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Here is my new story. It's the sixth (already ) chapter of the saga "Finnish stories". I advice to read first "Finnish stories: Confessions", "Finnish stories: changes are needed", "Finnish stories: tears of joy and sorrow", "Finnish stories: lies and betrayals" and then "Finnish stories: hypocrisy and selfishness". Otherwise you will not understand this story.

Main characters: : Janne Happonen, Arttu Lappi and Janne Ahonen
Secondary characters: Matti Hautamäki, Harri Olli, Veli-Matti Lindström, Tami Kiuru, Jussi Hautamäki, Ville Kantee, Olli Muotka and Anssi Koivuranta.

Time of the action: 2026-2027

Like ever, it's a fiction and everything comes from my strange imagination.

I wish you a pleasant reading time in my fantasy world and I'm looking for your comments in the feedback thread.

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1. Mess after the storm

July 11th, 2026

The previous day an unreal storm arrived over the city of Helsinki. The wind was very powerful, many trees fell, some windows broke and the water of the lakes became crazy. It went back to the centre of the lakes before to come back like a tsunami. Many boats sank and some people who were swimming were missing. And after few minutes in Hell, the blue sky and sun came back like if nothing happened. In the region it was the panic. Nobody had an explanation to the phenomenon. The scientists were analysing the radar images while some people were talking about the anger of the old Finnish Gods.

The firemen were cutting the trees which were blocking the roads, watering the houses in fire or pumping the water in the cellars while the policemen were trying to find the missing people. The hospitals were crowded and people were really stressed and aggressive. Janne Happonen was sat on a bed and was protesting. He was saying that he was fine and he wanted to leave the hospital. “No Mr Happonen. You have a commotion and you have to stay her,” a doctor told him. “It’s nothing. Just a few stitches. I’m fine. I’ve to help the others,” he complained. The family Happonen was the previous afternoon on the beach of the Bodom Lake when the storm came. They escaped by car but a tree fell on their car. Luckily the injuries were quite light. Maria and Ana just had a few cuts and Havu a commotion which didn’t look bad. “Please Havu, listen to me. The doctor is professional and if he told you to stay in the bed, you have to stay in the bed,” Maria insisted.

Jussi Hautamäki was in the youth centre and he was providing some help to the teenagers with light injuries and was asking in the neighbourhood if everybody was alright. He was very concerned by the old people alone. He knew that they were more fragile and could break a bone easily. When he didn’t get an answer after have knocked a couple of times at the door, he was walking around the house and looked by the windows. He used his old thief skills to enter in the houses. But it was for a good reason. In the third house these skills were useful. He found an old lady on the floor in the entrance. She fell in the stairs and rolled down. “Are you okay? Can you hear me? I’m Jussi. I’m here to help you,” he reassured while he checked her pulse. He called an ambulance but he knew that it would not come in the following minutes. They were so busy. He put her head on his knees and touched her hair. “Markus?” the lady murmured. “It’s not Markus. It’s Jussi. I’m here to help you. I’m working at the youth centre. Are you okay?” he asked. The lady was probably over eighty years old and seemed to be lost. In a way he was happy that she was conscious. Half an hour later the ambulance came and the lady thanked Jussi who smiled.

Anssi Koivuranta was stressed. He was again near the lake and was looking with a long lens if he saw his wife. The previous day he was in his boat when the storm started. The cupboards opened and the objects fell on his head. He fell on the floor and lost consciousness. When he was awake again he went out but his wife was not on the boat anymore. He swam for long minutes and called her name but without success. “Elina!” he screamed in the direction of the lake during his walk. He was looking near the reefs but he saw only dead wood. He sat on a high rock and looked at the water. He hoped that she was safe somewhere. But he was also scared. He knew that she was probably dead. He took his wallet from the back pocket of his short and looked at a picture. She was so beautiful. He kissed the photo and closed his eyes for a little while. A light wind was blowing. He erased quickly his tears, got up and continued to explore the shore.

Tiia Ahonen was under shock. First her boyfriend told that their love story was over and after the storm she discovered him dead in the grass of the botanic garden. The family of Urho didn’t like her at all and she felt alone in her flat in Matinkylä. Nobody was there to comfort. When her last package of tissues was empty she decided to call a friend. “Hi Katrina... it’s me... Tiia... no I’m so sad!” she said while she cried again. Her black mascara was sliding along her cheeks and dropped on her white shirt. Less than half an hour later Katrina arrived and hugged her friend. “I brought some chocolate cookies and a movie. But first, let’s talk a bit,” the wife of Veli-Matti Lindström said in a sweet voice.

Arttu Lappi was also in his garden. He was wearing beige short, a white t-shirt and gloves. With his axe he was cutting the tree of the neighbour which fell in his garden. It was a huge tree which was probably over fifty years old. The neighbour was also helping. “I’m very sorry for your flowers,” Jarkko said. “Don’t worry. They will grow again next summer. Nobody has been injured and it’s the most important. Can I have some wood for my sauna?” the lawyer asked. “Yes, of course. As much as you want.” Pillow the huge St Bernard of Arttu was on the terrace enjoying the sun and looking at the hard workers.

During that time Tami Kiuru was in the house of Arttu in the room of Harri Olli who was in his bed. He didn’t feel good since the storm. The curtains were closed because the light of the sun was dazzling. Tami was touching his hair. “Can you tell me what you feel?” he asked a bit worried. His forehead was much warmer than usually and his eyes were half closed. He was breathing with difficulties and whistling. “It’s because of them...” he murmured. Tami didn’t get it and asked for more detail. “The storm... it’s because of...” “Harri, stay with me. I’m scared. Drink a bit of water,” Tami advised. He took the glass which was on the night desk and helped him to drink. Half of the water went around his mouth and slid on his chin and neck. “Harri, please. Don’t leave me,” Tami said with a tear in the eyes. “It will be fine. Stay with me,” he repeated to reassure himself while he kissed softly his lips. He had the feeling that his friend was really bad and he didn’t know what to do. The problem was that some months ago with the help of Arttu he drove Harri from the rehab clinic to that house without authorisation. It was to protect Harri from his wife but at that moment he needed help. He knew that if he asked for help he would be in trouble. But he didn’t care of the consequences. The problem was that Nina would hear about it and Harri remembered too much. Tami was sure that Nina would kill him.

“Arttu, we have a problem,” Tami said when he was near the wood cutter who had a break. He was sweating and was drinking a huge glass of water. “What?” the lawyer asked while he erased some drops of sweat from his forehead. “I think that Harri is badly sick. He needs help.” “Seriously? Oh fuck... What will we do?” Arttu was stressed. He was thinking of the consequences if Harri died in his house. How to explain the story? “Are you sure that it’s not the flu or anything light?” Arttu suggested. “I don’t know. I’m not a doctor. I’m worried. What happened in twenty-four hours? It’s like if he got the thunder. He was fine before. Maybe one of your neighbours can help us?” Tami proposed. “Tami, it’s really risky. I don’t want to go to jail.” “Fine. I drive him to the flat in Vuosaari. I’m not afraid. If I have to go to jail, I’ll go. I thought that you were our friend.” “I’m, Tami... but understand. I don’t want to lose everything. If you need a lawyer I’m here. And for you it will be for free.” “Thanks for your support,” Tami said before to be back to the house.

Leena was sat on a chair with a sleeping little baby in her arms. She had long curly brown hair, round pink cheeks, a green t-shirt and a short in jeans. Her eyes were red. She cried a lot when she got the phone call from the police to tell that her husband has been stabbed in his bar in the early morning. Luckily the security guard arrived quickly and called the ambulance. He was recently in a first aid course and knew exactly what to do. He probably saved the life of Janne Ahonen. Before four o’clock he opened his eyes and looked around. Leena saw it and smiled. She got up and touched his arm. “Hello sweetheart. I’m so happy to see your green eyes again,” she said with a smile. She kissed his hand and held it. When he knew that he was safe he closed his eyes again.

“Harri! Harri! Stay with me. No, you can’t leave me!” Tami said when he entered in the bedroom. He took off the cover of the bed and carried him in his arms. He was not too heavy. Tami went quickly to his car where he put him in the back. “Harri, wake up, please,” he insisted while he put a cover on him. He knew that Harri was very often cold and he didn’t want that someone saw that he had a passenger on the back seat. “Good luck and call me if you need help,” Arttu said before he closed the door of the car and drove away.

When he arrived in Vuosaari, Tami carried his friend to the flat which was at the third floor. He opened the door and put him on the bed. He closed the door and went back to his friend. “Harri, do you remember this flat? It’s our flat. There is someone here that you loved almost more than anybody else. Do you remember your baby?” After this word, Harri opened his eyes. He saw his iguana. Tami caught the animal which was on the floor and put it on Harri’s chest. “Cleo...” he murmured in a very little voice. He had a shy smile on his face and moved slowly his right hand. It was shaking a lot. He touched the back of the animal who was surprised. Harri probably put too much pressure. “My baby...” he added after few minutes. Tami checked the forehead of his friend and it was still quite warm. He went to the bathroom and dampened a towel. He put it on his head and hoped that the temperature would fall. “Thank you... I... I’ve a... horrible headache,” Harri complained. But Tami didn’t know what to do. He checked in the bathroom if he had some pain killers. He found some paracetamol and gave it to his friend. He hoped that it would help.

Then he went to the kitchen and prepared some dinner. He cooked a soup with chicken and vegetables. He cut everything in small pieces. He wanted them to be as easy as possible to eat. He regretted to don’t have a mixer. When it was ready he brought a bowl to the night desk and sat next to his friend who was still awake. Cleo was also still on his chest. “It’s time to eat,” Tami said while he took Cleo and put it on the floor. He helped Harri to sit and adjusted the pillow in his back. He took the spoon and fed his friend like a little child. A couple of times he had to touch him to bring him back to the reality. He thought that it was important that he ate properly. “Do you feel better?” he said when the bowl was empty. Harri nodded. “I think that it’s time to sleep now,” Tami added. He brought that dish in the kitchen, ate quickly before to switch off the lights. When he was under the cover he touched the hand of Harri. “Do you think... I’m punished?” “For what? You did nothing wrong,” Tami replied. “I always... wanted the... the truth. In Norway... I saw... Jussi and Matti... using drugs...in... in our room. Jussi... he promised... to kill me... if I spoke.” “It’s okay and he will never touch you. I promise,” Tami replied. “And then... Nina... I just... just wanted to know...” he murmured before to cough. “I just wanted the... the truth...” he said before to cry silently. But Tami saw it and comforted. “I think that you should sleep now. Good night little angel.” “Good night.”

“I remember now...” Harri said after a little while. “What do you remember?” Tami asked while he rose in the bed. “We were starting our... our new life here... you and me... forever...” he murmured in the night and Tami smiled. He was happy that he remembered. He felt that Harri was holding his hand. He turned on the side and came closer. He felt a soft kiss on his cheek. “Hey, you remember more than expected,” Tami said with a wide smile. “It’s because of you... and Arttu. Thank you so much,” he said before to kiss again.

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2. Little angel

July 12th

A bit before four o’clock in the night the rain was heavy. Arttu Lappi couldn’t sleep. But it wasn’t because of the rain. It was because of his dog. It was whining downstairs. The lawyer turned on the light of his night desk and wore his dressing gown. The floor was cold and he shivered. He rubbed his eyes in the stairs. He looked in the living room if the dog was there. “Pillow?” The dog was still whining but it came from another room. He listened and tried to figure out where it came from. Finally he found his dog whining on the bed where Harri was previously. “Pillow, what’s up? It’s just some rain. Nothing else. Go back to sleep in your basket,” he advised but the dog didn’t listen. It was still whining. Arttu sat on the bed and stroked the fur of the animal to reassure. “Why are you sad?” The dog turned his head and looked at his owner. “Okay, come to sleep with me,” he said after a little while. The dog jumped on the floor and before to leave the room it looked at the bed and whined a last time. When he was in the bed of Arttu, the huge dog fell asleep.

The alarm clock of Tami Kiuru rang at seven. He caught his phone and turned it off. “It’s so cold here,” he complained. His face and his arms were cold. He touched Harri and felt that he was also cold. He got up and closed the window. He looked at the thermometer. “I can’t believe it. Only nine degrees mid-July,” he complained again. He took a warm shower and turned on the coffee machine. He was supposed to go to work but he didn’t know if he wanted to go or not. He thought that it was better to stay with Harri who didn’t feel good the previous day. He switched on his laptop and read the news while he drank his coffee. There was nothing really new. They were talking about the storm and its consequences. There were some nice stories too. Like these firemen who found a little girl in a hole more than twenty-four hours after the storm. She was weak but alive and not injured. Before eight o’clock Tami called his boss and said that he was sick.

“What the Hell are you doing? The doctor told you to stay at home for a week!” Maria reminded to her husband who was ready to leave the house to go to the police station. “I’ve to save lives. It’s my job,” he replied but she was quicker. She went to the main door and locked it. “If I have to swallow the key I’ll do it,” she challenged. “Please Maria. Don’t be silly.” “The silly person here, is you. Take off your working clothes and relax here with Ana and me.” When he saw that he had no other choice Janne went back to the bedroom to change his clothes. Maria couldn’t believe that he was so stubborn. When he was back he hugged and apologized. He promised to stay home.

Anssi Koivuranta was in his car, listening to the radio. Since the storm he didn’t sleep. He was exhausted and his eyes were red. He was also unable to eat. Every five minutes he was checking his phone if he didn’t have a message. He was so worried. He wondered where his wife was. He opened a can of energy drink and drove to another place along the shore of the lake. On the way he closed his eyes a couple of times during few seconds. But he was fighting. Nothing bad happened during the trip. He closed the door of his car and walked to the shore like if he was drunk. His legs were heavy. His body was hurting. But he didn’t want to give up. He climbed with difficulties on a rock, sat and looked at the lake. “Elina...” he said in a tired voice. His head was painful. He felt so weak. His hands were shaking. He lay down and looked at the water. Suddenly he got an SMS. Slowly he took his phone from his pocket and read the message. His view was blurry and his hand was shaking. When he saw the message he turned angry. How that idiot dared to send him an SMS at that moment? The idiot was Ville Kantee. He told to Anssi that he changed his mind and wanted to come back to the rock band the Kroisos.

Tami sat on the bed. It was time to wake up for Harri. To know if he still had fever he touched his forehead. But there he had a shock. “No Harri! Tell me that it’s not true!” His forehead was cold. In a panic he checked his pulse. There was nothing. He listened to his heart but it was mute. He touched his shoulder and shook it. “Harri wake up! Don’t leave me! Harri! No...” He took his friend in his arms and held him firmly. The tears were running and the shirt of Harri became wet. Tami couldn’t believe that Harri was gone. “My little angel...”

