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Here is my new fiction. It's not a drama but an adventure. I hope that you will like it. Welcome to my fantasy world in Russia!

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It was a sunny day with few clouds lost in the blue sky. The little white plane was flying over the forest huge like eternity. “I’ve never seen such a big forest,” Tiia said while she looked through the window. “Yes, it’s the Taiga and here it’s very wild. It is possible that there are still places where human never went. But to go there you have to be a good hunter because there are bears, wolves, lynx and other dangerous animals. And also never go there alone because it’s easy to get lost,” explained Jukka Toivonen that was on the right front seat. He was forty-five years old with grey short hair and a moustache. His eyes were blue like ice. “Now Janne, follow the direction South-East-East,” he indicated to the pilot.

The previous summer, Janne Ahonen decided to pass his plane license. In the air club of Helsinki, Jukka was his instructor. “You’re my best student! You passed your license after only one month and a half of practice! Congratulations!” he exclaimed at the end of July. “Jukka I have a project a bit crazy in my mind and I would like to realize it with you. I’d like to cross Russia with a plane following the mythic trans-Siberian train tracks until Vladivostok.” Jukka said that it was an ambitious project but not impossible. “It will be an honor for me to fly with you,” he answered while hugging his student that was now graduated.

When Janne went home he talked about the project to his wife. “Are you sure? It’s a long trip and you don’t have much experience,” she explained with doubts in her voice. “Don’t worry we will not be alone. We’ll go with Jukka, my instructor. And he is fluent in Russian. He also has an aunt living in Vladivostok that we can visit when we arrive. Isn’t it an exciting project?”
During the following months Janne flew as often as he could and also trained to land on grass and fields. An evening every two weeks he went with Tiia in a Russian course for beginners. When the children were in the kindergarten she visited the library to learn a bit more about Russia, its culture, the monuments to visit and the history. She realized that Russia was not only Saint-Petersburg and Moscow. “How big is this country? Oh my God. It’s crossed by eleven time zones,” she said for herself.

The departure day was scheduled on May 25th. It was cloudy but luckily there was no rain and the wind was calm. It was time to hug Mico and Milo that would stay the duration of the trip at Janne’s mother‘s place. “Don’t cry Milo. We will come back. It’s just some holidays,” Tiia tried to console her son. “Be careful and call me every two or three days,” Maarit said to her son that was happy to live his dream. “Don’t worry. We planned everything, I trained a lot and Jukka speaks Russian,” Janne reassured. After the last kisses and hugs the three travelers went to the plane and left in the direction of the East. Maarit and the two kids were shaking tissues to say goodbye.

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The first step of the journey was to fly until Saint-Petersburg, the imperial city. The three travelers spent three whole days to visit the city. Of course they visited the Hermitage. “It’s unbelievable! I’ve never seen such an amazing palace!” exclaimed Tiia while she looked at a ceiling with complex paintings from the past centuries. Jukka was their guide. “Do you know that if you spend 30 seconds in front of each object you will need seven years to visit the museum?” In the fortress Peter and Paul on a small island in the Neva River he told them the origin of that beautiful city and why Peter the Great chose that place to build the city. The next step was the capital Moscow.

Then they really started the great adventure. During the following week they flew to Kirov, Perm and Yekaterinburg. The evening before to leave that last city, they were invited to a traditional music festival. All the local people wore their colorful costumes. In the middle of the square there was a huge fire. The three Finns were sat and applauding the dancers following the rhythm of the music. “Go to dance! You know that song,” Jukka said to Janne and Tiia while he heard the first notes of Kalinka.

Kalinka, kalinka, kalinka moya!
V sadu yagoda malinka, malinka moya!

Akh, pod sosnoyu, pod zelenoyu,
Spat' polozhite vy menya!
Ay-lyuli, lyuli, ay-lyuli,
Spat' polozhite vy menya.

Kalinka, kalinka, kalinka moya!
V sadu yagoda malinka, malinka moya!

Akh, sosyenushka ty zyelyenaya,
Nye shumi zhe nado mnoy!
Ay-lyuli, lyuli, ay-lyuli,
Nye shumi zhe nado mnoy!

Kalinka, kalinka, kalinka moya!
V sadu yagoda malinka, malinka moya!

Akh, krasavitsa, dusha-dyevitsa,
Polyubi zhe ty menya!
Ay-lyuli, lyuli, ay-lyuli,
Polyubi zhe ty menya!

Kalinka, kalinka, kalinka moya!
V sadu yagoda malinka, malinka moya!

