This is a series of studies for my long-time-in-the-writings book about the magic in the Nordic countries.
We
are in the 70es on Unicorn Island, an island off the coast of southern
Zealand. A handful of teachers have gathered the broken threads of magic
once again, trying to revive the magic in Norway, Denmark, Sweden,
Finland, the Faroes and partially Greenland.
Our main
protagonist is Susan (me) from Elsinore and her three co-apprentices and
friends Heidi, Tage and Lis living at Unicorn Island.
I grasped the chance to write a little bit about some of the lesser known apprentices in this A-Z challenge. Ⓐ - Ⓩ
X for "X marks the spot" ~ Nata Kanerva and Jouka Mustonen.
Friends, not siblings this time around.Palm Sunday in the morning, Jouka once again sat on Nata's doorstep, Over his shoulder hung a canvas bag where he had lots of things, a pocket knife, matches, edibles, books, and even a clean shirt. He enjoyed the glorious siunise, then passed the morning reading until Nata woke up and found him there. "Hi Jouka," she said. "Circus going on again at home?"
"Yea," he replied, "Dad's drunk again, the older ones have been out dancing, arriving home all night, more or less noisy, smaller ones crying, getting into everything, ruining my schoolbooks and homework given half a chance, and mom as usual sad, as usual silently scolding. I am just trying to make myself as scarce as possible."
"You know you're always welcome here. Maybe it would be an idea to stash your schoolbooks here? That way they won't be ruined," Nata looked questioning at Jouka. A slow smile spread over his narrow face.
"But first," Nata said, "you need a bath and some breakfast."
"I second that," Jouka said happily.
After breakfast Nata found her mother and asked if Jouka could have a shelf of his own somewhere.
"I can do better," Her mother said. "That small room in the attic, there's an old cupboard, Jouka could have his stuff in there - there's room for more than books."
"Mom, you're a darling," Nata said, and Jouka thanked her profusely.
"Well," mom said. "It's only right. You and I have so much room, and Jouka so little. If I did not know that his mom and dad would raise hell given a chance, I'd say he could move in, I always wanted a son."
Jouka gave a short, hard laugh. "No, not going to happen," he said. "They need the Lapsilisä (money paid from the state to parents of children under 18) I bring."
"But you still know you're always welcome," Nata's mother said.
"Thanks!" Jouka said simply.
"Now what are we going to do in the holidays?" Jouka asked when Nata's mother had left for work.
"I have an idea," Nata said, rose, and fetched an issue of the paper,
Helsingin Sanomat. "There is a an event in the park today, starting off an Easter-treasure hunt with clues for kids. One clue a day and a prize for whomever presents most solved clues Saturday morning"
They went to the park and participated in the event. They had to walk around the beds, finding flowers that were pretty, but poisonous. Together they found Aconite: "Also known as Wolfsbane," Jouka added, Foxgloves and a Daphne tree. They were then given a booklet to fill out every day and had their names signed in a list.
Every day the two children met in Nata's house, and every day Jouka's dark head and Nata's blonde were bent over the daily issue of
Helsingin Sanomat.
Thursday the clues were very tough and they brought the booklet and the paper to the park, where the clue allegedly should be found.
"A place of dying?" Jouka said. "I have no idea."
"Graveyards are out of bounds, they said so in the first clue," Nata added.
"We have been to many of the famous places in Helsinki," Jouka said, "The Sibelius monument, National museum, Finlandia Hall, The Cathedral, The Mannerheim statue ... what would be missing, if this was a list of places to be seen in Helsinki?"
"The big Hospital?" Nata asked. "At least people die there."
"I do not think the hospital would be happy to be known as the dying place!" Jouka said.
"Fair enough." Nata said, "Missing also: Sveaborg, Old market, Library, Orthodox church, Rock church, Senate ..."
"Yes," Jouka interrupted her "Uspenskij cathedral. Uspenskij means dying, That's it!"
"Let's get there," Nata said.
When they got near there, two old people asked for their help. "We're a bit lost," the man said."We were looking for the Cathedral, but we can't find it."
"We know where it is," Jouka said, "it's quite close, we were there Wednesday." As they walked with the couple to the Cathedral, they told about the treasure hunt, and their love of solving riddles."
The lady asked Jouka and Nata: "Can you also solve this one. I have cities, but no houses; forests, but no trees; and water, but no fish. Who am I?"
Jouka and Nata whispered together, and then Jouka spoke up: "It's a map!"
Then the man said: "A father’s child, a mother’s child, yet no one’s son. Who am I?"
"That's easy," Nata said. "It's me, a daughter."
