Part 1
Reynir woke up with a strange feeling. Was somebody calling his name?
He sat on the bed, looked around and rubbed his eyes. Where were everybody? The cabin was empty!
"Hello? Anybody?" He raised and tried again in a terrible Swedish, and then in an even worse Finish. No answer. Something was wrong, but how? Onni had guaranteed they were safe in the Lehto! Sure, except from those damned mosquitoes, but otherwise safe! What could have made his friends get up in the middle of the night? And why it was so cold? They were in the middle of Summer and...
"Reynir! Come on! We need your help!"
It was Mikkel, calling from outside! Of course he would help. "I'm going! I'm going!" he yelled as loud as possible.
Another surprise hit Reynir when he looked at himself. His clothes had been replaced by a curious pair of green overalls, and boots! But he would never sleep with them on! And those weren't even his boots! Reynir started to suspect that it was all some practical joke that the gang was playing on him. But how could they change him without awakening...
"Come on Reynir! We are all waiting for you!"
This time it was Sigrun calling. They were all part of the joke! He looked at the mirror and saw he was also wearing a ridiculous shirt with white and red horizontal stripes. Where did they found that? The laughable costume also included a yellow belt matching the overall's buttons! Of course they would all mock him as soon as he left the cabin! It wasn't right! "Why? What have I done to deserve this?," he muttered.
"Reynir! Please!"
Mikkel again! Reynir checked his hair, suspicious that they could have done something with his precious braid. He saw with relief that it was untouched, but then relief was replaced by incredulity when he noticed something pointy parting his hair. Carefully he felt it. "What the..."
"Last call Reynir! We have to move!"
At that moment he couldn't care less. His ears! Those pointy things were his ears, both perfectly attached to his head, as usual, but now they were much longer!
Now he knew! Magic! Someone used a spell on him! And since he couldn't see Lalli doing it there was only one possibility left!
Reynir opened sharply the cabin's door and walked, blaring out, "Onni! What have I done to you to...", but suddenly was out of words, because just ahead Onni stood looking at him, wearing a copy of his costume and, he quickly noticed, also sporting a pair of pointed ears!
...
"Come! We have work to do and you are delaying everything." Onni was complaining but also smiling! Reynir didn't recall ever seeing a smile on him... and he took his hand! So strange!
Onni pulled him around the cabin to one of the strangest scenes he ever saw. All his friends were there, but they were... different. There was a sleigh over the snow and... Wait! Snow? But they were close to midsummer! He looked down and found his boots well inside a thick snow cover.
Reynir looked back at his friends. Emil and Lalli were also dressed in foolish clothes like him and Onni, and were carrying some brightly coloured boxes towards the sleigh.
The sleigh was an intense red with golden decorations and runners. Mikkel was seated on it, and Sigrun was close. Both wore strange winter coats, also in red, with matching caps and details in white. At least they didn't seem to have pointy ears like the rest of the gang.
He also noticed Kitty perched over Mikkel's cap. The cat, at least, seemed unchanged.
There was one large reindeer harnessed to the sleigh, and it was also strange... it took him a little to understand. It was Tuuri! How had she changed from bird to reindeer? Could she do it?
"Hi Reynir!" she spoke, with a joyful voice. He managed to wave back.
"Take this side, let's move!" Onni had taken him close to a large pile of coloured boxes pilled over the snow, and gestured towards a large one.
"You want me to carry this?"
"Of course! We have to load the sleigh. We can't let Lalli and Emil do all the work, can we?"
They lifted the box, with a few smaller ones over it, and followed the others.
"Careful... oh no!!!"
Reynir turned in time too see that Emil let their large box tilt to one side, dropping some smaller ones to the ground, and one onto his feet. From the opposite side came a loud SLAP, and Reynir turned back to see Onni with one eye closed and a painful expression.
"Why does everyone always hit my eye?! Careful with that braid! You want me to emulate that one-eyed god of yours?"
"Oops! Sorry! Don't be mad at me!"
"All right, all right! No problem. Just be careful next time," Onni said, opening a large smile. Definitely there was something very wrong going on.
...
They finished loading the sleigh, that somehow carried much more than its size would indicate. Then Sigrun took the place beside Mikkel. "Com'on boys, climb in the back! We have a long night ahead of us!"
The others ran to the sleigh, and Reynir followed. "Wait, there's no way for us to fit together with all those boxes..." But entering the sleigh he found there was plenty of space! Somehow it was much bigger on the inside.
"Tuuri, your turn!" Mikkel spoke, holding the harness. They lurched forward as the sleigh accelerated fast and Sigrun, raising her arms, squeaked happily. "Yeeeeah!"
All the others cheered, but Reynir was terribly frightened. He had never moved so fast in his life, that was sure. Just when he was resuming breathing something even stranger happened. One moment they were sliding over the snow, and the other they were moving up, away from the ground!
Panicking, he looked around at his friends, but no one showed any distress, as if flying in a sleigh was a common thing.