“Good! Good!” A man with a rounded belly, a long beard and dark eyes congratulated the two foreign dancers. “Spaciba,” Janne thank while he hugged Tiia. “Isn’t it a wonderful evening?” he murmured in her ear. “Oh yes. It’s wonderful. People are great. Music and food are great. And I love to dance with you,” she told to her husband. “Vodka, vodka,” said the man coming back with a bottle and three glasses. “No, thanks,” she answered but the man insisted. He gave a glass to each. “Russian tradition. You have to drink it in one glup.” He counted until three and they drank the little glass. Suddenly they felt some fire going to their stomachs. It was homemade vodka and it was much stronger than the vodka sold in the shops. Then the man threw away the glass that broke on the ground. “Break the glass.” Janne and Tiia looked at each other and broke their glasses. “Good! You are Russians now!” the man exclaimed while he hug them. “Wow. I notice that you are having fun here,” Jukka said while he arrived near the little group. “I feel drank. I need to sit,” Tiia said in a low voice. Janne sat next to her and scrubbed her back. “Are you okay sweetheart or do you want to go to the room?” he murmured.

“Let’s walk a bit,” she said after few minutes. The dark blue sky was full of stars and the moon was shining. A flying star was crossing the sky. The tall trees were dark and some animals were communicating in the forest. “Do you feel better now?” Janne asked still a bit worried. “Yes, it’s good to be away from the noise and to breathe some fresh air. That vodka was so strong.” “For me too it was strong. No more drinking for tonight. Tomorrow we have a long journey to Omsk. I will tell to Jukka that we go to the room. Are you agreeing?” “Yes, I am. It’s getting late and I’m tired.”

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The journey to Omsk went well. Jukka had to pilot longer because Janne was tired. After only one day in Omsk they flew to Novosibirsk and decided to stay longer than what they planned before the departure. Novosibirsk is the third biggest Russian city with more than 1.3 million inhabitants, the biggest from Siberia and also its capital. Unfortunately for the three travelers it rained for four days. Nevertheless they didn’t stay at the hotel. The second evening they went to the opera to see a ballet. That place is worldwide known to be the biggest of Russia. For Janne it was the first time. “I don’t know why I thought that I didn’t like classical dance but I appreciated the show,” he confessed. They also visited some museums and did a bit of shopping.

When they were in a café, they wrote postcards to friends and family. “I don’t know what to write. We have seen so many great places and lived fantastic moments,” Tiia said while she looked at the pictures on the cards. “For me it’s simple. I just write Russia is fantastic. You have to visit it. Greetings. Or unforgettable journey. Amazing.” Jukka explained. The couple spent a bit more time to personalize their messages. Tiia was writing and Janne was drawing a little plane. Some minutes later, Jukka came back with ice creams. “Oh that’s an excellent idea! Thank you,” Tiia exclaimed. It was the first ones of the year.

The next morning they left the capital of Siberia and continued in direction of the East. The next city was Irkutsk. It was the longest step. Tiia was looking at the landscape by the window. “This forest is huge like eternity. I think that we are flying over it since more than two hours. Look here! There are deers in the clearing,” She exclaimed. Janne leaned a bit the plane and his wife took a picture. “If you are lucky maybe you will see a bear,” Jukka added. Tiia also noticed that there weren’t many villages. Who could live there?

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“Jukka, what’s that?” Janne asked. In the sky in front of them there were some dark dots becoming quickly bigger. “They are birds! Pull the joystick!” He did it as much as he could but suddenly the plane was shaking and the passengers heard the bongs of the birds hitting the cabin. “I’m losing power. Shit. What can I do?” Janne asked in a panic. Tiia was scared and already crying. She was thinking of her sons, Mico and Milo. “Here there is a clearing. Do an emergency landing. Calm down, breath and do it like if it was a training,” Jukka said as calmly as possible. Janne aligned the plane with the clearing. He saw that the left engine was damaged and it was difficult to keep the plane straight. “Reduce the speed! Reduce the speed!” Jukka exclaimed worried. The ground was dangerously approaching. Tiia hid her face in her hands and thought of her boys, her parents and her friends.

The plane touched violently the ground, jumped during twenty meters and hit again the ground several times. The passengers screamed. Some metallic pieces were ejected in all the directions. But the plane stopped after have crossed more than the half of the length of the clearing. “Are you okay? Tiia? Jukka?” Janne asked while he unfastened his seat belt. “Yes… I’m alive,” answered Tiia, shaking. “What is that smell?” she asked. “Oh shit! Tiia, get out! Now! It’s kerosene. The plane will explode.” Janne broke the front windows with his elbow and help Tiia to exit. “Run as far as you can. I send an SOS message and I come. Go, go! I love you,” he added after a quick kiss that tasted like the last one. Then she jumped out of the plane. “Jukka, are you okay?” “Janne, tell to my family that I love them. And please… go away!” “I cannot let you here. What the hell! I cannot open you belt and you are bleeding. You need help,” Janne was in a panic. “Get out now! I will send the SOS message,” Jukka added while he pressed the button of the radio emitter.