After some long minutes when he was clam again, he breathed deeply and called his friend. “Arttu, Harri is dead.” “What? How? I... I’m so sorry. I’m coming,” the lawyer promised. He left his office and went to Vuosaari. When he arrived he saw that the curtains were closed but the room was not dark. Harri was still in the bed, like if he was sleeping. “Do you know when... it happened?” Arttu asked having a lump in his throat. “During the night. What shall I do now?” “I think that you have to call the police.” “Oh Arttu... Yesterday he was so happy to see Cleo. And he also remembered what this flat meant. He was almost the Harri he was before the accident,” Tami told with nostalgia. “It’s nice. He made a lot of progress these last months. Before he was almost unable to talk. I’m very happy to have had the opportunity to help him. Once he told me that he was happy to have me as a friend. He was right. We were friends. And I have no regrets. I’m proud to have helped you to save him from Nina. And I think that he enjoyed these few months with me,” the lawyer told. “He was the nicest person I knew. But nobody took time to know him. It’s a pity. Thank you Arttu for all what you did and I’m sorry for my remarks the first days.” “No, you were right. I didn’t realize that he needed so much help. Last week he told me that he wanted to try to walk again. I promised to help.” After that sentence Tami hugged Arttu.

Maria Happonen was at the Happy Hangover bar. She was entertaining the customers with her warm attitude and they seemed to like it. She was joking and trying to bring some happiness in their lives. She had an amaryllis in her hair and was wearing a mid-long skirt yellow and blue that she bought in her country and she had a white blouse. At ten o’clock Leena arrived with her baby. “Hello! It’s so nice to see you. You look beautiful today. How is little Teemu today?” Maria asked with enthusiasm. “Hi. We are fine. Thank you so much for helping me with the bar,” the young mother answered. “But it’s normal. You cannot work here alone with a little baby. It’s terrible what happened to Janne. Do you know if the police got the criminal?” Maria asked while she was cutting a pineapple. “No, unfortunately. The images from the video cameras are not good enough. And the guy had a hood and a scarf. And Janne didn’t remember any details to help the inspectors to identify him. He just said that he was around one meter seventy tall, normal build and between eighteen and twenty-five years old. Well... it can be any young guy here. Now we have to think of the opening hours. Before Janne comes back we will have the same opening hours as the shops of the shopping mall,” Leena explained. “I was talking with the girls and they agreed that we can all help and while some are working here the others are doing some babysitting.” “That’s nice Maria! But which girls? You, Katrina and?” the young girl asked. “Nina and... Tiia...” Maria said a bit embarrassed. “Tiia? The ex-wife of Janne? Well... I think that it’s better to talk about it to Janne.” “Leena, Tiia lost her boyfriend in the storm and she is really sad. I think that it can be good for her to work a bit and to meet people. But you’re right. You should talk about it to Janne,” Maria concluded.

Nina was in her laboratory when she heard someone knocking at the door. She was busy but the person insisted. She looked at the screen of the video camera and saw that it was two policemen. She thought that it was better to open. She existed quickly her laboratory, took her daughter in her arms and opened the door. “Ms Olli?” the oldest and tallest policeman said. Their face were closed and looked very serious. “Yes, is there a problem?” “Can we enter?” “Yes, sure...” she was really surprised. They went to the living room. “Please sit,” the agent said and she did it. “We are sorry but we have bad news for you.” Her heart was beating really fast. She didn’t know what to expect. She thought that maybe they knew about the room and wanted to drive her to jail. Or Harri told something. Or her mother who had a cancer was dead. “Your husband Harri is deceased,” the oldest policeman said. She swallowed slowly and became pale. “Thank you for telling me. I’m sure that you have a lot of work,” she said totally lost. The smaller policeman got up and took the little girl. He had the impression that Nina was close to let her down. “Ms Olli? Are you okay?” the oldest asked. “Yes... get out of my house. And you, give me my baby.” The man did it and suddenly she cried. She was holding strongly Saara who cried too. The oldest took the baby while the youngest tried to comfort the widow.

Half an hour later she was in the morgue and was looking at her husband. He was pale but seemed to be peaceful. A white sheet was covering his body. She touched softly his hair and his left cheek. “Harri, why? Do you remember when we promised to be together until the death in the joy and the pain? Why did you leave me? Because of the secret room or because I haven’t been near you every day at the clinic? It was so hard for me. But it doesn’t mean that I was not concerned. You were sure that I was a bad person and that I would kill you. But you were wrong. Finally it’s Tami who killed you. I’m sure about it. Look at you. You lost weight and he didn’t know how to take care of you. You were probably suffering a lot but he didn’t help. Last night he made a choice. You needed the help of a doctor. He chose to don’t bring you help. He chose that you had to die. He will pay. But I’m proud of you. You didn’t reveal my secret. I know it. Otherwise Tami would have come to the house, very angry. Harri, it’s working! But unfortunately I won’t do it for you. Because you never believed it and I’ve no room for you. I’m sorry, I will not save you. No second chance.” She got up and kissed his forehead. “See you in Hell little angel.” And she left the room.

Tami admitted what he did but never mentioned the name of Arttu. There was no reason to reveal it. It was their secret. He was sat in the office of a police officer who listened to his story. “Well Mr Kiuru. It seems to look bad for you. You have kidnapped Mr Olli, you failed to help a person in danger and you can also be accused of negligent homicide. That’s a lot and we still don’t have all the results of the analysis done by the forensic scientist. Be ready to spend some time in jail. I hope that you have a good lawyer,” the policeman concluded. “I have,” he simply answered. He knew that what he did was bad. But he thought that it would be soon time to tell the authorities what Nina did.

During that time Janne Happonen was bored at home. His wife was working at the Happy Hangover bar and he was doing some babysitting. Ana was on the carpet of the living room playing with her dolls. She was an adorable little girl and didn’t need to be much under closer watch. When he finished looking at the women magazines on the table he opened the door of his house and decided to cut some branches of the bushes. Sometimes he had a look inside the house to check that Ana was doing nothing bad. “Hi Janne. It’s really rare to see you here during the week,” Katrina exclaimed from the other side of the road. “Well... my doctor told me to stay home but I’m fine. I’m just bored,” he replied while he cut a little branch. “I invite you for a cup of coffee.” “Thanks. I take Ana and I’m coming,” he answered.

The house of the Lindström family was messy like ever. Havu couldn’t remember to have seen it once tidy. They crossed the lobby, the living room and went to the kitchen. “Where are your boys?” he asked when he noticed that the house was calm. “They are for few hours at the Grindholm. They have a pool and the boys love to swim,” she explained. “That’s nice. I prefer to swim in a lake. A pool in the garden is too much work. Especially if it’s to use it only one or maybe two months per year. I already spend my weekends to clean the leaves, mow the grass and cut the branches. That’s enough.” “Havu, Havu. You’re always complaining. Are you okay?” she asked when she gave him a cup of coffee. “I’m fine. It’s just that I worked a lot these last months and I’ve holiday only in September.” “Be careful to don’t be burnt out. You have a family who loves you,” she replied. “Yeah, I know.” “I’ve an idea. Many students and teenagers don’t know what to do during summer and would like to earn some money. You should ask in the neighbourhood.” “Maybe... I’ve to talk about it to Maria.” “Where are you going in holiday?” she asked curious. “We are going to a very exotic place.” “Sounds great! Where? Polynesia? India? Thailand? Mauritius?” Havu was smiling. “We are going to Kuopio. We stay two days in town to visit the family and then we go to the summer cottage of my parents. It’s very isolated on an island,” he explained and she lost her enthusiasm. “Maybe one day we’ll have our own summer cottage,” he wished.

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Three days later the group of friends were wearing their dark suits. They met outside the little squared church of Tapiola, waiting for the ceremony to start. “It’s the second time we meet at funerals. I hope this will not turn to a routine,” Veli-Matti Lindström told. The group was smaller than for the funerals of Matti. There was only Vellu, Janne Happonen, Ville Kantee and Arttu Lappi. “I will miss him. He was so funny,” Ville said. “I wonder what really happened,” Havu said in a low voice. “It’s clear that it’s his wife who did it. Remember her behaviour at his birthday,” Ville commented. Nina arrived in a black dress until the knee with a hat. She seemed to be sad but the guys didn’t know if it was sincere or pure hypocrisy. She was holding the hand of a little girl. “Thank you for coming. I appreciate. You are real friends.” “We are doing that for Harri,” Arttu said and regretted immediately. She was frustrated and went near other people. “Where is Tami? I thought that he was Harri’s best friend,” Vellu noted. “He’s maybe busy,” Havu guessed.

When they entered the church which was not so big they were sad to notice that there were not many people. There was Nina on the first bench, few relatives, two work colleagues of Harri and the former jumpers. The friends of Nina weren’t there. Tiia was at the funerals of Uhro, Katrina was at home with her boys and doing some babysitting for Maria who was working at the bar. The church was modern in concrete with thick black wooden benches. Everything seemed to be dark and cold. The ceremony was really short and cold. There was no emotion. Only the priest was reading texts. The pianist played two songs. There was nothing personal. When it was time to leave they saw that Tami was sat at the last row. He was the first one to exit. “It’s nice that you came to say goodbye to your friend. It was a nice ceremony,” Veli-Matti said to Tami. “Not really. But I’m not surprised.” Nina was the last one to exit the church and she became mad when she saw Tami. “How do you dare to come? You murdered my husband!” she almost screamed and the others were looking at Tami very surprised. They didn’t expect such a remark. They were waiting for the... opposite. “No, it’s wrong and I’ll give evidence,” Tami replied while he walked to the car park where a police car was waiting for him. “Well guys. There is coffee and sandwiches at my place. I’ve probably some cookies too,” Arttu proposed. “Do you have beer?” Ville asked. “Sure.” “Let’s go.”

When they arrived they had the pleasant surprised to find a table full of delicious bakeries and sandwiches. There was some tea and coffee and also fresh beer. But before they could approach the table they had to say hello to the huge dog. Havu was really not at ease with dogs and the others were laughing. Arttu told his friends to take a seat while he went to the kitchen. There was a young girl preparing some guacamole. “You did a great job! I just ask you to prepare some sandwiches. I’m so proud of you.” He kissed her forehead and took a trail which was ready. “Guys, let me introduce you Suvi, my daughter. It’s her that prepared everything that is on the table.” She was shy and smiled while the friends of her father congratulated. She was twelve years old, skinny with round cheeks, long brown hair, blue eyes and a charming smile. She was wearing a white t-shirt with a bird and black leggings with stars on the seam.

“Do you remember at the funerals of Matti when Harri said that he preferred to say goodbye in a bar drinking a beer? I think that he was right. Let’s do it here for him,” Ville Kantee proposed and the others agreed. They all had a beer in the hand. “I’ll think of him every time I’ll drink a beer,” Veli-Matti said looking at the yellow drink. “To Harri!” They all said while they drank the first sip. “I really don’t understand his wife. Why did she want to have that ceremony? There was no sense. It was clear that she had no feelings. That was so sad. Poor Harri. I hope that they’ll be more people at my funerals,” Janne Happonen told. “Arttu, do you know why Tami went with a police car?” Veli-Matti Lindström asked while he was choosing a sandwich. “It’s a long and complicated story. I’m his lawyer in that case and I can’t really talk about it,” he explained.

“Who was the little girl with her? And how did she dare to bring her to funerals! It’s not a place for a so little girl,” Ville said before to finish his beer. “It’s her daughter,” Janne replied and the others were looking at him very surprised. “But I thought...” Vellu said before to be interrupted. “It’s true. But Harri is not the father,” Havu continued. When he saw that the others wanted to know more, he had no other choice than to tell the story. “I figured out that this girl was her daughter. She was made in a laboratory. An insemination with the ovum of Nina and the sperm of an anonymous donor. Then the insemination has been done through a surrogate mother. That’s all what I know,” he concluded. “I remember some years ago I invited Harri and his wife at my place. I will never forget how Harri was happy when he had Juha, my little one, in his arms. And he was sad at the same time because he knew that he would never have one. I hope that Nina shared her happiness with Harri. At least once,” Veli-Matti wished. “I don’t think so. She is too selfish,” Arttu answered.

“Ah! What’s that?” Ville almost screamed when he was coming back from the bathroom. Arttu left the sofa and went to see what the problem was. “Oh it’s Cleo,” he said while he took the animal in his arms. “It’s the iguana of Harri. Isn’t it cute?” the lawyer asked. “I prefer your dog,” Vellu answered. Janne was more and more suspicious. He knew that some months earlier Tami, Arttu and him were talking about saving Harri from his dangerous wife. But Janne never accepted the end of the plan which consisted to kidnap Harri and to drive him in a safe place. He ignored where Harri spent the last months of his life but he was certain that it was in that house or in Tami’s flat. Then Tami was arrested, apparently for the murder of Harri. He supposed that Nina was exaggerating but it was maybe not totally wrong. And then the pet of Harri was at Arttu’s place. Why? Why not at Nina’s place? He was thinking that the lawyer was probably more implicated in that case than what he was saying. But he kept his comments for himself. They were there to celebrate Harri. Not to quarrel.

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3. No fear

July 17th

Janne Ahonen was bored. He was still in his bed at the hospital. He wanted to go home and to work in his bar. He told to Leena to don’t go back to the bar until the police arrested the criminal but she didn’t listen. She said that it was to accept that they had fear of that guy and he was the winner. They had to show that they were not impressed and that they were fighting. But where Janne was the most worried was that Leena was there often with the baby. She was not working in the early morning or late in the evening but there was still a risk. His moment of thinking had been interrupted by a visitor.

“What are you doing here?” he asked when he recognized his ex-wife. Her blond hair was free on her shoulders. She was wearing a white blouse and a dark grey skirt to the knee. She had classical high heels and a pearl necklace. “I’m here to visit a lonely man,” she said while she sat next to him. “I heard for Uhro. I’m sorry,” he said. But she knew that it was fake. He never liked her boyfriend and they met only a couple of times. “Life is so sad at the moment. When I wake up there is nobody. Nobody is there to tell me that I look beautiful. Nobody is...” “Tiia, he will not come back. I know that you are sad but don’t forget to live. Go out, meet your friend and do some shopping. All what you like. And I’m sure that you’ll find a new boyfriend soon. You are so pretty,” he complimented and she smiled.

“Do you remember when we were young? It was so great. When I was dancing with you, the others disappeared. There was only you and I. I remember when you drove me with your motorbike to the hill to see the sunset. You were telling me so sweet words.” “Yes, that was good old times. But it’s over,” he replied. “No Janne. It’s not over. We are born to be together.” “Tiia, it’s definitively over. Now I’m married with Leena and we have a baby together. We are very happy. And I won’t let you destroy our happiness,” he warned and she frowned. She didn’t appreciate the remark. “Your couple is a joke. It will never last. It’s just a matter of time. Come on. You are almost fifty! And her?” “Twenty three. But the age has no impact. We love each other for who we are. For our inside beauty. I’ve more in common with her than with you.” “You won’t make me jealous. I know that one day you will realise that you are with the wrong person,” she said while she got up. “But tell me something. Why do you want to be with me now that I’m married and not when I was single? For example when I lived with Havu?” he asked curious. “You had to pay for what you did to me. It was my revenge.” “Your revenge? But it had nothing to do with you? First I was alcoholic, then I lost my job because of my back, I went to jail because of rumours... It has nothing to do with you.” “Are you sure? Why were you an alcoholic? Because we were divorcing and you were sad. I’m the love of your life. And you lost. Then I always had an eye on you. I knew exactly where you were and what you were doing. Do you really think that a boss fires his employee because of back pain?” Janne frowned. He didn’t understand at all. At that time he was working as a cook on the military island of Santa Hamina. “Uhro had good connections in the army. You were not working well and you were not nice with me,” she said with a smile. “You are devilish. How do you want that I love you again? And then you’ll tell me that you decided that I had to go to jail!” “I didn’t expect it but it was a great surprise. Do you really think that Katrina is clever enough to invent all the bullshit she told to the other girls?” Janne was furious. “Tiia, go out of my life. I don’t want to see you anymore! Mico is an adult we don’t need to talk anymore about family matters,” he said as calmly as possible. “But I did it to protect you. I did it for love.” “What? Tiia, you are crazy,” he replied. “You will maybe understand one day. At least you are not anymore living in Käpylä. That’s a good thing. Well, I think that you need to rest now. Sweet dreams and think a bit to our discussion,” she concluded before to kiss her hand and to blow the kiss to her ex.

