Bergfors Family Forces

       It wasn’t Christmas Eve, because Mom was busy at work during the holy night, but she promised to come home early on the next day, and so she did, and the whole family gathered in the living room for a cosy reading evening with candles. They all made a camp out of quilts on the floor, chairs, wherever each one liked, and Mom took the book they were reading each year around this dark and magic time, Moominland Midwinter. Even Hannu was there with everyone, pretending to sleep on three chairs put together. Jani didn’t pretend, he was really sleeping on the mom’s lap, and the others, even the Twins, were sitting quietly and listening. Then someone knocked at the door. “It better be magi with gifts,” Hannu grumbled from his nest, and Jonne stood up to answer the door before Jani woke up. The door squeaked, a quiet female voice said something congratulatory, and a head popped in, greeting everyone in a whisper. Jukka said hello back, as did almost everyone (except for Hannu); it was Mrs. Heinänen from Social Services. “What’s wrong?” Jukka heard the oldest brother ask her. “You’ve checked on us two or three times this month. Any bad reports? Mom, I swear I don’t know what it’s about!” “Ah, no, nothing of the kind,” Mrs. Heinänen looked aside with a timid smile. “Our mission is to help and anticipate any needs, that’s all.” With a wistful sigh, she disappeared in the hall. Jukka pitied her for some reason. “Er… Mrs. Heinänen?” Mom called her in a loud whisper. “Care to join us? We’re reading the Moomins. Just don’t make noise.” Mrs. Heinänen beamed and was back in a second, her boots off already. Jukka understood that that was exactly what she wanted. Maybe she didn’t have anyone reading Moomins to her at home. But how did Mom guess? “Oh, thank you, Ms. Bergfors!” She was all smiles. “I’ll be invisible like a mouse. By the way, I’ve got some blueberry pie and waffles with me, just a sec. And you can call me Maija.” Blueberry pie was tasty. Jukka felt like in the Book, in the house of Moomins, where everyone was welcome and treated to pastry, and Mom was a real Moominmamma and not the Mymble mother as mean Hannu would tell!). As for himself, Jukka believed he was Moomintroll, of course! Halfway through the next chapter, another knock disturbed the cosy evening. Now it should have been Hannu’s turn to answer it, but he pretended to be a deaf possum, so Johanna with Johannes were the first to spring up and run to the hall. Another female voice started at top volume first but was hushed by the furious whisper of the Twins. They talked with the visitor shortly, then stormed into the kitchen and back, and the door cracked once again. “Auntie Aulikki,” Johanna reported as she landed back on a quilt. “Asked for salt,” Johannes added, crawling into his quilt cave. “We lent her the jar,” they finished in sync. “The tomato soup jar labelled as pepper?” Mom asked. “Er,” Johanna cringed. “No,” Johannes confessed from the depths of his shelter. “A dry milk jar with ‘Sugar written on it.” “Oh dear,” Mom gasped, “it was baking soda.” And she squinted at Mrs. Heinänen, but the state official just snickered. And Hannu stopped playing deaf and did his best gleeful laugh. But in a whisper. The next interruption came by the end of the same chapter, and this time Hannu condescended to answer the door. The voice was male. The image at the entrance was familiar. Mom’s colleague, Constable Crunchy, famous for sniffing moonshine (and any other alcohol) miles away. “We don’t have any booze, legal or not,” Hannu hissed at him. And Jussi, for some reason, tried to flow down to the other side of the sofa and to merge with the rug. “Thatsa point, lad.” Crunchy nodded to Mom and lingered at the living room edge, clutching at his beanie. “Bergfors, be a true friend you are, let me stay overnight… I’m fine with a rug in the hall, really! Only you can help me out, exactly because there’s nothing alcoholic under your roof! I’ve betted, you see, with Laaksonen that I won’t have a single permille for twenty-four hours, and I get a free pack of beer if I win… Will you?” “Just be quiet,” Mom whispered and nodded to the table where Mrs. Heinänen was already sitting with a cup of tea. It turned out that Crunchy had a bag full of tangerines, apples, and pears as a donation. By all the fairytale laws, there should be a third visitor, and Jukka was half-listening to the familiar adventures, half-wondering who’d come next. But then Jussi was off to the bathroom, and when he returned, he whispered to Jukka, “I’ve taken measures, no one bothers us anymore today.” Oh. Jussi’s schemes worked usually, and Jukka didn’t know if he was glad or disappointed. Anyway, he kept his ears pricked, and as the Lady of the Cold came into the pages through Mom’s voice, he heard a quiet knock. He could bet there was a knock, but no one seemed to notice or mind it. The Twins stared at Mom from their quilt nests. Jussi was scribbling something in his notebook. Hannu, left without chairs, crouched near the fireplace. Jonne seemed to nap in the armchair, and Jani was definitely sound asleep on Mom’s lap. Mrs. Heinänen and Crunchy sat side by side gingerly, whispering now and then something to each other and staring at each other when each thought the other was not looking. Jukka had a feeling they’d go back to their homes together. But the knock was definitely there! And Jukka slipped from his place pretending to go to the bathroom. He tiptoed to the front door and opened it with the greatest care, a millimetre at a time. Frost crept up his legs and clawed at his fingers. A dark night with distant constellations of neighbouring houses unravelled before his eyes. And no one else was there. Light snow was smoothing out the traces of the first two visitors already, but no new traces appeared. A page from Jussi’s notebook hung on the door, and a lamp above the porch lit the big letters, Quarantine For Measles. Keep Away! Those were the measures Jussi had meant! Still, Jukka could not shake off a feeling of someone standing close and touching his face with cold feathers. Just to be on the safe side, he crossed himself, then drew a Hannunvaakuna sign in the air for good measure. No evil should pass. The air brushed past him, tingly with frost and merriment. It was a good visitor, then. And oh—Jukka guessed! It was Christmas spirit! One day late, but it must be really busy elsewhere. With a wild smile and all hair standing, Jukka went back to the warm, safe, and dear home.