Page 70 of A Winter in Wonderland
Eventually we entered a large clearing, driving the snowmobiles onto the flat of a frozen lake, glowing a baby blue in the dark.
‘There you are,’ I whispered up to the magnificent sky.
If I’d thought the aurora the other night was spectacular, this was a whole other level. With uninterrupted views of the skies for miles, the black above was painted with water-colour brushstrokes of luminous green that breathed and moved. It was kind of ethereal. Whoa, mamma.
I pulled my snowmobile to a stop along with the other guides, and signalled for the guests to do the same.
There was a collective gasp that filled the silence that wrapped around us once the engines were turned off. ‘Oh my gosh, look at that!’ I heard somebody cry from a few vehicles back.
‘We got lucky this evening,’ I told the guests nearest me, as I stepped from my snowmobile. Seeing their hesitation, I added, ‘It’s OK, it’s safe to get off here. The ice is so thick you won’t fall through. Typically the lights might not last longer than half an hour, so please make the most of it while they’re here.’
They climbed out and all the guests started meandering about on the ice, wobbling as their feet sank into snowy banks while they stared up at the sky with awe and an infectious excitement and phones and cameras held high. Josh was wandering between them giving them photography tips, and I held back, just taking it all in myself.
I could see why Esteri kept coming back here year after year. Lapland was completely beautiful. And if you could tolerate Christmas too it was kind of the perfect place to work over winter.
Did Iactuallyjust think that?
I knew my next duty was to get a campfire going, so whilethe other adventure guides led the guests a little further onto the lake, I stayed near the snowmobiles and pulled out logs, kindling and matches from the bag, and carried them off the edge of the lake.
Some clever people can build campfiresonfrozen lakes. I think we all know how that would likely go if I were to try it. So I would stick to the gently sloped shoreline, thanks.
I sat down in front of my makeshift campfire while it got going, and closed my eyes, breathing in my surroundings along with the scents of the woodsmoke. And when I opened my eyes again to the unmistakable sound of boots treading over knee-deep snow, Josh was approaching.
‘Hey,’ he said, his American accent as warm as the campfire flames.
‘Hi.’
‘Do you need a hand?’
‘Not really, but some company would be nice, if nobody needs you?’
We couldn’t just start snogging here …could we? No, that would be totally inappropriate. Besides, he might just have come over for a toasted marshmallow.
‘Pretty amazing, huh?’ Josh took a seat beside me, resting his elbows on his knees, as the embers began to ignite.
‘It’s incredible,’ I agreed. Even through all the winter clothing, I felt the proximity of his arm like we were back at the party. It caused my mind to go blank, and I struggled to think of conversation. Instead, I poked at the fire, which crackled under my touch. ‘Have you ever seen them before?’
‘While in Lapland? No, only when we were, you know … ’
‘Outside on Christmas morning?’
‘Yeah.’
We both laughed, shyly.
‘That was a good night.’ He held my gaze, his eyes soft and his voice low.
‘It was.’ I nodded. ‘Plus, I realised you’re notalwaysannoying.’
He chuckled at that. ‘Thank you.’
We were quiet again for a bit, until Josh leaned back in the snow, propping himself on his elbows and watching the sky above. The only sound was the distant chatter of our group being watched over by the other guides, and the crackling and hissing of the fire. The lights were soundless, just breathing, much like us.
‘Do you feel better now?’ Josh asked all of a sudden, his voice quiet. ‘Now that Christmas is over?’
‘I do,’ I murmured. ‘It takes the pressure off my mind a little. Not that Christmas is ever reallyoverhere, I suppose.’
‘That’s true. Can I … ’ He paused and I waited, leaning back next to him. ‘Can I ask what it is about Christmas? Like, there’s no rule that says you have to like Christmas, I just wondered though if there was a reason you weren’t so into it.’