Tiia was out of breath. She stopped and looked at the plane. The fire started from the back and in less than five seconds the whole plane exploded. “No!!! Janne!!!” She fell on her knees and cried all the tears that were in her body. The flames were so high they were taller than the trees around. Many black birds were flying in circle over the clearing. Were they looking for burnt meet? She got up and walked to the plane. Her legs seemed to be heavy. Janne, don’t let me here alone.

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Suddenly she heard a familiar voice. “Janne? Janne where are you?” she said looking at the plane burning. Someone was coming from behind it. It was like if he was coming back from Hell. She had a wide smile on her face and ran in his direction. “Janne!” “Tiia!” She jumped in his arms and they kissed. “I thought that you were dead.” “No, no. I jumped just on time. It was the last second. But I was unable to save Jukka,” he explained looking at the ground.

They walked a bit ahead and sat on the grass. “And now? What will we do?” she asked. Janne touched his pockets. “I have only a knife with me. And you?” “My phone but I have no network here and my passport,” she said. Janne told her to turn off her phone to save the battery. “We should find the railway tracks and follow them to Irkutsk,” Janne proposed. “How many kilometers there are? 20? 50?” “More than 200,” Janne admitted while he observed the forest around. “Are you kidding?” But no, it wasn’t a joke. They were completely lost. There was no path. The sun was slowly going down behind the trees. “I hate you! You and your stupid ideas! You are an idealist. You never think of problems. You think that we live in a perfect world, that everybody is kind, and that accidents happen only to others. And look! Look where we are! I hate you!” she said while she pushed him on his chest with all her strength. “I promise…” “No more promises. Just find a solution. I want to go home.”

Janne took a piece of metal and dug the ground that was very hard. When it was done, he went to the plane and carried Jukka’s body. He was quite heavy and it was not simple to extract him from the plane. Then he laid his instructor in the hole and covered him with the soil. In the plane pieces he took two tubes and a wire to make a cross that he planted in the ground. He had no pen to write his name so he used stones. “I’m sorry Jukka. This trip was my idea. It was just fantasy. But you always believed in me. I thank you for all what you did and I hope that you are now in peace. When I’m back in Finland, if I’m able to go there, I promise to say to your family how you loved them and which fantastic person you were. Goodbye.”

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“I’m getting hungry,” Tiia said. “I will go to the forest to see if I find something.” “You? But to find what? Have you learnt which plants and fruits are eatable and which ones are poisonous? Sorry but Robin Wood doesn’t have a shop in that forest. It’s the wrong country.” Janne ignored the irony of his wife, got up and looked at the plane still burning. “I’ll see if we can save something. Stay here,” he said.

The metal was still very hot and without gloves it was not easy to move the pieces. Tiia was looking at her husband and hoped that he would find something to eat. After a couple of minutes he came back with nothing in his hands. “Everything burnt. There is nothing to save.” “Fantastic! And now you will go to the forest and bring me a beautiful mushroom, red with white dots? Janne, please, find a solution,” she insisted. “I will have a look around. I hope to find some berries. But stay here. No animal will come if you are closed from the plane. They are afraid of fire,” he indicated.

The night was coming and every time a branch moved, Tiia looked if Janne was back or if an animal was approaching. She was sat on a big stone with her knees against her chest. She was getting cold. A crow was shouting at the summit of a tall tree. She was thrilling. The crows have bad reputation and she was scared that something bad happened to her husband in the forest. Some leaves were moving on her left. She got up. Her heartbeats were at their maximum. Was it a bear? If yes, where to go? How to escape? When she saw that it was Janne, she sat. “Are you okay?” he asked when he was closer. “What did you find? I’m hungry,” she said without looking at him. “Well… I found two nuts. Maybe a squirrel has forgotten them,” he speculated. It wasn’t possible. Unbelievable. Tiia was so disappointed.

“I’m cold and I’m afraid. There are strange sounds coming from the forest,” she said. “Laid on my legs and try to sleep. I stay awake to look if something is coming.” After some silent minutes, she asked: “Do you think that we will see our family again?” “Yes, I’m sure.” “Really? Don’t you think that we will die here, eaten by a wolf?” “No… I believe in us. I’m sure that tomorrow we’ll find a solution,” he reassured. “Do you think that they are worrying?” “Not yet. We called yesterday evening. But tomorrow they will be worried. I don’t know what my mother will tell to Mico and Milo. But I trust her. I know that she will find the right words,” he said. Some wolves were screaming far away in the forest. “Janne, I’m afraid. Do you think they will come?” “No, until the fire will burn there is no risk. Try to sleep. I keep an eye on the fire.” He kissed her blond hair and she closed her eyes. But she couldn’t sleep. She was quite certain that the wolves would come and she was still hungry. Two nuts for dinner were not enough. And she ignored if Janne will stay awaken the whole night. He didn’t eat at all and he was tired from the piloting.

