Chapter Fourteen
Fourteen
The magic blankets were very much doing their thing, and I woke up refreshed and ready for the day as the sun warmed my face through the window.
It seemed the long, four-day-winter was over, and the cyclone had passed.
The snowstorm had been fun for a day or two, to decorate the trees and hide the reindeer droppings – Celeste and Will had even built a snowman.
But it had gone on long enough and the cold winds and hunkering down had started to get tiresome.
Today was perfect though. Sunny and fresh, with a thick snow carpet twinkling in the light.
There was a knock at my door, which could only be my breakfast delivery, and I felt like I was starting to get into the Firefly flow.
It wasn’t what I thought I’d booked, but it had its charms. The ebb and flow of breakfast, lunch and dinner, with activities in between, was keeping me busy and I didn’t feel alone or out of place.
We were one gang following the same routine and everything was pre-organised.
I didn’t have to worry about making plans or eating on my own, and I was so grateful for that.
Having a framework to follow made me feel safe.
The law was just one big framework after all, and once you had rules to follow – or interpret – it made everything so much simpler. Was it this or that? Right or wrong?
I answered the door to another wicker basket full of goodies, with a note pinned on top.
Good morning Sara! It’s a beautiful day.
For breakfast we have:
Fresh sourdough
Orange and rosemary cake
Homemade raspberry jam
A pineapple, turmeric and ginger shot
Fruit salad
Enjoy!
Jonas
Thank you very much, Jonas, I bloody well will.
I hacked into the bread and slathered the crust in raspberry jam while a proper slice toasted, and my coffee brewed.
Still no Crunchy Nut Cornflakes or wine, but they actually sounded a quite grim in comparison.
Now that I’d gotten used to the frokost it was my new favourite thing.
The wood burner was still crackling away, much to my delight, fifteen hours after it had been lit – just call me Brown Owl.
Although, what did that mean for my carbon footprint?
Was it better to douse it out and start a fresh one each day?
Or should you always have it on low, like Dad did with the central heating?
I poked the morning spark and threw a brittle log on to get it going.
My phone had zero bars and no connection, and I was sick of looking at it.
It had been silent ever since I’d arrived, only springing to life when I hovered near the Wi-Fi lounge, like an attention-seeking loser.
I wasn’t expecting to hear from anyone. I just liked to know what was going on…
generally. I hated to admit it, but I wanted to see what Mark and Millie were up to – if they were even still a thing.
I fleetingly wondered how Bobby was getting on with Magpie Micky.
Did Danny really care who took his case on, or had business as usual carried on without me, like Antony said it would?
They’d made it clear I wasn’t partner material – not yet, anyway – but could it be that I was so easily replacable?
I hadn’t heard from Mum or Dad either and Abi had gone quiet since the mix-up.
Was anyone missing me at all? It seemed I was out of sight, out of mind on all fronts.
Insignificant to my significant others. I cracked a window to let some cool air in and spotted a plane trail overhead.
The flights were back up and running again, which made sense; the storm had passed.
Although I didn’t feel as desperate to go home now, eating jam on toast in front of the fire, with the sunshine on my face.
Especially as nobody was missing me anyway!
But I didn’t want to mess Tore and Henrik around after making a big deal about being in the wrong country.
I kicked myself for making up such a stupid lie.
I crunched over to the farmhouse to ask about boat timings and flights. The path had already been cleared of snow, and it felt good to breathe in the mountain air and feel some rays on my skin. There’d be no sun when I got back to London – that was for sure.
There was a flicker in the trees, and I froze, my heart beating in my ears as a baby reindeer stepped out from the forest, followed by his mum and dad.
The three of them nosing their way through the snow to get to the grass.
I’d never seen a reindeer so close before and there was not a red nose between them.
I wanted to call the others to come and see them too, to share the experience, but I didn’t dare in case I scared them away.
They were so calm and gentle, nibbling away together, the daddy reindeer lifting his snout at the slightest sound.
I slowly pulled out my phone to take a couple of snaps and popped them up on Instagram. I spotted Henrik and Jonas watching the reindeer show from the farmhouse, and I didn’t want to spoil it for them by moving so I checked on the flight situation to distract myself from the cold.
Swipe, swipe, hmm. There was one heading back Monday evening, which would work.
Not quite as soon as I’d like, but it wasn’t a bad thing to have a couple more days while the sunshine was out.
