Christmas Island Page 7

  She sighed again and looked ahead. Nothing but water and sky.

  I could so easily go stark mad by staying here, she thought. There’s absolutely nothing to keep me distracted. Just me talking to myself.

  She pulled out the phone and looked at it. No signal. Absolutely perfect. For a second she considered throwing it into the water, but stopped herself. Without it she’d definitely lose her mind.

  Still, as she sat there, looking at the view and the water, her shoulders relaxed and she smiled to herself.

  Tor entered the shop with a bit of trepidation. He hadn’t been in there for days now. He knew they thought he was odd and they were right. He sighed with relief when he saw Jens inside. He preferred dealing with him.

  The old man sat behind the desk, reading a newspaper and muttering to himself. Apparently he didn’t like someone’s politics. He looked up when Tor entered.

  ‘Good morning,’ he said, as his eyes fell on the bucket Tor was carrying. ‘Is that for us?’

  ‘Yes, I caught some cods today. Unfortunately the crab pots were empty,’ Tor said.

  Jens took of the lid and peered inside. He looked up at Tor. ‘These are nice. We might keep them for ourselves.’

  ‘You’re welcome to them. Did you receive Frøy’s treats?’

  ‘Sure. They’re on the shelf. You know where to find them.’

  Tor passed him, nodding slightly, but didn’t say anything else. He could feel Jens’s eyes in the back of his neck. The old man was curious, but he didn’t push, and he was grateful for that.

  All I want is a treat for the damn cat, he thought.

  ‘Got mail for you today,’ Jens said, suddenly standing right behind him.

  Tor looked at him, then at the envelopes and magazines Jens held out to him. ‘Okay. Thanks.’

  Jens beamed at him. ‘Are you looking for anything else apart from the treats for Frøy? A varied diet is a healthy diet, you know.’

  Tor had no idea how to respond to that. ‘Do you have those cans of tuna? The ones in water. Frøy likes them,’ Tor said.

  ‘Of course we have. Frøy also likes fish pudding, if you want that?’

  Jens chatted while he walked ahead with Tor trailing after him. ‘Yes, give me one of those as well,’ Tor said. ‘I hope Frøy isn’t a nuisance to any of you.’

  Jens laughed. ‘No, of course not. He’s a delight. He comes to say hello when he’s in the mood and we give him his little treat. I hope that’s okay.’

  ‘I’m sure it is,’ Tor said.

  He looked around, not wanting to chat with any more people.

  Jens finally dug out a multi-pack of canned tuna and handed it to him.

  ‘Anything else I can get you? Something for yourself? We have freshly baked Christmas bread today. And also Alma’s speciality, the wort beer bread. It’s one of my favourites this time of year.’

  Tor hadn’t had wort beer bread since he visited his grandmother when he was a boy. He followed Jens over to the bread counter. Jens took a long, round bread with a dark brown crust from the shelf and plopped it into a paper bag. ‘There you go. Do you have butter and brown cheese for that?’

  ‘I… yes, I have.’

  Jens pointed at the selection of cakes. ‘We also have Christmas bakes today. Coconut macaroons and sand cakes.’ He pointed at the small, pie-shaped cakes. ‘Those are my favourites too. I’m partial to filling them up with whipped cream and jam myself. Or some lovely custard.’

  He took one of the coconut macaroons and bit off the top. ‘You don’t get these better anywhere else, I swear.’

  Tor couldn’t help smiling. ‘Fine. I’ll take a few of those, but not the sand cakes. I don’t like them much.’

  Jens looked at him. ‘Really? What’s your favourite Christmas cake then? I’m sure we have it.’

  Tor looked at the shelves, then shook his head. ‘I’m happy with the macaroons.’

  Jens wasn’t about to give up so easily. ‘What about a cookie man? They are a local specialty and they are really good with coffee.’

  He pointed at a stack of cookie men, decorated with red food colour. ‘See? Freshly baked yesterday.’

  ‘I’ll take five,’ Tor said, hoping it would shut Jens up.