Reynir was speechless while they smoothly rose above the pines into a beautiful, starred sky. Suppressing his fears he managed to look down and saw the island becoming smaller and smaller, just a dark patch over the lake surface, illuminated by the full Moon's reflection.
"It's all so beautiful and peaceful here!" said Emil, putting one arm over Lalli's and the other over Onni's back.
"But guys, we're flying! Since when's that normal and peaceful?"
"No need to worry, friend," Onni answered, smiling (how could he be smiling all the time?). "Sometimes I'm a bird, remember? Flying is perfectly safe."
Looking forward Reynir saw another island over the lake, growing fast as they closed on it. But this one had a large house with many windows, all lit from the inside.
Soon they landed, stopping near a large pine covered with bright, colourful balls and sparking lights. Reynir was astonished! He had never seen something like that. And how could they have electricity here in the middle of the Silent World?
...
Reynir found the inside even more impressive. There was a very large living room, illuminated by several electric lamps and heated by an enormous fireplace. Everything looked brand new and clean, from the floor to the many colourful decorations, including a tree that replicated the big one outside. They placed the gifts next to it, and soon several children came running from one of the many doors. He wasn't sure, but there were ten or eleven, all between six and what... thirteen? And there were clear familiar similarities.
Their clothes were so gay, colourful and covered with plenty of winter motifs! Snowflakes, reindeer and figures clothed like Mikkel and Sigrun, some even dressed ridiculously like him! The kids were laughing and seemed delighted by their presence, touching and hugging them. Mikkel and Sigrun were, for some reason, the centre of all attentions.
Somehow Sigrun had a list in her hands, and as she called each child Mikkel would point to a box. Reynir, Lalli, Emil or Onni would give the gift to Mikkel while the selected child sat on his lap. He asked if the children behaved well, and once each one confirmed that, gave the selected gift as reward.
There were many wonderful gifts, including some that Reynir had seen only in museums, like a miniature train with the accompanying set of rails, or a magical car that somehow responded to the commands of a little black box without anyone touching it!
There was also a large table on one side, covered with food, candies, cakes and juices. He tasted some and they were all delicious. While Reynir wondered who had made all those things one child came talk to him, smiling.
"Are you Reynir?" The girl would be twelve and had perfect clothes, teeth... even her hair was perfectly held in a short braid, not one strand out of place. Reynir knew very well how hard it was to arrange such a perfect braid.
"Yes I am. How do you and your friends know our names?"
"I... don't... I just know! Doesn't everybody know your names?" She took Reynir's braid in her delicate hands. "I love your braid! It's so long and beautiful! You are a lucky girl!"
"Ah... Thanks, but I'm a boy. And who might you be?"
"I'm... Samy! Yes, Samy! I never saw a boy with such a long braid! Come, we are playing hairdresser with Emil! I got a fantastic set, it even has a working hairdryer!" And before Reynir could ask what was a hairdryer she was pulling him across the room to one corner where Emil used a chair and a mirror to set up an improvised beauty salon.
Clearly none of those children needed hair care, yet Emil was obviously delighted! And he wasn't alone. Everybody was happy, safe, smiling and laughing... He should feel the same, but why did he feel uneasy?
...
After what seemed hours the children started to grow bored with their gifts. Samy and a few others decided to play hide and seek, and invited Reynir to join them. Poor lads, they didn't knew that he was Brúardalur's uncontested hide and seek champion! On the first round he was the seeker, and even without knowing the house he soon got all but Samy, that was smart enough to hide in the main room behind Mikkel, just a few steps from base.
The next round came soon, however as Reynir ran to find a good hiding place, he spotted an older person going upstairs. They had agreed that the game would use only the ground floor, but Reynir couldn't resist following that man. Maybe he could give some explanations for that strange night.
He reached a long corridor with many doors in time to see the man going through a door at the end. Reynir waited for him to close the door and walked as fast and silently as possible. That uneasiness was back, and stronger this time.
Reynir entered the room, but the man wasn't there. It was a large bedroom, beautifully decorated, and one half-opened door in the opposite wall showed a private bathroom. Everything looked brand new and dustless, and the room was heated, however a shudder shook his body.
Reynir felt... watched. Yes, as if someone was just behind him!
He turned around, but there was no one to be seen. Over the bed he saw a gift box already open, with a black rectangle inside. It was one of those communication devices used in the Old World, but this one was not only brand new but also working! Reynir touched it and the picture changed! So vivid and colourful! No wonder people loved those things.
Then he felt it again. "Who's there?" he asked, turning around again. "Show yourself!" Reynir turned again to face the bed. No one, but the room was becoming cold, and the lights seemed to dim... was that a stain in the wall? Right over the bed? So strange in this perfectly clean room. He came closer and tried to touch it.
Suddenly the lights went out, leaving only the soft moonlight that came from the large window. The room was covered in dust and mold, the curtains in rags, the paint flaking from the wall... and to his horror he saw there were bones and a skull over the bed, and that the stain was really a shadow, a man-shaped shadow like the ones in Denmark. Reynir was looking at it when the shadow abruptly opened its fiery eyes.
End of part 1