During that time Arttu Lappi was in town with his daughter. He was happy to have a bit of time with her. It wasn’t so often. His ex-wife was really strict on the visiting time. And very often Arttu was busy and couldn’t have his daughter. But that day, he wanted to enjoy it with her. They were just going out of Tennispalatsi where they watched a movie. “I really loved the movie. Thank you Dad,” the twelve years old girl said and the father smiled. They crossed the road and went to the shopping centre of Kamppi. It was Saturday and it was crowded. Some people were running to catch the subway or a bus. He was holding her hand. He didn’t want her to be lost. “Are you thirsty?” he asked. And her daughter answered positively. After the popcorns they needed a fresh drink. Suvi wanted to go to the Robert’s Coffee but Arttu said that he knew a much better place.

When they arrived at the Happy Hangover bar they were warmly welcomed by Maria. “What a pretty girl! Tell me. What’s your favourite fruit?” “Strawberry,” she answered with a smile. “I’ve the perfect drink for you. Sunrise. Sunrise on a paradise island where the sea is blue like your eyes.” Maria said. When the drink was ready she added a straw. “Here we go. Enjoy your drink that will bring you to paradise,” Maria told to the teenager, who was impatient to try her drink. The father and the daughter sat near the window, looking at the passers-by. Arttu didn’t take risks. He just ordered an orange juice. He noticed that the bar was quite popular. Many people were ordering take away drinks. He thought that in a little while a second employee would be needed. He could see that Maria was not quiet longer than three minutes. She just had time to bring the glasses to the washing machine or to cut a couple of fruits before the next customer arrives.

When a group of tourists arrived, Arttu and Suvi heard the noise of a little kid. Maria was sometimes looking in the direction of the storage room. Arttu got up and had a look. He saw that Ana was awake and probably needed her mother. “Hey little girl. It’s Arttu. Can you make a smile for me?” he said in a sweet voice but Ana cried. He took her in his arms and tried to calm down. “Mom is coming. Don’t worry,” he tried to reassure. “Dad, you don’t know how to do. You hurt her. Give her to me. I’ll show you,” his daughter said. She took the little girl in her arms, swung little bit. She was also singing a little song and Ana was listening. She was fixing Suvi with her wide blue eyes which contrasted with a skin colour milk chocolate. “This is a good girl. What is your name?” “Ana.”

Some seconds later Maria arrived. “Oh I’m so sorry. But I couldn’t come earlier because of the clients.” “Don’t worry Maria. I thought that you had a babysitter,” Arttu said. “Well, it’s often Katrina but she is really busy with her four boys,” Maria explained, exhausted. She went back to the desk and served another customer. When she was back, Arttu proposed: “Suvi would be very happy to be your babysitter.” “Oh thank you so much! When can you start?” the mother asked to the little girl. “I don’t know. What do you think Dad?” she asked while she looked at him. “Well... you can start now as a test. Maria can know how you behave and if she is happy then we will talk a bit more about a planning and we’ll have to talk with your mother too,” the lawyer explained. Maria agreed and went back to the desk.

In the evening Maria announced the news to her husband but he didn’t react how she expected. “What? But Maria I don’t get the point.” “You should be happy,” she answered with the arms crossed. “Why are you working at the bar of Janne? To earn more money? But we have enough money to live. And I don’t get the point if it’s to give it to a babysitter. Maria, I’d prefer that you stay home and take care of Ana,” he told his point of view. “Janne! You are a caveman! I’m bored at home. I need to communicate. To meet people. And you know as well as me that the women around are not the nicest people in the world. Remember what they did. Can you understand that I also need my freedom? I just want to live. I don’t want to be in prison in that house.” “Prison? It’s our house,” he replied. “You don’t live here twenty four hours a day. What did you tell me during the whole week? I’m bored. I want to go to work. It’s the same for me,” she said before to come close to him. “So, accept that I need a bit of help with Ana. And Suvi is a lovely girl. You will love her.” “I know her. Maybe she can also do some cleaning,” he proposed and Maria laughed.

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4. The old Finnish Gods

Anssi Koivuranta was in very bad shape. He was still in his car near the lake. He didn’t come back home since a week and didn’t sleep much. He was just drinking coffee, energy drinks and vodka in the evening and eating crisps. He was still in the same clothes and looked like a homeless person. His hair was dirty. He had some scratches on his knees and on his elbows. He fell a couple of times in the rocks but he didn’t pay much attention to his little injuries. He just cleaned them in the water of the lake. He knew that he still had the West shore to explore. It would be his work of the week. The lake was really long.

He got up and locked his car. He was still a bit drunk from the evening but he couldn’t give up. He climbed on some rocks but it was more and more difficult. He saw that there were some boats on the lake. Most of them were collecting the wood. A fisherman approached with his boat that had the engine off. He was looking suspiciously to Anssi. “Do you need help?” the man with a thick grey beard asked. He saw that the strange man on the rock seemed to be lost. He jumped out of his boat and walked in the water which was only fifty centimetres deep. “You should clean these scratches. They will be infected soon. You know when I was young I saw a man like you. And you know what happened to him? The doctors had to amputate his legs. Can you come to me? I’ve some disinfectant on board.” The man was waiting in the water, looking at the lost man. “Have you seen my wife?” he asked. “No, but maybe you can look for her from the boat,” the man proposed and Anssi left his rock.

“Ah!!! It hurts like Hell!” Anssi complained when the old man was disinfecting his wounds. “It’s necessary. It’s the pain which is going out. Bite this stick.” He gave to the former jumper a wooden stick. Anssi did it and was biting very strongly. The pain was so big that some tears were running on his cheeks. He was sweating and hoped that this ordeal would stop soon. He was looking at the ceiling of the boat which was all in wood. It was small and smelled fish. The painting was going away. “It’s over,” he man said and Anssi felt relieved. The man opened a box that he put on the table. He cut some bread, spread some butter and took some herrings in the box in metal that he added on the bread. He gave one to Anssi who thanked him. “Eat. You are starving,” the fisherman ordered and the young man did it.

“Thank you so much.” “You’re welcome. What were you doing alone on the rocks without food?” the old man asked. “I’m looking for my wife. We were on my boat during the storm. She fell in the water and disappeared. I’ve no news from her. Maybe you saw her.” He took his wallet from the back pocket of his short. The old man took the picture and looked. “Beautiful. I hope that you’ll find her but I think that she is with Vellamo.” “Who?” the young man asked. “The goddess of the sea. Don’t you know the Finnish Gods?” he asked surprised by the ignorance of Anssi. “Don’t be silly. These Gods don’t exist anymore. And I still believe that my wife is alive,” Anssi said while he put back the picture in his wallet. “Have you seen the storm? It was not a normal storm. It’s the old Gods who are punishing the Finns. Nobody believes anymore to them. This storm was a warning. If we are unable to change they will be very angry and their revenge will be terrible.” “What are you saying? That my wife has been punished because we don’t believe in these Gods?” Anssi asked curious but distrustful. “Unfortunately they had to kill some people. They have to frighten the people to show that they are not joking. Maybe one of them is here now.” “This is crazy. I don’t believe in these Gods. I don’t believe in God. I believe in facts. I believe in human being. I believe in...” “Poor boy. You must be lost. We all need to believe in a God. Listen. I bring you to the shore. Go home. Take a shower, you smell like a dead pig, and change clothes. Then go to the doctor to cure these scratches. Don’t forget to eat, drink and sleep. Tomorrow it’s Sunday. I advise you to go to the church to clear your mind. Don’t hesitate to ask for help.” “I will. Thank you. How can I thank you?” Anssi asked. “Pray for Ahti. The God of the fishermen and ask Ukko Ylijumala to bring you back your wife.” “I will. What’s your name?” the young man a bit lost asked. “Rauno Isokorpi. And you?” “Anssi Koivuranta.”

After have visited the doctor Anssi decided to don’t go home immediately. He went for the first time since a long time to the library. He went upstairs and looked for books in the mythology department. He ignored that there were so many books on the subject. He wondered who was interested in the Finnish mythology. He vaguely remembered some history lessons about the Kalevala. But during the courses he was sleeping or sending secret messages to the girls. He never thought that once he would need this knowledge. He took a heavy book, blew on the dust and brought it to a table. That book was thicker than a dictionary. After have read the first page he had a headache. How could he read over two thousands pages? He was just turning the pages and looked at the drawings. He thought that it was quite scary. These Gods seemed to be powerful and everywhere. He thrilled. Nevertheless he decided to borrow the book and to read it at home.

The following days Anssi was really careful to make the old Gods happy. He thanked each of them before to eat, to go to outside, when it was raining and so on. He thought that maybe Rauno was right. He admitted that he hasn’t been a good believer during his life. On Tuesday he got the visit of Ville Kantee. “But what happened to you? Are you still the Anssi I know?” Ville asked very surprised when he saw and heard his friend. “Ville, this is true. It’s written in the books since ages. And it’s happening now! It’s a new era. Only the good Finns will remain. It’s not too late to change. Ville, let me help you.” “Anssi... which drug are you addicted to? It’s mythology. It’s the past. Live the present with us.” “Ville, you have to greet Haltia.” “Who?” Ville asked very surprised. “The house Goddess. She will bring luck and health,” Anssi explained. “You are crazy. You should go to a psychologist. Anssi, I say that as a friend.” “Ville, they won’t give me my wife back until I become a good Finn,” Anssi told. “I don’t believe to this bullshit.” “That’s no bullshit! It’s true! Go to the library and read the books if you are able to read! Go to Horna [the Hell in the Finnish mythology] and Lempo and Turja with extract your vitiated blood while you will boil!” he threatened. Ville understood that he couldn’t have a normal discussion with Anssi. His mind was not clear and he preferred to leave.

Two day later Anssi got a phone call from the police. “Did you find her?” he asked with a stressed voice full of hope. “Can you bring something personal? A toothbrush or a hairbrush?” “Sure.” Anssi went to the bathroom and took the object the police needed. His movements were jerky. He didn’t know if he should be happy or not to have had that call. He wore his rain jacket and drove to the police station. “Here are the brushes. Is it to authenticate?” he asked a bit stressed. “We are not sure if it’s her or not. Some fishermen found someone in the water. We need the DNA of the missing people to know who that person is,” the young policeman explained. “Can I see her? I can authenticate.” “I’m sorry Mr Koivuranta but you can’t. We will contact you if the tests are positive.” “No, I want to see her,” he insisted. “You have to understand that this person was in the water for more than a week. This person doesn’t look anymore like before the storm. We will call you.”

Anssi went to the bench which was in the lobby and sat. He was remembering each words that policeman pronounce. He was imagining that it was his wife and he cried silently. But nobody saw it. The policemen at the desk were answering the questions of the people. The people who were waiting were hiding behind their magazines. They didn’t want to know why the man with the orange jacket was so sad.

The next Saturday Ville Kantee was in Suomenlinna for a picnic with his group of friends. He had his guitar and he was improvising some songs. He was drunk and he sang wrong but it didn’t matter. The others were also drunk. They were eating some pirakka with eggs and drinking beer. The place was quiet. The tourists were back to the city since a while and the other people were closer to the water. The group was behind the crenels at the highest point of the island. The place was dangerous for drunken men. It was easy to fall ten to fifteen meters to these crenels. The night was coming when Ville needed to relieve himself. He walked apart from the group. Further away he saw a man who was dangerously walking to the edge of the crenel. Was he drunk? Did he know what he was doing? The man was looking at the sea. He was calm. The wind was blowing in his hair. After have urinated Ville went closer. He understood immediately what the man wanted to do. He was thinking of walking silently to his friends. But then he could be accused to have done nothing. But he was drunk. Is it right to help a man when you are not sober? And the man had probably a good reason to commit suicide. Ville was not courageous. He was walking back when a little voice in his head told him to act. He walked back, caught the man by the shoulders and pulled him back. Then he sat on the guy. “Are you crazy? It’s not allowed to kill you on the most visited monument of Finland!” Ville exclaimed. “Ville? What the Hell are you doing here?” “Anssi? I’m drinking with my friends and I needed to pee. My pee saved you!” he argued. “Leave me alone. I need to die today.” “Don’t be silly. You need a beer. Come with me,” Ville said when he gave his hand to Anssi to help him to get up.

“Hey guys. I found Anssi my friend. He wanted to suicide. Luckily I needed to pee,” Ville introduced. Anssi sat and a friend of Ville gave him a beer. “Why did you want to die tonight?” Ville asked. “It’s not your business.” “Yes, it is. You almost ruined our evening. If you have jumped, we would have called the police. Then they would have thought that we pushed you because we were drunk. Come to my arms. You need a hug,” Ville said with compassion. The others didn’t know what to say. They preferred to stay mute and drink. The wind was a bit stronger and it was much colder as soon as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. “Elina is dead,” Anssi admitted. “Look at the sky. She is looking at you. Do you think that she would be proud of you if you had jumped?” Ville asked. Anssi sneezed and shook his head. “I’ll be with her.” “Don’t be silly. If you suicide you go directly to Hell. You would never be with her again,” Ville explained but he didn’t know if it was really convincing. Anssi knew that to kill himself was not a solution but he felt so bad that he didn’t know how his life would look like without the person he loved.

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5. I want to fly

August 20th

Olli Muotka arrived with the train from Lahti to Helsinki. He was during the weekend in Lahti to supervise the training of the ski jumpers. On Monday he travelled to Helsinki because he promised to do some babysitting for Veli-Matti Lindström in exchange of his participation to the Kroisos gig in Zakopane which was in January. He took the tram which was really slow. When he arrived in Käpylä he had to ask twice where the house of the family Lindström was. It was a lovely red wooden house with two floors. A mini bus was parked on the side and Veli-Matti was cleaning the leaves and branches in the yard. “Hi Olli. Nice to see you here. Please come in,” Vellu invited while he let his rake to the wall of the house.

When he entered Olli noticed that the house was as messy inside as outside. In the main lobby there were a lot of shoes. He almost had to jump over them to enter. “Don’t look at the mess,” Vellu requested and Olli smiled. There were toys everywhere, some clothes were on the floor or on the furniture, the plates of the lunch were still on the table, the trash bag was opened in the kitchen and waited to be brought to the container outside. “Are you sure that you don’t need some cleaning help?” Olli asked a little bit embarrassed. “Today is special. My wife is away and I’m not as good as her to tidy everything quickly. And as you maybe know yesterday there was again a storm and the garden was a real mess. I had to cut some branches of the trees to avoid accidents and to throw away all the metallic objects. The little monsters are playing outside. Do you want a cup of coffee before to start?” Olli was looking at the four kids and he thought that a coffee was a great idea. He sat around the rounded table and Vellu took some dirty dishes away. “Are you in holiday?” Olli asked. “No, I was supposed to work but after the storm I decided to stay here to clean. And in summertime there is less work. But my computer and my phone are on and I go to check quite often that everything is alright. I’ve good and reliable employees. I know that the work is properly done.” Veli-Matti Lindström was the boss of his own company, The Bio Fork. He had over thirty employees and they were preparing and delivering healthy meals to eight companies in the metropolitan area. “There is only one rule for the babysitter: never let the kids alone. Okay?” Vellu insisted. “Yes, I got it.”