  Jens grinned from ear to ear. ‘I’m happy to see that you are getting into the holiday spirit. There’s something so nice, so koselig, about this time of year, isn’t it? No matter how old I get, I still look forward to Christmas.’

  I’m not, Tor thought. Not for the last two years. But he played nice not to disappoint Jens.

  ‘Sure. Could you give me five more yulemen and an extra paper bag?’

  Tor was exhausted by the time he paid for the treats and could leave. Jens talked without taking a breath.

  He even followed him outside.

  ‘Frøy isn’t with you today?’

  ‘No, he’s in a mood. I’m hoping the treats will help,’ Tor said.

  Jens nodded. ‘Smart move.’

  Tor turned and hurried up the hill, eager to get away from all the questions and the chit chat.

  He didn’t want to talk to anyone. How hard was that to understand?

  On the way back home, he passed the fork in the road and hesitated before picking the road that led to her house. He knew it wasn’t Holly’s house, but he didn’t know her family. He could barely remember anyone’s faces these days.

  But he remembered hers.

  He stared at the house for a long time, then realised he would look like a complete dollop if she came outside and found him.

  So he left, feeling embarrassed and foolish.

  After hiking for three hours, Holly was pretty sure she had seen whatever there was to see on the island. Seagulls and fish, pebbles and shrubs.

  It wasn’t very interesting, if she had to be honest. Especially when the sun disappeared behind the clouds. Everything was mostly grey and white, even the sea.

  She sighed. It would have been better to stay in London, to go out with friends and do anything other than moping around like this.

  Jack had sworn it would take her mind of all things London, but as far as she could see, it made it worse. There was nothing here to take her mind of anything.

  Holly walked up to the house and discovered a small paper bag hanging from the door handle. Curiosity got the better of her and she opened it.

  Cookies. She pulled out a cookie man and looked at it. It was bigger than her hand and decorated with what she hoped was safe food colouring. Just a smiley face and buttons.

  Holly sniffed it. Vanilla, she thought before biting off a leg. It was crunchy on the outside and surprisingly soft on the inside, and so good she had to take another bite.

  Holly looked around and couldn’t see anyone.

  Maybe it was from Emil’s parents. Or Britt, maybe? Jack had said the islanders leave things at the farm all the time. He almost stepped on a carton of eggs once.

  ‘I’m fine with cookie men,’ she said and took a new bite.

  It did occur to her that if this was some kind of Nordic Noir island, somebody would more than likely have poisoned the cookies.

  ‘Too late now,’ she said, entering the house, already munching on a second cookie.

  Chapter Nine

  After a late breakfast, Holly caught the ferry to the mainland to see if anything could be done about her phone. Not that she had much hope, but still. Something might be salvaged. Hopefully the sim card. If the hospital had called, she wouldn’t know and it was bothering her.

  She was afraid they would kick her out of the programme, and she was also afraid they would let her stay. She kept flipping from hope to fear and back again. It was exhausting.

  In the passenger lounge on the ferry, there was a corner with vending machines for coffee and sweets. A Christmas tree with colourful bulbs and lights lit up the drab wall behind it. Red and green garlands, with stars hanging at intervals, decorated the windows.

  Surprisingly she appeared to be the only one onboard. Rush ho
ur was probably earlier, she thought, smiling at the idea.

  Holly went outside to the deck and leaned against the railing. The sky was so brightly blue it almost didn’t seem real. The ferry seemed to be flying across the water. The wind hit her face and droplets from the water tasted salty.

  Not unpleasant. She could feel her shoulders relax. It was a strange feeling.

  Holly stayed outside until the ferry passed the first island outside the town. Jack had explained there were four islands shielding the town from the North Sea.

  The ferry docked at the second largest of the islands. When she had arrived five days earlier it had been so dark and windy, she couldn’t remember much. Also, she had taken a taxi from the bus station and jumped on the ferry right before it sailed.

  This was very different.

  Holly smiled. She hadn’t been a tourist anywhere for ages.

  From the harbour, she walked through streets with rows of white wooden houses. Almost every window had a star or a menorah, or something else festive, she discovered.