"And a final one"," the lady said. "I always run but never walk, often murmur, never talk. I have a bed but never sleep; an open mouth but never eat. Who am I?"
Jouka thought long and longer, Nata did the same. They whispered, they repeated the words. "It cannot be alive, Jouka said in the end. If it never eats and never sleeps ... It's not a road either, because roads do not speak or run, even if we say so."
"This one does not speak either, only murmurs," Nata said. "And it run, but does not walk .. Maybe time?"
"No," Jouka said, "Time has no bed." Nata shook her head. "A bed," he said slowly "I know, at least I think I do. A river. Try it out."
"Runs, but never walks; check," Nata said. "Murmurs, I suppose you could say so of the sound from a running river, never talks at least. Have a bed, yup, and never sleeps. An open mouth? ... what's the mouth of a river ... oh yes of course it is a river." The last she said loud enough for the elderly couple to hear.
"True it is a river," the lady said. "We'd like to treat you two to an ice cream here in the park."
"Yes please!" Jouka and Nata said in unison.
As they sat on a bench and table set in the park each eating an ice cream cone, Jouka suddenly said. "You were not lost at all. You live here in Helsinki, same as we."
"True," the man said. "We were testing you."
"Is it a part of the Treasure hunt from the paper?" Nata asked, "and is it true that today's clue is the Uspenskij cathedral?"
"No, sorry," the lady said. "We're magic snoopers."
"You're what?" Nata said. "That sounds like something out of a bad movie."
"No it's true," Josh said.
"You can feel it," The lady said.
"Yes, or maybe ... Don't laugh, sometimes when people are lying, I see some kind of colour over them. Like red, orangish. If on the other hand they tell a truth that seems unlikely - like what you just said. I see a blue or green light over you. No, I'm not crazy, and sorry Nata, I have tried to tell you, but you were not listening very much."
"It's because I see the same," she said, shaking. "Only not so much any more. I once told my mother, and she said to stop doing it. It was evil. Some sort of witchcraft."
"But it is, some sort of witchcraft, that is, not evil," the man said. "We are wizards, and we're out to find apprentices for our new school, would you like to join? I'm Taavi, and this is Tähti," the lady rose and bowed. Suddenly the children noticed that while she was certainly old, she was in no way weak or senile. She smiled, and her eyes danced with mirth. "You should see yourselves right now," she laughed. "Your brains are whirring, and you're almost tying yourself into knots so as not to believe us."
She pulled out a slender branch and swished it through the air whispering a short command. Then she rose into the air. Taavi also pulled his wand and swished it with a few words. Rose petals began raining gently all over the table and surroundings.
Jouka and Nata sat down, Then Jouka closed his open mouth. "But how, I mean why, I mean I did not think magic really existed. And how did you find us?"
"We have looked for children with magic, as I said we're snoopers, or rather it's a part of our job."
"I'd like to come," Jouka said, but then his face drooped. "But I'll never get my parent's permission. They want me to stay in the school with no payment" - he said this last as if it was one word.
"The school will be in the holidays" Täthi explained. "And your parents need not know where you're going. For that sake, you can tell them you've gotten a job for the holidays."
"But that's lying!" Jouka said.
"Do your parents know when somebody are lying? or any of your brothers or sisters?"
"No," Jouka almost whispered, "they don't."
"I thought as much," Täthi said. "None of them can do magic, You're the only one."
"And me," Nata said. "I'm fairly free to come and go. Mother always works during the holidays, she says it pays better, gives her goodwill and that I'm bright enough to be able to miss a week here and there for us to travel anyway."
"Smart Mom, and she's even right." Taavi said.
"It's a deal?" Tähti said. Nata and Jouka nodded, and Tähti added: "I'll send you a letter closer to the summer holidays, telling where to go and such. No problems, Jouka, it will look as a working contract for you, and for Nata like an invitation to a 4H course."
"We'll be able to pay you a small salary," Taavi said calmingly to Jouka. "You won't be found out!"
"Now off to the Cathedral of the Dormition you go. That's the technical name for the Uspenkij Catedral. It sure is the right clue." Tähti said.
Nata and Jouka found the clue, they also found the Saturday one and each got a big bag of Easter eggs.
At the Unicorn Farm, Nata joined the
healing and flying team, eventually flying for the Yellow team in the broom race, and Jouka was one of the only three apprentices taking to
Portals major and Discernment magic.
Jouka's wand was made out of maple, and his sparks were bright red and green. Nata's birchen wand emitted yellow sparks. They both died after losing their magic again.
- - - - -
Monday Y for Finnbogi Yngvasson.
Using the photo and the words Foxglove and Event from the Words for Wednesday.