After the coffee it was time for Olli to meet the four little Lindström. The first challenge was to remember the names. He had no difficulties to remember Kimi. He was the most active. Juha, the youngest, was scared and he cried when Olli came too close. Olli wondered if he looked so bad that he was scaring that kid. The two others were calmer. Oliver was the oldest and Aleksander the third boy. “Let’s play hide and seek. I count until 50. You can hide only in the garden. Nobody in the house and it’s forbidden to open the barrier of the garden. One, two, three,...” Olli counted the eyes closed. Veli-Matti was happy to see that the kids agreed to participate to the game.

After that game, Olli had to find another activity. But it wasn’t easy because they had different ages. He took the ball and proposed to play football. Veli-Matti was really happy to see that his kids were behaving well. He took the scale and climbed on the roof. He caught the dead branches and threw them on the ground. He was careful because it was wet and he didn’t want to fall. Vellu wondered if one of the trees in his yard would support another storm. It seemed to be in a bad shape and it looked dangerous. It could fall on the house or in the street. He thought that later he would call a professional woodcutter.

Vellu loaded the branches in his bus and drove to the waste reception centre. Olli was in the kitchen preparing some drinks for the kids. He was happy. He was a good babysitter and nothing bad happened. He thought that the kids were really nice and Vellu and Havu were probably exaggerating when they talked about them. During that time in the garden Kimi was with his little brother. “Juha, do you want to fly like a bird?” he said when he saw the scale to the roof. “Oh yes! I’m a sparrow!” “Climb the scale and jump. Move quickly your arms and you will fly!” the eleven years old kid said. Juha smiled and climbed. In the middle of the scale he stopped. “Why do you stop? Continue?” “I’m scared,” Juha said while he looked down. “Do you want to be a bird or not? Come on, continue,” Kimi insisted. When the little brother was on the roof Kimi was smiling. “Jump now. You will fly,” he encouraged. Juha looked down and was a bit scared. “I’m a sparrow!” he said and jumped. In the air he moved his arms but he never flew. Kimi looked at his brother on the grass, smiled and walked quietly to the others. On the table, Olli put six glasses and filled five. The three brothers took a glass and Olli looked around. “Where is the little one?” he asked a bit worried.

At the same moment Vellu arrived with the mini bus. When he opened the barrier of the yard he had a shock. “Juha!” His son was on the grass on the stomach and was not moving. He hoped that he was playing. But when he touched him he was in a panic. He took his phone and asked for help. “Sweetheart, tell me something,” he said in a panic. He took his son in his arms and kissed his hair. Olli arrived quietly and looked surprised to see Vellu sat in the grass with his son in his arms. “What have you done?” Vellu asked very angry. “Nothing. I promise. I was preparing some drinks...” “Don’t you remember: never let them alone! They have to be with you in the kitchen when you are there!” Vellu was really angry and Olli didn’t know what to do. “I go back to check what the others are doing...” he said really embarrassed. At the same moment, the ambulance arrived.

Katrina who was at Nina’s place with Tiia to talk about their lives couldn’t believe what Vellu was saying. “Is everything okay?” Nina asked. “My son had an accident. He fell from the roof. I’ve to go to the hospital,” she said in a panic. “That’s horrible. I hope that it’s not too bad,” Tiia added with compassion.

“Oh my God Vellu! Tell me that it’s not bad!” Katrina begged when she arrived at the hospital, almost running in the corridor. He took his wife in his arms and hugged strongly. “He is lucky. He just broke his arm and had a commotion. Let’s visit together,” he said in a calm voice. She was relived but she wanted to talk to her youngest son. He was in the bed with his left arm in plaster. “Oh sweetie! I was so scared. How are you?” she asked. “Next time I’ll fly,” he said with a smile and Katrina looked at her husband. “But Juha, you can’t fly. You are not a bird,” Katrina said. “Dad can fly,” the little boy replied. “Juha, I was doing ski jumping. I jumped only from hills with skis. Never from roofs. Don’t do it again. Can you promise?” the father requested. “But I want to fly,” the little boy replied, pouting. Vellu sat on the bed and touched his son. “When you’ll be healed I promise to drive you to the hill. And there you will fly. But you have to promise that you will never jump alone at home.” “I promise,” Juha said with a smile.

When the parents arrived at home, they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Olli was in the middle of the living room and the three little monsters were hitting him with pillows and screaming like Indians. “But what’s going on here?” Veli-Matti said and the silence came back. “Oh thank you for coming back,” Olli answered relived. “Oliver and Aleksander, clean the living room and Kimi come with me,” the father said. He showed that he was not happy at all and the kids wondered what was wrong. Their father was never bad with them. Olli wanted to help for the cleaning but Katrina told him to let the kids do. “I’ve to thank you for the time you spent here. I know that it’s not easy to deal with four kids. Do you have some?” “No, I’m too busy at the moment to have a family. Maybe someday,” he said before to add. “Anyway. You have a nice family. I’m sorry for what happened and I hope that he will be soon fit. I don’t think that I’m a good babysitter but it was a nice experience. Now I’ve to go back to Lahti and look after my boys. We are ready to continue the Summer Grand Prix. We are flying Wednesday,” he explained. She wished good luck and promised to watch the competition.

Upstairs Kimi was sat on his bed and was looking at his feet. His father was stood up in front of him. “Look at me,” he ordered and the blond boy did it. “Why did you say to Juha that he could fly?” “I don’t know.” “Why did you tell him to jump?” his father insisted. “I was joking. I didn’t think he would do it.” “But are you crazy? When you saw that he was climbing the scale why did you tell that it was a bad idea?” Kimi breathed and looked at his cars on the shelf. “Look at me and answer,” Vellu insisted. “He is stupid.” “Kimi, he is not stupid. He is just six years old. He trusts you! How can you do that to your little brother? You knew that he would do all what you said. Do you realize it?” Veli-Matti insisted. He was scared to notice that his son had no compassion and no remorse. “You are punished. No TV for you and no football.” “No Dad! Please! Not the football!” he begged. “What you did is really bad. You have to understand it. And I decide that you won’t go to the club anymore until I decide. You will set the table every day, you will do all what your mother or I ask you to do and today you clean your room!” the father listed and the little boy cried. But Vellu didn’t comfort. He closed the door without looking at his son.

“Did he understand?” Katrina asked when Vellu was back in the living room. “I’m not sure. Maybe after a little while. But he has a dangerous behaviour. We must have an eye on him,” Veli-Matti concluded. “I’m surprised that the rabbit is still alive. Maybe there is some hope,” Katrina added.

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6. Changes are needed

September 17th

“Pillow, we can’t continue that way. Big changes are needed.” The big dog was looking suspiciously to his owner. He was laid down on the bed of Arttu. It was a very warm and comfortable place. “I need a girlfriend! Do you agree? Yes, of course. And I’ve a plan. First I will prepare myself. I’ll go to the gym. I’ll try to lose two kilos. Then big changes in the house. No more mess. And you Pillow...” The dog put his front legs on his nose. He was sure that what Arttu would say would be unpleasant. “You’ll sleep in your basket! I don’t want to have you anymore in my bed. Don’t take it bad but imagine that a woman enters here. It smells you, you salver everywhere, there are hair everywhere and women hate that.” The dog didn’t get why Arttu wanted to live with such complicated creatures than a woman. Weren’t they well together? Why did he suddenly need a woman? Pillow thought that maybe Arttu didn’t like him anymore. The dog was sad.

Ever evening after work Arttu was coming home, wore sports clothes and was running with Pillow. At the beginning the dog was running longer and faster but after a few weeks it was the opposite. “Come on Pillow. Fast. The first one at home wins!” the lawyer exclaimed while he started running immediately. The dog thought that it was unfair. Nevertheless he participated to the competition. After the shower Arttu went on his scale. He reached his aim. He smiled and looked at him in the mirror. He thought that he looked good for a forty-two years old man.

During the coffee break Arttu was reading the newspaper like every morning. Antero, his thirty-five years old colleagues arrived a little bit later. “How was the meeting?” Arttu asked still reading. “Well... a lot of talking for nothing. It’s hard to know what is true and what’s not. Did you interview the mechanic?” “Yes, my report is in your inbox,” Arttu replied. “Great. I’ll read it in a few minutes.” “Antero, may I ask you a private question.” The young lawyer was surprised. Arttu was a good colleague but they didn’t share details of their lives. “Do you know if there are still some events at the yacht club?” Antero had a wide smile on his face. “Arttu is looking for a woman! I knew that one day you will ask me. Yes. Only two events are left for the season 2026. Better late than never. We have a cocktail on Sunday. Dress code is elegance. But for you it’s not a problem. You just have to come with me. It’s only for the members.” “Do I need a boat to be member?” Arttu asked. “Well... it’s better. It’s like to go to the golf club and to don’t play.” Arttu put the newspaper back on the table and took the boat magazine. “I’ve to learn.” “Good reading. Let’s meet at my place at six. Then we’ll go together. Is it okay?” Antero asked. “Yep.”

The party was organized in the yacht club in Helsinki. The house was modern in glass near the sea. In the car park, the cars were luxurious. Some men in suit were smoking outside. Antero was with his wife. A beautiful blond woman in a turquoise dress, high heels with necklace and earrings in diamond. Arttu was wearing a dark blue suit with a light shirt and a light yellow tie. In the morning he went to the hair cutter. His hair was perfectly brushed with a bit of gel. Antero was introducing the other members to the lawyer who tried to remember their names and professions. Arttu was sometimes a bit embarrassed to admit that he didn’t have a boat. But he was planning to buy one in spring. He still didn’t know which one he would choose. While they were talking some waitresses were walking with silver trails to offer champagne flutes or canapés. These delicacies were delicious and made with the best ingredients. Arttu tried to don’t take some with onions or fish to don’t have bad breath. His aim was still to find a girlfriend.

After have memorized the names of the lonely women he decided to know them a bit more. He let Antero and his wife who were talking with a couple. At the buffet he saw that Milla Jalonen was choosing a ham pastry. She was around forty years old, with brown short hair, a dark purple dress with black high heels. She made up her eyes with pink and purple colours. She had long black earrings which were swinging at each movement of her head. Her fingers were long and thin and her nails were nicely manicured. “Nice choice. These savouries are delicious,” the lawyer said to start the conversation. She was a bit surprised and swallowed to avoid suffocation. “Yes, they are. I’ve never seen you here before,” she said with a deep voice. He was a little bit surprised. “Yes, it’s my first time. I came with my colleague. Antero Mäntysalo. I’m Arttu Lappi,” he introduced. “Milla Jalonen. Are you a lawyer?” “Yes, I’m. I really love my job. To defend people. Justice is a word that I love. It’s my philosophy. I do my best to help people.” “This is honourable. My boyfriend at the university was studying law. It seemed to be very boring,” she told her opinion. “Well... if nobody is able to explain in a pleasant and passionate way it can be quite abstract. It’s like with mathematics. When we don’t understand, we don’t like. Same for law. What are you doing as a living?” he asked. “I’m the assistant of the director of the Opera.” “It sounds really interesting. I’ve been a couple of times at the opera but I don’t like to go alone,” he explained. “Are you divorced?” “Yes, since four years. What about you?” “I’m also divorced. But it’s more recent. I’m free since a year. My husband was the sales director of a computer company and he was cheating on me with his assistant.” “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. It’s a good thing. He was an asshole. And you, which kind of man are you?” “I’m loyal, quite funny, hard worker and romantic,” he added with a smile. “I guess that you are divorced because you are married with your job,” she said and he lost his smile. “As I told you, I’m a hard worker and it’s true that sometimes I come back home a bit late. But it’s rare. Currently nobody is waiting for me but when someone is here, I can’t wait to be at home. Do you like dogs?” he asked. “Yes, I had one some years ago. It was old and died. It was a Labrador named Pihlaja.” “Oh like the Fazer candies! That’s a nice name and I like these candies too. I’ve a dog. His name is Pillow.” “But why Pillow? Is he sleeping all the time?” she asked. “No, but he is soft and warm like a pillow.”

Arttu and Milla talked the whole evening about many different subjects. They laughed a lot. Antero was satisfied when he saw that his colleague was enjoying the evening. He couldn’t wait to be Monday morning to hear how went the end of the evening. After midnight, the new couple left the yacht club. It was raining. Arttu opened his umbrella and protected the hair of his new friend. They went to their own cars but drove to the same direction.

Pillow was sleeping in his basket but was always paying attention to the strange noises. When he heard the noise of the key opening the door he opened his eyes, lifted his head and looked in the direction of the main entrance. His owner arrived with a strange creature: a woman. They were laughing loudly. Arttu switched on the light and took a bottle of wine while the girl sat on the sofa. Pillow knew that he was not invited. He knew it because Arttu didn’t look at him or say anything. He hoped that he did nothing wrong. He was observing the couple which was talking quite loudly. They were close to each other and when they kissed, the dog got up, turned on himself and looked at the wall before to fall asleep.

On Monday morning Antero was looking at Arttu which was exiting the lift. He looked serious and seemed to be in bad mood. He almost threw his attaché-case on his desk. He turned on his computer and went to the coffee machine. “Wow, did you sleep well?” Antero asked. “Yeah... I need a coffee,” Arttu answered without looking at his colleague. “How was it with Milla?” “Don’t tell anymore the name of that bitch in front of me.” “Calm down, Lappi. What’s wrong?” “She lied on me! I was sincere. Is it old fashioned to be honest?” “What do you mean?” “In the morning...” “You slept with her! I knew it,” Antero interrupted with a wide smile on his face but his older colleague was close to being angrier. “Anyway... she got a phone call from her boyfriend... I was just a toy and I hate it! She betrayed me from the moment we met. Why everybody has an affair? To give more work to the lawyers?” “Arttu, calm down. It’s not nice but it can happen to everybody. And it’s not dramatic. Nobody’s dead. You’ll find the right person for you some day.” “I’ve a lot of work today,” Arttu said while he quitted the coffee machine with his cup of coffee in the hand. He was so disappointed. He thought that people were more honest. But he was not totally depressed. He thought that it was just a bad experience. Antero was right. Once he would find a girl for him. It was just a matter of time. He smiled and took the first folder which was on his desk.

In the evening Arttu was thinking of what he needed to change to increase his chance to meet the right person. After the dinner, he knew. He had to improve his cooking skills. Women really appreciated to know a man who was a good cook. He went to his computer and looked for a course in the evenings or weekends. He found after a few clicks and signed up. He smiled and then had a relaxing sauna.