  The bridge leading from the island to the mainland was huge and old, and easy to climb. Holly stopped on the top of the bridge, looking at the town. Jack had said Haugesund wasn’t big, but that they had everything you needed. She knew she wasn’t pronouncing the name properly, but that was fine. Perhaps Tor could give a language class. Now, there’s an idea, she thought. That could be fun.

  Or maybe not. He wasn’t exactly friendly. Not to mention he had the thing with those long explanations.

  Across the bridge, she found the High Street easily enough. It was the one with all the shops and the Christmas decorations strung across the buildings. Mostly bells and green garlands, but also giant snowflakes lighting up the street.

  Holly looked around. Something is missing, she thought. Why wasn’t there any snow? Norway should be snowy, shouldn’t it? Jack had said that the island was rainy, but still, this was the mainland, wasn’t it?

  She found a phone shop easily enough. Jens at the island shop had given her a note with directions.

  Inside it looked like any other phone repair shop she had ever been in, including the smiling young man behind the counter.

  ‘I dropped my phone in the slush,’ Holly said, embarrassed.

  He took the phone from her and looked at it. ‘Did you dry it out?’ he said with a Norwegian accent to his English.

  Holly felt even more embarrassed. ‘I put it in rice,’ she admitted.

  ‘Really? And the miracle cure didn’t work?’ He grinned at her, and Holly laughed.

  ‘No, but I’m hoping it’s because it hasn’t been charged. I forgot my charger back home. Do you think that you can… ehm, fix it?’

  ‘I don’t know yet. How soon do you need it?’ He lifted a hand. ‘No, let me guess. Yesterday, right?’

  ‘Would that be possible?’

  He grinned even wider. ‘Depends on the damage, I’m afraid. You’re from England, right?’

  ‘London.’

  ‘How did you end up here and at Christmas too?’ He put down the phone and wrote a note with her name.

  Holly smiled. ‘My brother lives on one of the islands outside of here. About an hour with the ferry. He’s a chef.’

  ‘Really? I’ve heard of him. Small town, people talk, you know. Everyone knows about him. Mad, isn’t he? Starting a restaurant out there? You wouldn’t get me on that ferry.’

  ‘Are you afraid of the water?’ Holly couldn’t help laughing.

  He handed her the note. ‘My people are river people.’

  ‘Pretty sure there are rivers in this country too. Far from the sea as well, I should think.’ Holly couldn’t help teasing him. ‘Like they have tons of mountains with waterfalls, I think.’

  ‘Yeah, but up in the mountains it’s really bloody cold. Snow up to your elbows.’ He shook his head. ‘I’d be better off in London, I think.’

  ‘It’s cold there too and it’s by the water.’

  He looked at her and grinned. ‘Yes, but it’s a river, isn’t it?’

  While they talked, he had opened the phone and inspected it. Then he looked up at her. ‘Listen, you might have to pray for a Christmas miracle with this one.’

  ‘What about the sim card? Can I move that over to this phone?’ Holly handed him the old phone she had been using.

  He looked at it, then looked at her with an expression of disbelief. ‘Seriously? That thing belongs in a museum. I can get the sim card from your phone to fit. All you need is an adapter for that, but it’s probably not going to work like your own phone. At all. That thing isn’t really a smart phone, is it? So I can’t guarantee you can get online with it, or even get all your messages. I’m sorry.’

  Holly groaned. ‘Damn,’ she said.

  ‘Do you have insurance for your own phone?’ He put the card back in the phone again.

  ‘I think so. I have a phone plan for it and I have travel insurance, of course.’

  ‘You should get in contact with the insurance company right away then. Also, it’s locked to your phone plan. So, if the phone is dead, you will have a hard time finding something here. At least one that is the same as the one you have, also it will be crazy expensive. You might have to live without a connection to the world until you get back home.’

  ‘But I won’t be going back to London until after Christmas. I need a phone in the meantime. I’m expecting a really important call. Please, isn’t there anything you can do?’ Holly hoped she didn’t sound too desperate.

  He frowned. ‘Okay, come back before I close, I’ll see what I can do. I might be able to get you a cheaper phone you can use with the sim. I’ll do my best.’

