Page 86 of A Winter in Wonderland
Chapter 38
‘Hey,wake up.Hey.’
I was awoken the next morning by Esteri poking me while I lay huddled under my duvet.
‘What?’ I croaked. ‘Is it really time to go to work? Itisdark in the mornings now, isn’t it.’
‘No, we have a while before work, but I’m borrowing Daan’s car and taking you somewhere.’
‘What?’ I sat up and bumped my head on the ceiling, cursing these bloody bunk-beds, and actually,allthe bunk beds in all the world.
‘I am sorry Josh has gone, I really am, and I feel for your heart. But he wasn’t everything about Lapland.Iam here.Thatis here.’ She gestured towards the window. ‘So before you bury yourself in the snow and hibernate I am taking you on an adventure to wake you up.’
‘I just wanted a little time to feel blue, I wasn’t—Hey— I’m coming!’ Esteri was dragging me down from the bed by my leg.
She regarded me in my PJs while I scowled. ‘You will probably want a swimsuit.’
‘Where are we going?’
‘It’s a surprise.’
‘But we’re not going too far?’
‘No, maybe half an hour away. You’re going to love it.’
Feeling sceptical, I changed into my swimsuit and layered clothing over the top. I considered pretending my arm hurt more than it did and begging to crawl back into bed, but got the feeling Esteri would have absolutely none of it.
It was just after six in the morning. Josh was probably still trying to make his way back to America at the moment. Even if he ‘only’ had to change in Helsinki, London and New York, like on the way over, it was still a trek, but combined with the fact he’d had to go last-minute and take whatever was on offer …
‘Hey!’ Esteri snapped my fingers in my face, pulling me back to the present. ‘Let’s go.’
We slid out of the chalet and crunched our way silently through the snow to the other side of the activities’ lodge, where Daan kept his car. It had stopped snowing, I noticed, and the stars twinkled overhead like it was still midnight. No sign of the aurora, though.
Driving out, we left Luosto behind us and followed the same road that had taken us towards Esteri’s family back in December, though we evidently weren’t going that far today. The roads were clear and dark, and Esteri put on the radio to some soft music I didn’t know, and I was grateful that she wasn’t trying to get me to talk about my feelings and whatnot.
After we’d been driving for a short time, we turned off towards a lake, and pulled to a stop beside a wooden cabin, where Esteri entered our details via a tablet and a gate opened. We slid the car silently to a stop beyond the gate, and then Esteri led us towards a changing room.
‘You can relax, we’re just going to sauna,’ she said, as I started to undress without knowing why.
‘Oh, a sauna! I thought it was going to be something far more painful. Why have we driven all the way out here when we have one at the chalet?’
‘For a change of scenery, and to be tourists ourselves for a moment. Besides, this is where I come every year when I get that day when I think,ugh, I’m done here.’
‘You get that in this job?’
‘Everyone gets that in every job sometimes, it’s human nature. You’ve never had that in other jobs?’
I thought back to my numerous temp jobs over the past year. Yes, yes I had. And usually I quit at that stage.
‘Do you feel like that now? Is that why you’re cashing in your trip to this sauna?’
‘No, I just thought you could do with it. Now let’s go in.’
Leaving the changing room, we stepped across the heated pathway through the snow, and opened the door of a fairy-light-decorated wooden chalet. Inside, the steam was already misting the air, scented with sage and frankincense. It was like being hugged the minute you entered a wonderfully welcoming spa.
The sauna back at the staff chalet was blissful, but this was a whole other level. Wide, long benches lined the walls soboth of us had plenty of room to stretch out. Water dripped carefully and precisely from a feature above, ensuring you never had to get up to manually wet the hot stones to create the steam. Tiny spotlights with warm gold bulbs scattered the ceiling like stars, and one side of the sauna was entirely glass, looking out over the pre-dawn frozen lake and forest.
‘Esteri, this is …wow,’ I breathed, feeling my crumpled, tense body relax as I climbed onto one of the higher benches while she did the same. I lay down on the warm wood, silky smooth.