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7. The right time

September 23rd

Janne Ahonen didn’t listen to his doctor. He had a business and had to work. He was working at the same pace as before the accident. Some days ago he had a big discussion, almost a quarrel, with Leena about the future of the bar. He wanted to sell it. It was too much trouble and too much work. It was also situated in a too dangerous place in his opinion. He noted during the night and in the early morning that the people walking in the shopping centre were more and more disrespectful and were breaking windows or writing stupid sentences with pens or painting on the windows of the shops. How many times did he need to call the police because of these people? Now that he had a family he wanted to enjoy it. He also complained that he had no free time and could rarely be with his wife and his son. But Leena was not sharing his opinion. She said that he had to be positive and always fight. They wanted to have that bar, they had to do their best. The customers were really happy and the business was working well. She proposed to hire an employee to help them. Of course there was Maria but she was not very often available and Leena admitted that she missed the evenings just with him. And the quarrel continued almost all the evenings...

That day the bar was crowded and a line of customers was waiting in front of the desk. Janne did his best to serve them as soon as possible. “I gave you twenty Euros, not ten Euros,” a man complained and Janne gave his money back. Some people were complaining because the tables were full of dirty glasses. He promised to clean but he also had to serve the customers. Some of them gave up and went to a competitor. When he gave the money back to a girl, a coin fell behind the desk. He almost kneeled and took the coin. When he got up he felt some pain in his stomach. But he continued working, ignoring it.

Tiia was there in the line after a shopping afternoon. When she saw the mess on the table she decided to help. She went in the storage room, let her bags and wore an apron. She put the dirty glasses of the first table on a trail, cleaned it and brought the glasses to the dish washer. And she did it on each table. The clients thanked her and she smiled. She loved to be useful. For Janne it became more and more difficult. The pain was bigger and he couldn’t stop. His teeth were tight and he was sweating. After the Sunrise cocktail of a pretty girl he looked at his belly and saw a bloodstain. He swore in a low voice and continued. But it was so hard. He needed a break. “Tiia?” he asked when he saw that she was here. “Yes, Janne.” “Can you serve them?” he said before to go to the storage room. Tiia asked to the customer to wait a minute.

“Are you okay?” she asked when she saw that he was sat on a chair. He took a tissue and put it on his stomach. He had drops of sweat on his forehead and looked pale. “I’m okay. Don’t worry,” he answered with pain. “Let me see,” she said while she looked under his shirt. “Oh Janne, it’s open. You should go to the doctor to have stitches. I’ll take care of the bar. Do you want me to call Leena?” “No thanks. I’ll do it. Customers are waiting,” he said and she came back with a smile. She tried to entertain the clients like Maria did. It was not so easy but they seemed to appreciate.

The next day when Leena was at the bar Tiia rang at the door of the flat of her ex-husband. She heard that someone was coming and opened the door. “Hi, I came to see how you were today. I brought your favourite candies,” she said with a smile and he let her come in. The flat was modern and light. The kitchen was opened in the living room. There was a big window and a balcony with the view on other buildings. There was a bathroom and two bedrooms. “That’s a really nice place. I like your flat,” she said. “I know. You say it every time you come,” he said while he prepared two cups of coffee. They sat on the red leather sofa and he put the cups on the glass table. Under it there was a white and round carpet. “How are you today?” she asked. “Well, better than yesterday. I’ve to stay here two days and then my doctor will decide if I can work or not. I should really sell that bar,” he said a bit desperate. “But why? It’s working so well. People likes it. I had good comments yesterday,” she said. “Thanks. I’ve to pay you for yesterday.” “Janne, no. It was to help you. I was really happy to help you. It’s a gift,” she said before to touch his shoulder and he smiled. “I really like when you are here. Currently with Leena it’s a bit difficult. We have different opinions on almost everything and she doesn’t want to listen.” “She is young. I told you. She is wild and wants to be free, have fun with her friends and you... you are older and you want to enjoy normal life. Remember how you were when you were twenty-three. Imagine if you were dating your mother for example,” she said and he laughed. But she was right and he admitted. She thought that it was the right time to have a new try with him.

They talked together the whole morning. Then while he was feeding his son she was preparing some food for them. She was decided to put him in a good mood. And apparently it worked! He was smiling more and was more positive. She was happy to see it. After the meal they went out with the baby carrier for a walk in the neighbourhood. It was quite urban with all the buildings but they didn’t need to walk a long time before to be in a park. They were laughing and talking about many subjects. They went back almost an hour later. “That was a nice walk. Thanks for coming with me,” he said with a smile on his face. “You are so cute when you smile,” she answered with a sweet voice. When Teemu was in his cradle the two adults went to the other bedroom and closed the door. “Let’s see if the legend is true,” she said while they kissed. “Which legend?” “That you are the best lover but also the worst husband. I always had the worst husband. It’s my turn to know the best lover,” she explained while they took off their clothes. For Janne, Tiia was exactly like the Tiia he was smitten with in the nineties. It was like a ghost coming from the past.

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8. Shot

October 13th

The inspectors Happonen and Vartanen worked during the last year on a complex traffic of drugs and stolen cars between Finland and Russia. They first thought that it was a little group of criminals but then they concluded that the group was part of the Russian mafia. In the dark blue minivan of the police they were observing a warehouse. Janne was looking at the sides of the building in red bricks with binoculars. “How many guys are there?” Juhanni asked. “I guess ten but I don’t know how many were already inside. Should we call to the reinforcements?” Janne asked his colleague who was much experimented. “Let’s go closer and have a look. But no action,” Vartanen said.

The inspectors wore their bulletproof jackets, checked that their pistols were loaded, the radio was working and left silently their van. In the darkness of the night they ran to the West wall and looked at the window. It was so dirty that it was impossible to see through. The policemen walked to the back side of the warehouse. They saw a Jeep and two BMW. They had Finnish numbers. Janne was looking carefully and tried to remember the numbers. “I take the scale. Maybe from the roof I’ll have a better view,” Juhanni said. “Okay. I try to go in and to find out what they are doing,” Janne replied. “No action,” Juhanni repeated and climbed. Janne was looking that he was safe. When he was on the roof he moved around the corner.

His heart was beating a bit faster. He knew that it was dangerous and they were only two. He hoped that nothing bad would happen. He took off his pistol from his cover and held it close. He thought that it was strange that there was nobody outside to watch that there was nobody around. But for Janne it didn’t mean that they were not dangerous. He found a little door not far from the main back door. He pushed it with his shoulder and entered, his pistol first. The lights were on and people were talking. In the warehouse there were a lot of pallet, boxes and rolls. He looked up and saw that Juanni was looking at him from the dirty window on the roof. He made a sign to say that everything was okay. Janne came a bit closer, still on the side. He had to be really careful because it was easy to fall in the mess. In the middle of the room there were a table and eleven men talking. They seemed to look at a map. Janne looked at Juhanni and made a sign. They needed more policemen to catch the group of criminals. Juhanni approved and used his radio.

Janne wanted to come closer. He wanted to know what they were planning. He knew that the reinforcements would come. He hoped that they would arrive on time. Suddenly the men moved. Janne wanted to know where they were going. But during his move a box fell. His heart was beating really fast when he saw that all the criminals were looking in his direction with their weapons. “Get out of here or we shoot,” the ugliest man told. Janne was shaking. He didn’t know what to do. He thought that if they shot the boxes in cardboard would not protect him. He had to negotiate and to save time. He maybe just needed five minutes. He raised his hands and got up very slowly. “Where’s your gun?” “On the floor,” he answered when he was facing his opponents. Only five guys were left. They all had a pistol or a rifle in the hand, ready to shoot on the policeman. “Who are you?” the ugliest man asked. Janne knew that if he sad that he was a policeman he would die. He tried to hide his stressed but inside he was scared. His hands were moist, this throat was tight and his heart was beating really fast. It was the first time that he was in death danger. Before he pronounced a single word, Juhanni shot on the guys. Two of them fall on the floor, two were shooting back on his direction and the last one shot three times on Havu who fell behind the boxes.

“I need a medic, I need a medic! Man on the floor,” Juhanni repeated in the radio while he was shooting back on the last man. The others were driving away. Then he climbed down the scale and ran in the warehouse. “Happonen!” he screamed while he rushed to help his colleague. He pushed some boxes and arrived quickly. His injured colleague was on the floor and he was bleeding. Juhanni sat and pressed his shoulder. “What are you doing? Catch them!” Happonen answered. “No way. You need help. The rescue is coming.” “It’s nothing. It’s just my shoulder,” Janne replied quite angry. He knew that he made a mistake. He was cold and he started to shake.

At two o’clock in the morning Maria got a phone call. She jumped in her bed. She knew that late phone calls were to announce bad news. When she heard that her husband had been injured, she almost cried. She wore quickly some clothes and drove to the hospital. Her tears were running on her cheeks. She didn’t like to know that her husband was on a bed at the hospital. When she arrived she saw Juhanni who was sat on a chair. He had grey hair, he was tall quite skinny but with a beer belly. When he saw Maria totally shocked he got up and came to her. “How is he? What happened?” she asked, confused. “He got a bullet in the shoulder. But it’s nothing.” “Nothing! Nothing!” she repeated. The tears were coming again. “Maria, he is fine. He will recover soon. He will just have a scar. Nothing else. Sit next to me and wait for the doctor,” he reassured with a very calm voice and it worked. Maria sat silently and erased her tears with a tissue.

Fifteen minutes later a doctor arrived and the policeman and the wife got up from their chairs. “We extracted the bullet. He is fine. You can see him,” he announced. They thanked and went directly to the room of Havu. He was still awake with the arm in sling. “Oh sweetheart! You scared me. I’m so happy to see that it’s not too bad,” she said when she touched his hand. “I’m happy to see you. But why did you come now? It’s so late,” Janne answered with a tired voice. “As soon as I got the phone call from Juhanni I came. I was so scared. You could have died.” “Don’t worry. It’s not a little bullet who will kill me. I’m tough,” Janne answered with a little smile. “Maybe but some centimetres more on the right and higher and it was in your head. Okay hero. It’s time for me to go to sleep. I guess that you won’t be at the police station tomorrow. But I’ll need your report about the mission. Maybe not tomorrow but if you can do it by the end of the week it would be great. Have a nice recovering time,” Juhanni said before to wear his jacket. “Thanks. You saved my life and I’ll send you my report,” Janne answered.

Two days later Maria was driving her husband home. When they were approaching the house Havu noticed that there were more cars than usually. He wondered why. Suddenly he recognized the car of Arttu Lappi. He frowned. “Finally we are at home,” she said while she parked the car. “Why are they so many cars in the street?” “I don’t know,” she answered with a smile. When they entered Havu was welcomed by all his friends. He was so surprised that he needed some seconds before to smile. There was a banner saying Welcome to the hero. There were some balloons and a lot of delicacies on the table of the living room. Janne crossed it and sat in the armchair. “A party for my comeback? But it was unnecessary,” he said, modest. “Come on! You are a hero! Here is a glass of sparkling wine for you,” Veli-Matti Lindström said. “I can’t drink alcohol. My doctor said,” Havu replied a bit sad. He thought that it would be nice to have a drink. Instead of he had a glass of apple juice. Arttu went closer and congratulated. “How many bad guys did you kill?” “Well... none.” “How does it feel to be shot?” Ville Kantee asked. “Well... it’s like if Mike Tyson punches you,” he tried to explain. “Is it the first time you were shot?” Olli Muotka asked. “Yes and I hope that it’s the last one. I got the one in my shoulder and two others in the chest. But luckily I had my bulletproof jacket. Otherwise you would be now assisting to my funerals,” Janne said.

Janne Ahonen arrived a little bit later. He didn’t have much time but he wanted to see his old friend. “It’s so nice to see you. I’ve to come more often to your bar,” Havu said. “You’re always welcome. How are you, tough guy?” “I’m not dead. I’m fine.” And the two Janne hugged. “I’ve a gift for you,” Rane said. Havu took it and teared up the gift paper. When he saw what was inside he laughed. It was a yellow water pistol in plastic. “Thanks! I will train in the garden and next time I will shoot on the bad guys.” “Do you mean my kids?” Veli-Matti asked a little bit worried before to laugh. “Don’t worry. If they are kind, there is no problem. By the way. I’d like to thank all of you for coming and a special thanks to the great cooks who prepared these delicious dishes. I’m really glad to have you as friends.”

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On Monday Havu was bored. He was on the sofa watching at some stupid shows for housewives. He wondered how they could watch such stupid programs. He thought that they were probably ironing at the same time and calling their friends. Someone rang at the door and he got up slowly. He was quite sure that it was Katrina. He opened the door and found... Nina. “Hi,” he said. “Hello Janne. I came to give back the cooking book of Maria. I tried some recipes and the result was pretty nice. I think that I need some training,” she explained. Janne took the book and invited her to have a cup of coffee. “You just missed Maria. She went to the shop. She should be soon here. Well... soon is a relative word. It doesn’t have the same meaning for a man or a woman,” he said while he went to the kitchen. “You have a funny sense of humour. I like it.” He smiled and came back with the coffee cups.

“I’m sorry. I haven’t talked to you after Harri’s funerals. I hope that you are doing okay,” he said with compassion. “It’s kind of you. You are not like the others. And it’s probably why everybody likes you,” she commented and he smiled again. “I’m born this way.” “Never change. You know, for me the death of Harri is a relief. He was suffering a lot and he lived a real nightmare. Plus what Tami did... unbelievable. And he said that he was his best friend. What a liar.” “I don’t know the whole story it’s why I’ve no opinion about it,” Havu admitted. “One day you will know it. Like all your other friends. You will know who the monster was. And I can already tell you that it’s not me. And it’s not Harri either,” she confessed. “I’m not really interested in that monster story. I know how talks can ruin a life. I believe in facts. And I believe in honesty. I’m honest and I always hope that people are honest with me. I’ve already some friends who brought disappointment,” Janne said when he finished his coffee.

“I heard that you were going to a psychologist,” Nina said. “Well... my wife talks to much as I can see. Yes it’s true. But I’m fine.” “Don’t be angry. She was worried about you and she reacted well. Do you feel better?” He breathed deeply and crossed his arms. He didn’t know if he really wanted to share his personal problems with that woman. “I know why you are sad and I can help you,” she murmured. “What?” he answered surprised. “I know what your biggest wish is. I know it since a very long time.” “But how do you know me so well? We never talked together. Is it Maria who told you my whole biography?” he asked suspicious. “No, Maria just confirmed what I already knew. I’m sure that you read that diary many times but you never found the answers you were looking for.” Janne was a bit scared. How did she know that he had the diary of Matti? And how did she know about the way he was reading it? “Janne, you and I have a lot in common. And I’ve to thank you.” “To thank me for what? I did nothing for you.” “Oh yes. Harri told me.” “Harri? But what the Hell are you talking about?” “Janne, you are part of my project and you can’t leave. You did a great job.” “I’m lost. And what Harri said?” Janne asked. She got up and took her jacket. “Do you want to be happy again? Do you want to realize your biggest wish?” “I don’t know what my biggest wish is.” “Come to my house and you will find the answers to all your questions,” she invited while she opened the door.

After a little hesitation he wore his jacket and sat in her car. Behind her window, Katrina Lindström couldn’t believe what she just saw. Her neighbour was friend with the dangerous witch! Or maybe she wanted to kill him. What should she do? She decided to wait.