That way, I’d have done a full week and could in all good conscience say I’d given it a go.
I switched myself onto it and paid the ￡200 change fee. The robbing bastards.
A flurry of likes came through on my reindeer post, including one from Mark. I couldn’t decide if I felt flattered or watched. Why was he still inserting himself into my day? Like some weird hologram standing next to me, looking where I was looking at the exact same time.
An eagle spread its wings mid-air and started fluttering, getting ready to pounce, and Rudolph the brown-nosed reindeer ushered his family back under cover. I watched breathlessly as the eagle swooped down, snatched up its prey and flew off. What a way to witness nature.
I waved at the boys and pointed at the front door, waiting patiently for them to let me in.
‘Morning,’ Jonas said. ‘You know this isn’t really a guest zone?’
‘Oh.’ I had sort of forgotten. ‘Er… yes, sorry. I was just checking flights and looking for Tore.’
‘Back on the Wi-Fi again? Weren’t you in the lounge yesterday? And the day before that?’ I didn’t appreciate his tone. I’d told them I was leaving, so they couldn’t fault me for checking the flights home.
‘Jonas, relax – Sara’s our guest, remember,’ Henrik said, slinging an arm around his little brother.
‘This is supposed to be a tech-free retreat. She won’t get the benefit if she’s on her phone the whole time.’
‘We are not here to judge.’
‘True, but it spoils it for everyone else! Rules are rules.’
‘Well, don’t worry, lads, I won’t be ruining the vibe for much longer – I’ve changed my flight home to Monday. Can I book the dinghy to take me to Bergen harbour at 1 p.m.?’
‘Consider it booked,’ Henrik said with a nod. ‘But it’s a shame we couldn’t convince you to stay.’
‘Couldn’t handle it, huh?’ Jonas said. ‘Not everyone can. Transformation is painful.’ This guy really had it out for me.
‘But then so is staying the same,’ Henrik said. ‘You have to choose your pain.’
‘It’s not that at all – I’m just looking for something a little more luxurious. With a pool and beauty treatments. And… er… cocktails.’
‘Numbing your feelings with alcohol isn’t the answer,’ Jonas replied piously.
‘Don’t be so superior,’ Henrik said, rolling his eyes. ‘You numb your feelings plenty. Sara, I’m not sure if it’s classed as a beauty treatment, but Greta does reiki and Hopi ear candles.’
‘And reflexology now, as well,’ Jonas added. ‘She passed her qualification a few weeks ago.’
‘Really? Why hasn’t anyone mentioned it? How do I book?’
‘The system is quite archaic,’ Henrik said, eyeing his brother.
‘We’re supposed to line up the appointments,’ Jonas said ruefully. ‘She’s only here at the weekends and hasn’t done the last two because of the weather. I couldn’t risk the Spa Hut flying off into a cyclone with Greta inside – we’re getting married in a couple of months.’
‘OK, well, that all sounds good. Have you got a treatment list I can take with me?’
Jonas and Henrik looked at each other, then Henrik spoke. ‘Not printed out, but I can write it down for you if you like. It’s reiki, Hopi ear candles…’
‘…and reflexology,’ I finished. ‘Right. OK, well book me in for all three. At least I can get my feet done.’
‘Sure,’ Jonas said, checking the schedule on his phone. ‘Sunday afternoon?’
I nodded.
No wonder Greta was struggling for customers if this was the sales patter. I turned to go, and Henrik put his coat on and followed me down the path.
‘Will you keep going with the activities until Monday, then?’ he asked.
‘One hundred per cent. It’s not a question of it being too challenging for me here, believe me.’
‘Great! In that case, we can walk to the morning session together.’
‘Is there something on right now?’
‘Yup. Are you coming?’
Ah. I was being coerced into more woo-woo and I wasn’t sure what. I should have studied the timetable more carefully instead of staying up all night reading.
‘Try and stop me! Are you running it?’ I was hoping a couple of vague questions might get it out of him.
‘As much as it needs running, yes. Normally we do it every day, but it’s best in the sunshine.’
‘Makes sense.’ What could it be? Yoga? Bike riding? Weightlifting? What’s better in the sunshine? Well, everything.
I followed him into a forest nook, where Will, Celeste, Ethel, and the rest of the guests were already waiting.
‘Good morning!’
‘Morning, Henrik,’ they chorused.