Page 25 of A Winter in Wonderland
Chapter 12
After a better sleep than the night before, I was up and packed the next day, ready to board one of what was – thanks to some extra arrivals late yesterday, many of whom were Finnish seasonal workers who’d come up for the winter – now two Love Adventuring Lapland-branded buses to take us away from Rovaniemi an hour north towards Luosto. We wouldn’t be living in the small village of Luosto itself, but a remote area to the side of the National Park, surrounded by forests and fells. I half expected the drive to be slow, crawling over snowy roads and fighting our way over snowdrifts, but of course, Lapland is pretty used to the white stuff so we glided up there without a problem.
My solemn mood was all but gone, for now at least, thanks to the stern talking to I’d given myself the day before.
Josh, with all his festive fervour and impending elf-ness, might not have been my obvious choice for a new friend but he was easy to talk to and had a certain infectiousenthusiasm. He and I sat a seat away from each other on the bus, and I was definitely teetering back on the ‘new adventure’ side of being in Lapland again.
‘I nearly forgot!’ he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out an envelope and handing it to me.
‘What’s this?’ I asked, ripping into it before I gave him a chance to reply. ‘A diploma?’
‘From Elf School,’ he laughed. ‘I picked up one for you, as you had to leave early yesterday.’
I studied the piece of card decorated with two smiling elves, and couldn’t help but unleash a little smile myself. Who’d have thought it? ‘Thank you.’
On the bus I made small talk with those around me, but when the Christmas song-singing started up with gusto I became very interested in photographing the view outside.
Beyond the window the road was bordered by endless pine trees rising from the snowy verge and dusted with their own icing sugar toppings that twinkled in the light of the low, mid-morning sunshine. Occasionally we passed a frosty lake, some wooden barns and cottages painted an earthy red, or the road carved above a river, babbling over the rocks and stones below the surface. It was almost hard to imagine that only about forty-eight hours before, I’d been navigating my way through the rain and London Tube to get to Heathrow airport.
‘When we get to the Love Adventuring Lapland base, the first thing you’ll see is the activities lodge,’ said Daan, standing up and addressing us all when the singing stopped. ‘That’s where all guests arriving by coach will betaken to check in for their booked activities, making any changes or book more things, and to borrow their clothing, plus there is a big hall because we sometimes have indoor workshops and things. Behind the lodge is the staff chalet, where you will live. And nearby is the husky farm and the reindeer farm.’
He paused to let the excited murmurs die down again before continuing. ‘We’re a little more spread out than some of the operations here in Lapland, but everything is walkable. Through a lot of snow and trees. But there’s plenty of room to explore and have fun with the guests. Lapland is the best part of the world, in my opinion.’
Daan sat back down for a while, until the trees began to part to show glimpses of cabins. ‘This is the village of Luosto,’ he called back. ‘Which means we’re not too far from your new homes now.’
And before I knew it, we were pulling onto a track that wove inside a pine forest, and into a cleared car park, coming to a stop in front of a large wooden building tucked in between a forest of trees, which said Love Adventuring Lapland – Activities’ Lodge on the outside.
Daan stood up at the front of the bus, spread his arms wide, and said, ‘Welcome! To your most wonderful Christmas ever!’
My coat was the best.The best.After trekking from the bus through the forest to the staff accommodation chalet, I was toasty warm even though the temperature outside was minus seven, I think, today. It also helped that my backpackwas giving me back-sweats like I was in a weights class, or hauling one of those reindeer around with me, and that my knock-off Uggs were really no match for the thick snow so every step felt as tough as, well, wading through three-foot deep snow. Anyway, by the time I reached my room I’d pretty much had a full workout.
The staff housing consisted of a two-floor wooden chalet, tucked between the trees at the foot of a fell, a few minutes’ walk from the activities’ lodge. I’d learned that a ‘fell’ in Lapland, akatunturiin Finnish, was basically similar to those in the UK, in that it’s a hill with its top above the trees, and in Lapland, that can actually make them even more accessible in the snow because you could walk over them. We were given our room numbers on the bus and told that, by tonight, all staff members would have arrived so we’d have our orientation then.
Climbing the steps to the second floor, I followed a wooden corridor where the scent of pine trees was baked into the walls, emitting the aroma and feeling of being outside, even when you were warm and within.
My room was number sixteen, and I put my wrought-iron key in the lock, unsure what – or who – to expect on the other side.
But it was just me. At least for now. Inside the room was a bunk bed against one wall, red covers neatly made up, and a pine ladder propped between the two bunks. The walls were a continuation of the rounded logs, and I ran my fingers over the smooth, hard wood, feeling the dimples beneath. A small, square window with red curtains looked out acrossthe white fairy-tale forest. Two chairs, a chest of drawers, a desk, a mirror and some shelves were the only other things in there. We’d been asked to hang our coats and boots on the warmers in the ‘boot room’ just inside the main door, so I padded around in just my thick socks, wondering how long to leave it before venturing to find the toilets, since I guessed everybody else would be forming a queue outside them right about now.
I wasn’t in a rush, so FaceTimed the mastermind behind this whole operation.
‘Myla!’ Tess’s face appeared on Shay’s phone. She looked behind her. ‘Shay? Shay! Your sister is on the phone. Myla, how are you doing, are you still in Lapland?’
‘Of course I’m still in Lapland,’ I laughed. ‘Did you think I’d give up that easily?’
‘Yep.’ Tess nodded.
‘No way, you know how scary Shay can be, I’m under strict instructions not to come home.’
‘Fair point,’ agreed Tess, and lowered her voice. ‘She’s in such a mood today. She threw an avocado at the wall.’
‘Why?’ I laughed.
‘Because I said the one she’d picked wasn’t ripe yet and she wanted to prove me wrong.’
At that moment, Shay appeared in the background, brandishing a knife. ‘Hey, I told you that was just pregnancy hormones and I was sorry, and now I’m making you a fancy dinner to make up for it so shut your mouth.’
‘Put the knife down, Shay,’ I called. And then wondered how soundproof these walls were.