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9. Janne and Nina

October 21st

Arttu Lappi was collecting some evidences to reduce the jail time of Tami Kiuru. He wanted to show that Nina was dangerous and that she was doing some dark business. The problem was that he couldn’t use the bank data that Tami obtained illegally. This would bring him to jail for a longer time. The person that knew the most was Harri but he was dead and apparently he didn’t have a diary. The other person who knew a lot was Janne Happonen. Arttu drove to his house. He knew that he was there for his recovery. He let his car in the street and saw the curtain of the red house moving. He smiled and rang at the door of the green house. Janne opened the door and invited him to have a cup of coffee.

“I need the diary of Matti,” the lawyer asked after have explained the case. “Why?” “Because everything is written. I’m sure that I can send this woman to jail.” Janne laughed and Arttu was surprised. “Arttu, I needed three years to read it and I still don’t get most of the messages. Do you really think that you will find what you are looking for in a few minutes?” the inspector asked. “I think that it’s not so difficult to understand it. You just don’t want someone else to read it. Why? Because there is something about you that you don’t want others to know?” “Well, let’s stop that discussion. I don’t want to quarrel with you. I agree to answer your questions but let Matti out of that mess,” Havu asked. “Why do you always defend him? Did he do something really bad?” “No, it’s just that I don’t like when people are searching in his life. Let him in peace, please.” “Okay, let’s talk about Nina. I’ve to find evidence that she wanted to murder Harri. Do you know anything about the secret room?” “Are you sure that it exists? Maybe it’s Harri who invented it,” Havu suggested but he knew that he was lying. “Havu, help me. I’ve nothing to save Tami,” the lawyer begged. “Maybe he deserves it.” “How can you be so cruel? He is a friend.”

“Let’s start from what we know and is true. How is he dead? Is it really a murder?” Janne Happonen asked. “No, Tami didn’t kill him but he is dead because of him. Harri was sick and Tami didn’t drive him to the hospital. He was afraid that Nina killed him because Harri was talking too much. He had meningitis. A bad one.” Janne couldn’t believe it. He knew that this kind of illness is sudden and can drive to death. But if he got help on time he had great chances to survive. It was clear that Tami chose that he had to die. “And that’s not all. Tami didn’t take care well enough of him because he didn’t know how to do it. Harri didn’t drink enough for weeks. He was dehydrated and his kidneys were in a very bad shape. The report says that they were only working at thirty per cent and he was bleeding from inside. It was the reason why he had back pain,” the lawyer explained with a lump in his throat. He knew that it was partly his fault but he tried to hide his guilt. “How do you know that he had back pain?” the inspector asked. “Tami told me,” Arttu answered a bit stressed. “Nina was right. There is a monster in that story but it’s not her. It’s Tami,” Janne replied with the arms crossed.

“Arttu, you should admit that Tami is wrong and did something bad. Nina is a nice person. Not very sociable but Harri wasn’t too. The problem is that Harri wanted to divorce. For him his wife was the worst person on Earth. But that’s normal! It happened to all couples with difficulties. I’m sure that it happened to you. Remember.” Arttu was wondering why Havu suddenly was defending Nina. “I think that if you don’t admit the truth you’ll be wrong and to force people to admit what they didn’t do is really bad. Arttu, don’t forget what you are looking for: the truth.” Havu got up and went upstairs. Arttu was thinking to what his friend said. He still didn’t get why he changed his mind. He was not even trying to help or to give advises. Janne seemed to be on Nina’s side. How could he let his friends down?

Janne came back with a kind of book in his right hand. He sat and gave it to Arttu. He took it and saw that it was the diary of Matti. “Look for what you want to know. But you won’t have it. This diary stays here. I make more coffee.” Arttu opened it and turned the pages. He couldn’t believe it. The handwriting was really difficult to read and there was no link between the texts. Once he wrote something about his brother, then his childhood and then a song that he liked. In the kitchen Havu was smiling. He knew that the lawyer would give up.

“I really would like to borrow it. Just one day. I promise to take care of it,” Arttu asked after thirty minutes of difficult reading. “No,” Havu answered from the armchair where he was sat. His legs were crossed and he looked serious. “Okay but if you find something interesting, can you scan the page and send it to me?” the lawyer requested. “I will,” he promised even if he knew that he wouldn’t do it.

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Thursday afternoon Maria was at the park with Katrina. Juha was the last son of the Lindström family who was not at school. But it was his last year of freedom. Juha was a kind little boy. He was very polite, he liked nature and animals. He also liked to hug his mother and to give her some flowers he picked up in the yard. His brothers were having fun of him. He cried easily and they were saying that he was the girl of the family. When they were fighting they were sure to win. Juha was never bad. But in the park, Juha had plenty of friends and the girls liked him a lot. At the moment he was playing with Ana Happonen in the fresh snow.

“They are so cute,” Katrina said with a smile when she was looking at them. “Yes, they are. Ana likes your son a lot.” “And mine likes your daughter. Maybe in fifteen years we’ll assist to their wedding.” And the two mothers laughed. “How is life? I’ve seen that you are quite busy with Ana and your job at the bar,” Katrina said a bit curious. “Let’s say that my life is now more challenging. But luckily I have some help. The daughter of Arttu is doing some babysitting three or four times a week. Yesterday she helped me to clean the house. It was really kind of her,” she explained. “How is it with Havu? He seemed to be frustrated to be at home. I guess that now it’s better that he is working again.” “Well... he is married with his job. And he was so pissed off that he did a mistake in the warehouse. The day before he was so enthusiast. He said that with Juhanni they were close to catch these guys. He is too perfectionist and doesn’t like to lose. But he was really lucky to just be injured. Every evening when he is coming back a bit late I’m worried. I send him some messages and he doesn’t always answer. And he doesn’t get why I’m so worried.” “Poor Maria. That must be so stressful.”

“I noticed something strange when he was recovering.” “What?” Maria asked curious. “He was very often leaving the house.” “He told me that he was bored at home. I guess that he went to the park or in town.” “And sometimes a car stopped in front of your house and he went in,” Katrina said. “What have you seen?” Maria asked very curious. “Check his clothes. Maybe you’ll find blond hair.” Maria couldn’t believe it. She didn’t know if Katrina was serious or if it was bullshit again. “Do you mean that he spends time with a blond... girl?” “I don’t know. You should ask him. I’ve seen this woman a couple of times. She stayed very long in your house. I don’t know what they were doing. And like I told you, he went in her car at least four times last week when you were working. And are you sure that he is working extra hours?” Maria was under shock. She couldn’t imagine that her husband could have an affair. There was probably an explanation. “Don’t tell me that the blond girl is Tiia,” Maria wished that it was not her. “No, it Nina.” It was even worse. How could Nina seduce her husband? She was so shocked that she decided that it was time to go home.

While Ana was playing in the living room Maria was looking at the clothes of her husband. She looked at his jacket in the main lobby and at his shirts on his chair in the bedroom. Then she went to the bathroom and looked in the basket with the clothes that had to go to the laundry. She took his blue shirt and when she found a long blond hair she cried. How could Janne do it to her? She did her best to be the perfect wife. She was always there for him. She was listening, giving advises. She did everything to make him happy after a hard day at work. But apparently it wasn’t enough.

Like the previous evenings Janne can back home late. More than three hours after he finished work. “Hi sweetheart. How was your day?” Maria asked while he took off his coat. “Long and boring. We had a meeting about the case with the Russian mafia and it was much longer than expected. And I’m upset,” he said while he hugged her. “What happened?” she asked. “My boss doesn’t want me to go in mission. He said that I’ve to take a negotiation course and another survival course with fast shooting.” “I think that he is right. You were lucky last time. And I don’t want to get a phone call telling me that you died. Take these courses and then you’ll be better,” she replied. “You don’t get it. I worked a lot to join that team. This is the mission of my career. I dream every night to the moment where these guys will go to jail. And now it’s like if my boss told me that I was not good enough. I’m just sat at my office to do paper work! I’m not a secretary! I’m an inspector,” he answered still pissed off. He opened the fridge and took a beer. “There is something to eat for you. I warm it,” she said before to kiss his lips. But he was not in the mood. He just sat on his chair and waited.

Just after his late dinner his mobile phone rang. “Hi Vellu,” Janne answered. “Hello Havu. Tomorrow there is a football game. Do you want to come to my place? My wife will make pizza for us and I’ve beer,” his neighbour proposed. “Thanks for the invitation but I’ve already planned to watch it with friends. Maybe another day. Bye,” he ended the phone call. “Really? You didn’t tell me. I thought that we could have a romantic evening. Just you and I,” she said with her sweet voice. “The day after. I promise. Let’s ask Suvi if she agrees to do some babysitting. And we’ll have the house just for us.” “Wow, I like your idea. What should I cook?” “Forget about it. I’ll organize everything. And be sexy,” he added with a wink.

When they were in the bed she could sleep before to ask a question: “Whom are you going to watch the game?” “My colleagues. We’re going in the flat of Juhanni,” he said in a very tired voice. She didn’t know why but she was quite sure that he was lying.

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The next day after work he went home just few minutes to change clothes. “I wish you a great evening. And if you drink too much, call me and I’ll pick you up.” “It won’t be necessary. I’m reasonable.” “Janne! You’re a Finn and I’ve already seen what you drink when you watch sports with friends. Anyway have fun,” she wished before to kiss him. When the door was closed she took Ana and went to her car. She went down the street and turned left. A bit further she saw the car of her husband. She didn’t remember exactly where Juhanni lived but she knew that it was near Tammisalo on the East of Helsinki. But suddenly she saw that he took the direction of the Kehä Ring I, the first fast road in the direction of the West. She wondered where he could go if he was really going to Juhanni’s place. She thought that maybe be was picking up another colleague. He exited in Laajalahti. She had a lump in her throat. She knew where he was going and the tears were coming in her eyes. She drove slower and stopped on a bus stop. She took a tissue and erased her tears. “Come on Maria. Havu has a colleague who is leaving here,” she said for herself. She continued her way in the direction of Nina’s house. She drove slowly in the street and when she saw the car of her husband she left the street as fast as possible. She knew that he was lying. Why did he need to lie?

She went back home and cried on the sofa. Some minutes later someone rang at the door. She dried quickly her tears and opened. “Oh my poor Maria! What happened to you?” Katrina said when she saw her neighbour. “You were right,” Maria said while the tears came back. Katrina hugged her and invited to go to her house to have a hot tea with chocolate cookies and she accepted. Veli-Matti was on the sofa with the boys, watching the game. He just said hello but his attention was still focused on the screen.

“Are you sure?” Katrina asked when she gave a cup of green tea to her neighbour. “I followed him. He told me that he was going to watch the game at his colleague’s place in Tammisalo. But he went to Laajalahti.” “I should have a serious discussion with Nina. We are friends! We don’t steal the husbands of the others. There are enough lonely men. She doesn’t need to take yours. And what does he like on her? She is so cold and... scary,” Katrina said, trying to comfort her friend. “I don’t know. Havu is strange since a while...” Suddenly Veli-Matti entered in the kitchen. It was the break. “I can’t believe it! This referee cancelled the most amazing goal of the season! The video is clear but no... I hate such unfair decisions,” he complained while he took another beer. “Vellu, can you call Havu and ask what he thinks about it?” his wife asked. “Yeah I can but why?” “Do it and ask precise questions about the game. We have to know if he is really watching it with his colleagues. And use the loudspeaker,” she insisted and he did it. Maria was nervous.

“Hi Janne, it’s Vellu. What a game!” “Yes, it is,” Janne answered calmly. “What do you think about the last goal?” “The one which has been cancelled?” “Yes,” Vellu confirmed. “Well... I don’t know well the rules but it seems unfair. For me it’s valid.” “Have you seen when Torrores got a red card?” Vellu asked. “I missed it. I was in the bathroom.” “Are you drunk?” “Not yet. I just drink a couple of cans.” “Who are the people talking behind you?” Veli-Matti asked. “My colleagues and the wife of my teammate,” Janne explained. “Come to my place after the game. We can have a sauna together,” Veli-Matti proposed. “Well... I don’t know. It will be late. And my wife wants me to be home.” “She is here. She will watch the second part of the game with us. Do you allow me to bring her in your bed if she is too drunk?” Vellu almost joked. “She won’t. I’ve never seen her drunk. I mean totally drunk.” “But you know, a good game, good friends and fresh drinks. What is the name of the wife of your colleague?” “Sonja, why?” “I was just curious. The game starts soon. Enjoy.” “Thanks. You too,” Havu concluded.

“Have you heard?” Veli-Matti asked. “Yes, a guy said Nina in the background,” Maria answered. “And I’m sure that it was our Nina. I recognize her laugh,” Katrina said. “It’s maybe a coincidence,” Vellu replied. “Janne is lying to Maria. He is now at Nina’s place. Maria followed him and his car in front of her house,” Katrina explained. “At least he has not an affair with her. There is another guy with them. Or maybe they are doing something together,” Vellu thrilled and Katrina said that he was very weird. “Come with me to watch the game and let’s forget Janne for forty-five minutes,” he proposed when he heard that the game was starting.

After the game, the three neighbours were in the kitchen drinking red wine. The Lindström were doing their best to bring the smile back on Maria’s face. Vellu was quite funny because he was a bit drunk. Suddenly they heard the noise of a car. They all went in the room which had the best view on the Happonen’s house. It was the car of Janne. It stopped in the yard with the engine on. “What is he doing?” Maria said. But it was impossible to see the inside. Two minutes later, the front doors opened. Janne was on the passenger seat and the driver was... Nina. Maria became furious and wanted to go out. “No, no. Wait and look. Don’t accuse before to be sure of what he did,” Veli-Matti warned. “But it’s clear! He came back with her!” “Let’s see how she comes back home,” Katrina interrupted and the three friends went to the bathroom and opened the curtain. Nina was walking down the street and her car was waiting for her. The man that they heard in the phone got up and let her drive. He went back to the car on the passenger seat. “Maybe it’s her boyfriend,” Veli-Matti suggested and the two women were looking at him. “We have to know who that guy is,” Katrina said. “I’ve to kill Janne.” “No, Maria. I’ve a better idea. You and Katrina, you are going to talk baby, shopping, cooking, cleaning while I invited my friend for a sauna. He is probably drunk and the sauna is the best that can happen to a drunken man,” Vellu admitted while he called his neighbour. “Sauna is ready. Come immediately,” he said with a smile.

Janne arrived few minutes later and he went directly to the bathroom of Vellu. Once they were naked they went in the warm sauna. Vellu threw some water on the hot stones and a warm cloud of steam touched their skins. They thrilled and loved that feeling. They were talking about the game and Veli-Matti was happy to notice that Havu watched the whole game. “Why Nina drove you back home? Was she also at your colleague’s place?” Veli-Matti asked. “You’re like your wife. Always behind the window.” “It was a coincidence. I needed to go to the toilet,” Vellu replied. “I can’t have a private life. There are spies everywhere,” Janne answered a bit angry. “You should talk to your wife. She thinks that you are cheating on her,” Vellu admitted. “What? But it’s wrong? It’s just bullshit. I’m faithful,” Janne said but Veli-Matti was not sure if he was sincere or not. “But like I told you, Maria is worried. She needs an explanation. If you don’t do it she will seriously think that you are cheating,” he advised.

