’s too bad. I was really hoping to make a mysterious discovery,” I said with a teasing smile.
“Well, Finland is the land of magic, so if there were going to be flying reindeer, we would be the country to have them.” He grinned. Standing, he said, “I should probably go, I’m meeting my cousins at the tavern tonight.”