  ‘Thank you. I’ll keep my fingers crossed in the meantime.’

  Holly didn’t feel very confident when she ventured outside into the street. It was odd being without her own phone. Jack’s phone barely had any signal and she had no idea how long it would last.

  A group of carollers stood outside one of the shops, dressed in colourful down jackets, and Christmas themed bobble hats. One of them was obviously the conductor since she raised her arms and they all began to sing.

  Shoppers stopped to listen. Some even joined in.

  Holly listened for a moment. It was funny listening to Christmas songs in a different language. Especially when they started to sing ‘Silent Night’. Different words, same melody. Holly sang the familiar words to herself, following the chorus.

  Tor looked around at the street filled with holiday shoppers with utter exhaustion. He needed to buy Christmas presents for his friends and send them within a day or two, and he was miserable.

  Christmas hadn’t been the same the last two years. He couldn’t get into the spirit of it. Mostly it just annoyed him. The idea of going inside a shop to buy anything seemed too overwhelming all off a sudden. Perhaps he should go back to the island. He could tell Henrik and Kari that all the shops were closed. Or frozen shut. Something. And then order everyone’s presents online.

  The idea cheered him up, and he decided to get a cup of coffee before heading for the ferry. He almost walked into Holly, trying to avoid a group of carollers. It was too late to duck away and pretend he hadn’t see her.

  She was singing along with the carollers, clearly enjoying herself. For a second he thought perhaps he could get away unseen, but then she turned her head and her face lit up in a huge smile.

  Tor pulled himself together.

  ‘Hi!’ She came right over and touched his arm. ‘You can help me. What are they singing now?’

  ‘Oh.’ Tor had to listen to the song. ‘It’s sort of a psalm, I think. About the nativity, is that right?’

  ‘Of course. I loved the melody, it’s very evocative, isn’t it?’

  Tor listened to the song and nodded. ‘Yes, it is, I guess.’

  The singers threw themselves into a quicker melody and Holly nudged him. ‘What about this? Is that a psalm too?’

  ‘No, not at all. It’s about a barn nisse and a danc
ing rat who wants to steal his Christmas porridge.’ Tor looked at her. ‘But you probably don’t know what a nisse is, do you?’

  ‘Of course I do. It’s like a brownie, only with red clothes and white beard, and a sort of insane grin,’ Holly said.

  ‘A brownie is a chocolate cake,’ Tor said, slightly confused.

  ‘Sure, but it’s also the English equivalent of a nisse, only a bit meaner, perhaps.’ Holly gave him a triumphant look. ‘I bet you didn’t know that.’

  ‘I did not know that.’

  For a moment neither of them said anything, they just looked at each other and it quickly became weird.

  Tor tried desperately to find something to say and made a decision that surprised even himself. ‘Have you had coffee yet?’

  ‘No, I came to see if they could do anything with my phone. I was looking for a coffee shop, to be honest. Are you inviting me?’ Holly’s smile grew wider.

  Tor nodded and waved his hand. ‘I was on my way to get a coffee, and… and would like it if you joined me.’

  ‘You sound like a waiter,’ Holly said.

  ‘I do?’ She says the oddest things, he thought.

  ‘Absolutely.’ Holly looked around. ‘Where’s the coffee?’

  Tor pointed again. ‘A bit further ahead. Not on this street, those are bound to be full. There’s a bakery a couple of streets further down with the best cakes in town. If you like soft gingerbread, that is.’

  ‘I don’t know yet,’ Holly said.

  ‘They probably have tea as well,’ Tor said.

  ‘That depends on the coffee they have on offer.’

  It dawned on Tor that this was the first coffee he had shared with a woman in over two years. Kari would love this, he thought. Good thing he’d never tell her.

  As promised, the little café was mostly empty. It was warm and friendly inside, and it smelled of vanilla and coffee.

  ‘Oh, my god,’ Holly said, staring at the cakes and savoury rolls in the display shelves. ‘I’m going to sink the ferry if this goes on.’

  Tor frowned. ‘I hope you don’t worry about that.’