“I’m not cheating,” Janne said to his wife when they were in their bedroom. “So, tell me why are you lying? Why did you tell me that you were with Juhanni?” she asked seriously. She was sat in the bed and was looking at him in the eyes. He took off his shirt and joined her. “I’m sorry. But I thought that if I told you that I went to Nina’s place you would be mad.” “Janne, trust has always been essential in our couple. I told you that Rane is my confident. We spent whole afternoons, just talking or dancing. But there is nothing between us. Just friendship. Remember what it brought. Just jealousy in the neighbourhood. Janne, you can have women as friends. I don’t forbid it. I just want to know. I don’t want to leave anymore what we lived. Please, be honest and tell me what you are doing. Tell me that you are visiting Nina. Tell me why you are coming back late. I don’t want to lose you because I’m imagining that you don’t love me anymore. I can’t live without you,” she told and he hugged. “I’m so sorry. I... I didn’t think that it would affect you that much. You know after what happened these last months, I needed to talk. And Nina is the right person for me.” “I’m really happy to head it. I hope that you’ll feel better soon. But tell me, who was the other guy tonight?” she asked curious. “You don’t know him. It’s a friend of Nina. He is quite funny. It was the first time I met him,” he explained. “Maybe we should invite them at home for a Sunday lunch. What do you think?” “Why not,” he said even if he knew the answer.

“Nina, we have to be more cautious. My wife and the Lindström know that we are meeting,” he called the next morning on the way to work. “What did you say?” “That you were my confident.” “Let’s play with that. But never tell the truth. Do you understand?” she insisted. “Yes, I know. You can trust me.” “Good boy,” she replied. “See you later.” “Yes, I’m waiting for you,” she concluded.

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10. Seduction

November 3rd

Since a couple of weeks Arttu Lappi was attending a cooking course. It was basic but he really wanted to improve his poor skills. In the group they were only eight. There was a couple, a young girl who was about eighteen years old, a retired man, a young man around twenty five, a girl who was almost thirty and another one a bit older and Arttu.

For that lesson they had to prepare the traditional carelian pirakka. They were working in pairs. At each lesson they were with another partner. That day he was with the woman who was almost forty. Her name was Tiina. She was not tall but not small either. She had black strait hair to the shoulders, a light skin and blue eyes, the same shape as the cat’s eyes. She was wearing a simple brown long shirt and a black trouser. She had three centimetres high heels which were quite comfortable. Arttu was cooking the rice while she prepared the dough. “Have you ever made some before?” Tiina asked. “No, never. My ex-wife had a good recipe but she never taught me. And it’s not now that she will do it,” the lawyer answered and they laughed. “It’s funny because I’m also divorced. My ex was an excellent cook and he was always preparing good meals. But now I’m unable to cook. It’s why I decided to change it,” she admitted. “I think that good food makes you happier. And we will succeed,” Arttu laughed. He mixed the rice and looked at it on the wooden spoon. He tried and for him it seemed to be cooked enough. Tiina tried too and concluded the same.

“Use your fingers. You have to communicate your passion with the dough. And make the best possible shape. Do you all have an image of pirakka in mind? Good. I want you to make the most beautiful I ever saw in my life,” the cook teacher said to his students who did their best. He was walking to each place and was looking at the work. Tiina and Arttu laughed. The pirakka of Arttu didn’t look as expected. It looked like an old Indian shoe. “Do it together,” the teacher said. He took the hands of Arttu, moved his fingers and put it on the dough. Then he took the hand of Tiina and put them on the ones of Arttu. “And now, make that movement together. Yes, it’s really good. Took off your hands. Marvellous. Do the next one together,” the cook said while he was looking at them. “That’s great. Make six,” he said before to move to another place. Arttu and Tiina didn’t know why but they were smiling and laughing almost without a reason.

After some minutes in the oven, the teams showed their creations to everybody. The teacher was satisfied. Everybody was then able to make pirakka. When the course was over Arttu asked if Tiina wanted to have dinner with him. “In a restaurant because I’m not yet a good cook,” he justified. “Oh come on. You are too modest. You are a great cook. You just need a bit of technique. But you are creative,” she complimented and he liked it. They went to the Spanish restaurant Nuevo in Sofiankatu between the Cathedral and the market square. The restaurant was warmed and the waitress really friendly. They sat at a table for two in the corner. The restaurant wasn’t crowded because it was already quite late. Arttu chose some grilled beef and Tiina some oven baked chicken with chorizo. They ordered a bottle of strong red wine from the South of Spain.

“It’s my first dinner with a beautiful lady since ages,” Arttu said after a while and she smiled. “Me too. And I don’t like to go alone to restaurant,” she admitted. “What are your hobbies?” he asked. “Well... I play tennis, especially in summer time and I sing.” “You sing? In a band?” he asked curious. “I used to but I’ve been busy with my professional life and finally I quitted. It was not nice for the musicians to always wait for me.” “I understand. I did the same with my band,” Arttu said. “You are also singing?” “Oh thanks God no. I played the bass.” “Why did you quit?” she asked curious and Arttu was laughing when he thought to the last gig. “The guys were not taking it seriously and often they were drunk. As you can guess it was horrible.” When she heard his explanation she laughed. “And you? Were you also drunk?” “No, I’m a serious guy. When I do something I do it well. It’s like cooking, it’s like my job, it’s like when I invited a wonderful woman for a dinner. I don’t give you the bill,” he added with a smile and they laughed again.

“Oh it’s already late. I’ve to go. Tomorrow at eight I’ve an appointment,” she said. “I understand. I also have to be at eight at work. Let me walk with you to your car. It’s too dangerous for a woman to walk alone,” he justified and she smiled. In a way he was right but Helsinki was not London. It was quite sure even for a beautiful lonely woman. “Thank you so much for the evening. Are you going to the course on Thursday?” she asked. “Yes, I’ll be there. It was a wonderful evening. May I invite you again on Thursday evening?” the lawyer asked. “No, it’s my turn to invite you. You will come to my place and you will help me to prepare the dinner.” “This sounds really interesting. See you on Thursday,” he said. She kissed him so quickly that he didn’t have time to react. She was already sat in her car and drove away.

After the cooking course the two trainees jumped in their cars and drove to Töölö. Tiina was living in a two rooms flat at the fourth floor of a building. She didn’t have a balcony but she had the view on the sea. The flat was from the fifties but it had been recently renovated. The kitchen was small but well equipped. She had an oven and a dish washer. The table was in wood and painted in white with four chairs. There was an Alvar Aalto vase with a daisy. The furniture was black and white and the flat looked bigger than what it really was. The sofa was in white leather and the table was low and black in wood but the middle was in glass. On the corner there was a design chair which looked like an egg. The carpet had long black hair and it was funny to walk on it. On the wall there was a huge abstract painting full for different colours. On the right wall there was a bookshelf with books, CDs and DVDs. Next to it there was a guitar. Between the bookshelf and the window there was a sliding door which was closed. It was probably the bedroom. The bathroom was between the guitar and the entrance. It was small but it was enough for one person. The tiled floor was dark blue. There was a shower and a washing machine.

“May I help you?” the lawyer asked. “Yes, you can cut the carrots and leek in julienne.” Arttu sat and took a knife. He was happy to have been to that culinary course because before he ignored what that word meant. It was a meticulous work. He had also to be careful to don’t cut his finger. Tonight Tiina was planning to cook a Thai wok meal. She hoped that it would be good because she never did it before. It was a bit risky to do it with a so seducing man in her flat. While she prepared the chicken she was observing him. He was so concentrated on his task that he didn’t saw her. He was wearing a white and light blue lined shirt where he rolled up his sleeves and he had a black trouser. His socks were dark. His general appearance was immaculate. For the cooking she tied her hair back. She had a black blouse and a black skirt, not too long, not too short.

When she finished her tasked she chose a CD and played it. It was some jazz. But Arttu didn’t notice it. He was cutting his leek perfectly, like he learnt few weeks ago. “Do you need help?” she asked while she saw that he was a bit slow. He wanted so much to obtain a perfect result. “I note that you are a perfectionist,” she said with a smile. “It’s a quality but also one of my defaults. I’m almost finished. You can relax,” he said while he took another leek. She sat and looked at him. The movements were perfect. The leek was cut at exactly one millimetre. She was certain that there was no need to measure. When he was finished she took the container and poured it in the hot wok. During that time he was collecting the garbage and threw them to the right trash. He was happy to see that she cared about the environment. Then he cleaned the table. And set the table. “Where are your plates?” “Open the cupboard in front of you,” she answered while she mixed the vegetables which seemed to sing in the pan.

When everything was ready she lighted two candles and gave a bottle of wine to Arttu who was happy to open it. “It’s smells really good. I can’t wait for the first bite,” he said. “It’s because it has been made with love. Remember what the cook told us,” she replied. “Yes, and he is right.” Already after the first bite they were satisfied with their work. It was really delicious. Arttu took his glass. “Thanks for the invitation and to our evening,” he wished and their glasses clinked together.

After the meal they sat on the sofa and Arttu was playing the guitar but he never sang. He didn’t want to ruin the evening. They were doing a funny game. He was trying to play some kids songs and she had to find them. They had a lot of fun and laughed a lot.

Later they went out for a night walk. Arttu was wearing his long black wool coat and his black leather gloves while she had a shorter dark blue coat and boots. It was a bit cold but not enough for Finns. Not many people were out at that time. There was just a man with his dog and a couple who arrived by car. They walked to the Sibelius Park which was not too far away. That park was pretty nice. It was on a hill in front of the sea. There were tall trees and bushes. In summer time it was full of flowers. The monument dedicated to the greatest Finnish composer was lighted in the night. It was so different to see it by day or by night. The couple was looking at it. It was not so often that there was no tourist around. They were holding their hands and Tiina bent her head which touched Arttu’s shoulder. He moved his right hand and held her shoulder. When he looked at her he saw that she was looking at him too and they smiled before to kiss softly. After a long kiss she proposed to go back to the apartment.

On Friday morning Arttu arrived at work in a good mood. He had a wide smile on his face. On the way to his office he was whistling. Antero got up and went to the office of his colleague. “Tell me, are you in love?” Arttu was a bit surprised by the question. “Well no... hum... how to...” “What’s her name?” the young lawyer asked with a smile. “Tiina. Go back to work,” Arttu said with a smile.

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11. Ghosts from the past

November 14th

It was an end of autumn rainy evening mix with snow. Jussi Hautamäki was reading a book in his small living room. He was on his dark read sofa with a fleece cover on his legs. He was living in a small flat attending the youth centre. He really liked his new life and he was determined to show that he changed. His work was appreciated and people liked his personality. He was single but was not alone in his flat. He just had a pet. But no more spider or snake to frighten the visitors. He had a grey cat which was on the carpet under the table. The furniture was old fashioned. There was a huge bookshelf with very old books. Jussi was renting that flat and the furniture and books were already there. But he liked that old and warm atmosphere.

Suddenly the silence was broken by someone knocking at his door. He closed his book, put his glasses on the table and got up. The cat ran to the bedroom. He was quite sure that it was a teenager who was sick or the old TV in the common room was broken again. He unlocked the wooden door and opened. His surprise was huge when he saw the visitors. “Hi Jussi. Nice to see you again,” the small man with the beard and the black hair said. Jussi swallowed. He knew that there were not his friends. It was like if three ghosts were coming back from his previous life. He thought that he would never see them again. The men entered in his flat and locked the door. They were three men from South America. He didn’t remember exactly from which countries. Probably Colombia or Venezuela. The leader forced Jussi to sit. “Do you have my money, my dear?” he asked with a smile that showed a mouth with a golden teeth and one was missing. “I... I will pay back. I... I just need a bit of time,” Jussi promised. He was afraid. He knew that these guys were not joking. They were members of violent gangs which dealt the drug in the capital. And Jussi still had debts from his previous life. He was addict and was consuming more than what he could afford. Sometimes he was borrowing money to his brother but it was never enough.

Behind the sofa, two tall and strong guys were waiting with the arms crossed. They didn’t look friendly at all. “When will you understand that you have to pay?” the leader insisted. “I promise. Give me some time,” he begged. “I’m waiting since years! I’ve been too kind with you. Put your hands on the table,” he ordered. “No, please. I promise,” he repeated. His heart was beating really fast and his stress was at the maximum. He was looking at the guys with fear. Slowly he put his hands on the table. He knew that he would suffer. He just hoped that it would be quick. The leader came closer and opened a knife. Suddenly he thrusted violently with the knife and Jussi closed his eyes. The noise of the knife hitting the table was terrible. He was sweating. When he opened his eyes he saw the knife between his index and his middle finger. “This was just a warning. I will cut your fingers, one by one.” “No, please,” he implored.

The guy which was one the right of the sofa came fast to the prisoner, caught his hair and crashed violently his head on the table. Jussi screamed of pain. His nose was probably broken and it was bleeding. “Tomorrow I’ll go to the bank...” But he couldn’t finish his sentence. The strong man punched his face. “Stop lying. You don’t have the money,” the leader replied when he made a sign to the strong man. He took the right hand of Jussi and broke his index. He made a kind of growl and bit his lip. “I’m not lying...” he swore. It was too painful. The tears were running and the view of his poor finger was horrible. “I don’t like guys who don’t keep their promises,” the leader said while the strong man broke another finger. Jussi had a small scream and he bit his inferior lip so strongly the it bled. “And you lied so often. I’m not happy.” And he broke another finger. “Pleeeease,” he begged but nobody listened. “Really not happy.” A forth one broke. “Do you know what are we doing to traitors who are also liars?” Jussi was scared after these words. He couldn’t imagine what they would do next. His body was shaking. “We cut their tongue and we put his eyes out.” “No please... I’ll do all what you want but please don’t do it,” he begged. The leader had a little smile and made a sign to his two mates.

In the night of the autumn rain, the whole neighbourhood heard a scream to paralyse. Nobody dared to go outside.

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Two days later Janne Happonen was at the police station doing some paper work. He was reading the last interviews his colleagues did with the criminals they arrested. He took his phone and called the phone company. He needed as soon as possible the list of all the phone calls a criminal did and received. He knew that they were quite efficient and he would get the fax within an hour, two maximum. It was ten o’clock and it was time for the third coffee cup of the day. In the corridor he had a quick look at the wall after have filled in his cup. All the current cases where there with the name of the suspects and victims and which inspectors were working on it. He looked on the right to see the new ones. He almost spitted out his coffee when he read the name of one of the victims.

“Tapio, I read that you are working on the Hautamäki case. What’s about?” Janne asked after have knocked at the door of the inspector. “It’s a horrible murder. I’d say an execution. The poor guy had no chance to survive. He suffered a lot,” he explained. Tapio was just over fifty years old with red short hair. He had glasses and a moustache. “Can I help you? I’m waiting for phone data and I’ve nothing to do during that time,” Janne asked. “Yes, you can. Look at the pictures and tell me if you recognize the signature of a gang or any other criminal.” Janne was a strong guy and he already saw some horrible crime scenes but that one was quite difficult to look at. He felt that his stomach was painful. “He was a drug addict some years ago. He was also dealing. It means that he was part of a network. He couldn’t do it in solo. He was consuming heroin,” he told after a little while. “How do you know that? Have you already made some researches?” Tapio asked. “No, he was one of my friends.” “My condolences. I think that you can be useful. Search in his past who were his contacts in this circle,” Tapio said and Havu went back to his desk. But before he went to the restroom.

“You look pale. Are you okay?” Juhanni asked Janne when he came back from the coffee break. “I just heard that a friend died but I’m fine.” “Again? You are really unlucky. How many friends are left?” Juhanni asked with irony but Janne didn’t want to joke. He had a mission. He had to find who these monsters were. He was looking in the press articles and the archives of the police. He was looking for similar crimes. After a while he went to the office of Juhanni. “Here is the phone call list of Makarov. Most of the received calls came from restaurants and cafés. Here is the list of these places,” Janne said while he gave the paper. “Great job. Thanks. I’d like you to go to the unemployment office and checked if Ivanova and Karlov have been there. Maybe they used fake Ids. Here is the file with their pictures and a brief biography,” the oldest inspectors said. “Can I do it tomorrow?” “Why? Your father died? Your house is burning?” “No, I’d like to help Tapio on the Hautamäki case. I already did some researches for him.” “Janne, you shouldn’t and you know it. You will never be objective. It was already a mistake that you worked on the Lemaitre case,” Juhanni reminded. “I can help Tapio to find quicker who did the crime. I will just help,” he promised. After a hesitation his teammate allowed him to change team for the day.

After work Janne went like so often directly to Nina’s home. He told her all what he knew about Jussi’s death. He admitted that he was scared by the cruelty of some people. Nina comforted as she could and said that Jussi would be revenged. “But how? These guys would go to prison for two years and then they will do it again on other people,” he said. “I’m sure that they’ll pay. It’s just a matter of time,” she replied while she filled in again his glass.

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12. Dreams can come true

December 21st

Ville Kantee was in town, looking for a gift for a friend. He had no idea to what he was looking for. He just needed to find something which could bring his smile back. After long hours of research in the crowded shops he gave up and went back home. He took some wrap paper and did the best package he could. It didn’t look good but it didn’t matter. It was Ville made! Then he took the bus direction of the health centre. When he arrived he didn’t need to ask for the number of the room. He knew it by heart. He took the lift to the third floor, turned right and almost at the end of the corridor he knocked at the door and entered. His friend was sat on the bed, the legs down and he was looking by the window. It was snowing. “Hey man! What’s up today?” Ville asked with his enthusiasm. But as answer he just saw a rise of shoulders. “Come on. It’s a nice day. The fresh snow is covering the old one. The landscape is beautiful. But well... it’s also fucking cold. I can’t wait for summer,” he said while he sat next to him.

His friend was Anssi Koivuranta. He was there since months. He was not accepting the death of his wife and he tried three times to commit suicide. Once Ville saved him in Suomenlinna before he jumped in the rocks. The second time was in his bathroom. He took too many tablets. Luckily his sister who had the key of his house came back after a visit. She forgot her mobile phone. Since this second event he was in the clinic to heal his pain. But once again he tried to cut his veins with the knife he stole at the cafeteria. The marks on his left wrist were still visible.

“I don’t know if you remember but last year we tried to record a new CD then there were some problems mostly because of me. With Vellu and Olli you recorded one song. I worked on the project since months and it’s finally finished. Here is the new CD of the Kroisos with a special track. The number twelve,” Ville announced proudly. This track was of course the song where Anssi was singing. “I really would like to have soon a gig with everybody to promote the CD. And I need you. I’m sure that it will help you. All the audience will scream your name. They will love you. You are a great artist. A great singer and an amazing bassist. What do you think?” he asked but Anssi was still with the head a bit down and silent. “Don’t act Harri! You are not like him. Where is the funny Anssi?” Ville insisted. “I’m sorry... I can’t sing anymore,” he answered in a low voice. “Yes, you can. You just need to train. Think of it. I come back in five minutes,” Ville said before to leave the room.

Anssi took the CD and looked at it. The cover looked nice. It was a little boat in a raging sea. On the boat they were some crazy guys playing rock music. The title was “Stronger than the storm”. But Anssi didn’t like that last word. It reminded too many bad memories. When the door opened, Ville came with his guitar. “I can’t sing. I told you,” Anssi insisted. “Doesn’t matter. Tell me if you like.” And Ville started to play a song. The seventh on the CD. It was a quiet song. Anssi remembered when they played it on the boat and the old people were dancing waltz. “I know what you need,” Ville said when he finished and Anssi looked at him. “You need to go out of here. To do something that you like. You live only once. Take that chance. Make a list of your dreams and do everything to realize them. Don’t you want to be a famous rock star?” And Anssi laughed. He knew that their band was amateur and they would never be famous. “I’m negotiating something to realize your dream. Be ready for the big event. Learn all the songs by heart. Tomorrow I bring your guitar. Don’t do something stupid in between. I count on you,” Ville insisted. “What about the other members?” Anssi asked curious and Ville liked it. “They will join. All of them. I promise. Take care and be ready,” Ville said while he hugged his friend.

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Three weeks later

“Are you ready guys?” Ville said in the backstage. They were in Nosturi, one of the biggest indoor music stages of Helsinki. Ville succeeded to convince the boss to be the support act of Apulanta, a very famous Finnish rock band. “Yes, we are,” Arttu Lappi answered with a wide smile. He was happy to be back in the band. He decided to don’t take it seriously anymore. It was just to have fun together. But here they had to play well and did their best. None had the permission to fail. It was forbidden to ruin the show specially made for Anssi.

Olli Muotka was the first one to enter on the stage. He greeted the public before to sit behind the drum. He was supposed to be in Japan with the ski jumping team but he said that he needed a break and that there was no need to have two coaches for two jumpers. He didn’t say that he was invited to play in a rock band. Arttu and Anssi arrived together with their basses. Ville arrived, running on the stage and screamed in the microphone. “Are you ready Nosturi for the great show?” And he put the microphone in the direction of the public who answered loudly. The groupies of Apulanta were aligned in the first rows, already screaming. A bit on the side in the back, Janne Happonen was looking at them with Maria. It was his first gig since a long while. Katrina Lindström was also there with Oliver who insisted to see the show. Leena Ahonen was so happy to see the friends of her husband on stage. She heard so much about them. Tiina Kivistö couldn’t wait to see her boyfriend playing on the stage. He looked so different. No tie and no suit. Just a jean and a t-shirt. Nina Olli was on the balcony. She didn’t like to be in the crowd down stairs. She had a nice view on the stage. But she was not alone. She was with a man in black with a hood, taller than her. He was holding her hand.

For the third song, Janne Ahonen arrived on the stage and sang in duo with Ville. The public really appreciated the surprise. Leena was so happy that a tear of joy appeared at the corner of her eye. For the last song, Veli-Matti Lindström arrived and was ready to play the keyboard. “Go Dad! You are the best!” Oliver said when he saw him but he was too far from the stage for Vellu to hear him. Anssi took the microphone and breathed deeply. “The next song is a bit special. It’s a ballad. I wrote it for my wife. But unfortunately she is not here anymore to hear it,” he said before to play the first notes. The audience was silent and listening carefully. Some people switched on their lighters. Some girls were crying. The voice of Anssi was trembling a bit but he continued. Only Veli-Matti and Olli were playing with him. Olli had to adapt the strength he used to hit the drum. It shouldn’t be too loud. When it became too difficult to sing he made a break and it was Ville who was sat on a speaker and Janne who was near Veli-Matti, sang the chorus together. “Oh Havu, this song is so beautiful. I think that I will cry,” Maria said while Janne hugged her from behind and kissed her hair.

“Thank you,” Anssi said when the song was finished and the whole crowd applauded loudly. Some people were screaming. In the first rows they could here. “Anssi! Anssi! Anssi!” And the youngest member of the band smiled. “If you want to buy our CD, go down stairs. There are a couple of copies. First there, first serves. For the others you can order on our website. See you soon! The Kroisos will be on tour very soon! You are fantastic! Have a great evening with Apulanta!” Ville screamed in the microphone. He was so energetic. The members of the band thanked the audience and went to the back stage where they congratulated each other. “It was the best gig ever!” Arttu said. “Thank you Ville for organizing everything,” Veli-Matti said. “I’m so fucking happy,” Anssi said almost lost in his own world. Ville hit his shoulder and hugged. “We are friends. Forever. Let’s have a drink with the others,” Ville said and they did it.

Janne Happonen needed to go to the bathroom after have drunk three beers. The queue was too long and he decided to go upstairs. There were also quite many people but it was much less crowded. On his way he saw Nina. “Hey, I didn’t know that you were here,” he said. “Hi, I’m a fan of Apulanta. It’s a coincidence to see your friends on stage,” she said a bit embarrassed. He thought that she was lying. He knew that she liked classical music. How could she like Apulanta? But suddenly he understood. “Are you crazy? Why did you come with him? All the others are downstairs. They can see you,” he murmured when he saw the man in black. He was looking down and had a beard of five days. His hood was hiding his eyes. “Don’t worry. We are leaving.” “I thought that you were an Apulanta fan,” he answered and she smiled before to disappear with her friend in the crowd.

The group of friends was quite large with the girlfriends and wives plus Oliver. They ordered new drinks and drank to their success. Arttu used that meeting to introduce his new girlfriend. He got some compliments and Ville seemed to be a bit jealous. He said that she was too beautiful for him. “And you Ville? When will we know your girlfriend?” Arttu asked. “It’s nothing serious. It’s a waste of time to do it. Maybe next week I’ll be single again,” he explained. “You can admit that you are gay,” Veli-Matti said before to laugh. Ville didn’t really like his humour. “I’m not gay, okay. I like girls,” he said while he finished his glass. “Dad, what does gay mean?” Oliver asked and Ville couldn’t stop laughing. “Go, Vellu. Explain,” Ville insisted. “Well, it’s when a boy doesn’t like girls.” “It’s wrong. You can be gay and like girls,” Ville interrupted. “It’s a bit complicated. You will know it when you’ll be older,” his father said a bit embarrassed. “How old are you?” Ville asked. “Almost fourteen,” the boy answered. “It’s time for you to know what the adult are doing. Have you seen your parents kissing?” “Ville...” Vellu complained but Ville made a sign with his hand asking to don’t interrupt. “Yes,” Oliver answered. “It means that they are hetero. A boy and a girl. Gay, it’s when two men are doing it. Like that.” And Ville kissed Anssi who was really surprised. “Are you crazy?” Anssi asked. “No, it was to show him. By the way, it was nice,” Ville said and Anssi crossed his arms. “Do they also sleep together?” the little boy asked. Veli-Matti and Katrina were shocked but the others laughed. “Yes, they do,” Ville answered with a smile. “Have you ever tried?” the little boy asked and the adults laughed. “I think that it’s enough,” Katrina interrupted the discussion. “You’d like to know. Maybe one day I’ll tell you,” Ville murmured.

Before the end of the gig Janne Ahonen had to leave. He wanted to get some sleep before to open his bar. But he said that if they were still in town at six, they were welcome. Katrina left also because it was already quite late for Oliver who protested. He said that he was not a baby anymore. After the gig the people were leaving the room. But the group of friends stayed. They thought that it made no sense to rush in the stairs and wait half an hour at the cloakroom. A man with a black t-shirt, a piercing and a bold head touched the shoulder of Anssi who was surprised. “Come with me. Someone would like to talk to you,” he said. “Your fans!” Ville said. Anssi followed the guy in the backstage. He really didn’t know what to expect. Then the guy opened a door with the name of Apulanta written on it. “Here is the guy,” the man in black said when Anssi entered in the room. He was a bit shy but the members of the band invited him to sit. “A cigarette?” one proposed and Anssi accepted. He hasn’t smoked for years but there he couldn’t refuse. “We saw you. You are excellent. Much better than the others. Have you thought of a solo career or to have your own band?” the leader, Toni Wirtanen said. “No, I’m doing that for fun with my friends. It’s nothing serious. And I’m not that good,” Anssi answered shyly and the others laughed. “Don’t waste your talent. Music needs you. We have something for you,” Toni said while he got up. He took one of the guitars which were behind. “Take it. And played until you fall asleep. This guitar is part of you. I hope to see you once on stage in a big stadium.” “Thank you so much. How can I...” “No need to thank. Great talents deserve a chance. Don’t waste it. Work hard.” “I will,” Anssi promised.

After that concert he left the clinic and went back to his house. He promised to don’t try to suicide anymore. He had a dream to realize.

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13. Regrets

January 19th, 2027

“I’ve to go home now,” Janne said to Nina after a long evening at her place. “You can’t drive. You drank too much,” she reminded and he agreed. “Can you drive me home?” “I drank too much to drive. You have to sleep here,” she answered. It was almost two in the morning and outside it was really cold and it was snowing. The wind was also blowing quite strongly. He wrote a quick SMS to his wife. He didn’t want that she worried in the morning, seeing that he was not back. “Where’s your guest room?” “I don’t have guest room anymore. Now it’s Saara’s room,” she answered. He looked at the sofa and thought that it could be okay. “No, you will break your back. Come to my room,” she invited. After a little hesitation he followed her upstairs. He saw that there was a little open living room which looked like a reading place. On the left there was a computer room and on the right, the bedroom. They took off their clothes and lay down in the bed. Janne felt that his body was saying thank you. He had a long day and it was time to sleep.

“You are the first man to sleep in my bed since more than two years,” she said while she touched his chest. He didn’t answer and she came closer. She was caressing his upper body with a light touch. “You are a beautiful strong man,” she murmured while he looked at her. “I need to be strong in my job,” he replied. She came even closer and kissed him. Surprisingly he didn’t push her back. She took his hand and put it on her breast. “How can I resist to the greatest scientist,” he murmured and they kissed languorously.

When he woke up, Janne Happonen was confused. He had no clue where he was and he had a terrible headache. He looked around and saw that he was naked in the bed of Nina. He hoped that he did nothing stupid. “Good morning,” she said in a sweet voice when she heard that he was awake. Her blond hair was in a mess but she looked happy. “Morning... Why am I here?” he asked, still confused. “My dear, you drank a bit too much last night and then we ended the evening in a very nice way. Don’t you remember?” she asked. He was a bit stressed. It was the first time he did a big mistake. “Do you mean that we...” “Yes and it was marvellous. You’re a great lover,” she added while she touched his chest. “I’ve to go home.” “I’ll make some breakfast. There is no hurry.” He didn’t listen, got out of the bed and wore his clothes. “Thanks for the evening but for the night... just forget. I was drunk. It will never happen again.” “Sweetheart...” “Don’t call me sweetheart. I’m not your lover,” he insisted. “Don’t be angry. I hope that you will come back,” she added while she sat on the bed. “Yes, I will. But it’s not for you and you know it. Bye,” he concluded while he ran down stairs, wore his coat and his shoes and drove away.

“How was your evening, sweetheart?” Maria asked when he was back. She just came out of the kitchen and was looking at him. He looked a bit desperate and quite pale. “I need an appointment to the doctor.” After these words she walked to him nervous. “Are you sick? Is everything alright?” she asked worried. She put her hand on his forehead to take his temperature. “Yes,... it’s just that I... I drink too much. I need help,” he admitted and she hugged him. “I’ll be always here to support you. I’m proud of you. It’s a good decision,” she said, proud. Janne was so happy to have such a wife but he was really angry to himself. He wanted to punch him for what he did. He was a bad person. Maria didn’t deserve such a husband. He hoped that it would stay secret. But he knew that one day he would have to admit the truth. He just hoped that the consequences would not be too terrible.

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