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In the very early morning she opened her eyes. The sky was light grey. Some birds were already singing. The grass was wet and there was fog. A dark silhouette was approaching from the left. What was it? “Janne, Janne wake up,” she said in a low voice and touching his shoulder. He woke up and looked in the direction that Tiia was showing. “I’m not sure. It looks like… a dog.” He opened his knife and got up. “Stay here and don’t move,” he warned his wife. She was shaking because of the fear and the cold. “Go away! There is nothing to eat here,” Janne said loudly. But the animal didn’t move. He walked two steps in its direction and tried to frighten it with his pocket knife. He was stressed. What to do if it attacked? From where he was he could see his icy sight fixing him. It was not a dog. It was a wolf. He was quite certain. His teeth were too sharp to be a dog. Suddenly the wolf screamed. Janne went back to protect his wife. “I think that it’s calling the other wolves,” he added. “Oh Janne! I don’t want to die that way. Please, save us,” she begged.

Another silhouette appeared in the fog. That one was thinner and taller. Janne hold strongly his knife, ready to attack. “Don’t be afraid, foreigners. We are the spirits of the forest.” Janne didn’t know if it was his imagination or not. In front of him there was a woman with very long dark hair, blue eyes, clothes in fur and a big knife in the hand. “How do you know that we are foreigners?” he dared to ask. “I heard you talking from the forest. It was not Russian. You are lucky that Masha, my wolf, found you. Where are you going?” she asked with a strong accent. “We don’t really know. WE are lost. We thought about walking to Irkutsk,” he explained. “You’re kidding? It’s almost five walking days if you know the way. Are you hungry?” She asked. “Yes,” both answered. “Stay here,” she ordered before to leave with her wolf.

“Who is she? Can we trust her?” Tiia asked suspicious. “I don’t know. But we don’t have choice. She seems to know the region and she can help us. But why? We are just lost foreigners and we don’t have money.” Janne added some wood to keep the fire alive. The sun was rising but there were many clouds in the sky and it was cold. He hugged his wife and kissed her in the neck. “Everything will be okay. We will stay together and find a solution to go home.”

More than an hour later, the girl and the wolf were back. Janne still had his knife in his hand because he didn’t know if he could trust them. “Wild rabbit,” she said while she threw the dead animal in front of the travelers. Tiia closed her eyes. The poor animal. “What is your name?” Janne asked while she took off the skin of the rodent. “Svetlana. You?” “Janne and Tiia. Nice to meet you. Where did you learn English?” he asked. “In a book. Do you speak Russian?” “Only a little bit.” She smiled and said that they were crazy to travel there without knowing the language. Tiia explained that they were with Jukka who was fluent in Russian but that he died in the accident. “Can you help us?” Janne asked. “I don’t know. Currently you need to eat. Then we will walk to the nearest village. We should be there before the night,” she said. Some minutes later the rabbit was cooked. They ate it greedily.

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After the meal it was time to walk. Svetlana was in front and Masha was at the back. Janne and Tiia held their hands and were not quiet. It was strange for them to have a wolf less than ten meters behind their backs. The forest was deep. But because it was the beginning of spring for that region there were not too many leaves and it was quite easy to see far away. In the shadow there was still a bit of snow. There were also big stones and sometimes they had to climb over small hills.

“Do you live here? I mean in the forest?” Janne asked after half an hour. “Most of the time. Here there is everything I need and all my friends are here.” “Which friends?” “Look around you.” They stopped along a very narrow river and looked between the trees. “Janne, here. There is another wolf,” Tiia showed. “And another here,” Janne added. Svetlana smiled. “It’s my family and friends.” The wolves approached. But there were not two, not three, not five but nine! Janne hugged Tiia to protect her. He was not sure if he could trust her. Maybe she brought them here to be the meal of her animals. “I will protect you. They will not touch you,” he murmured in Finnish. “Come on. Let’s walk if we want to be at the village before the night. And don’t be afraid. They will not bite,” she said before to continue the walking in the deep forest.

When they were near rapids just after noon, she asked if Janne was able to fish. “Yes, but my fishing rod is in Finland. I don’t know how to fish without it.” “You’re kidding? Oh my God. But what do you know? Do you know what to eat in the forest? Do you hunt? Do you know how to build a shelter? What do you do if a bear attack you?” “I have no idea. Where we live, we don’t need to know that. We have fishing rods, weapons and we have shops to buy food,” he explained. She shook her head. These foreigners were very stupid. “Show me your knife.” When Janne showed it, she laughed. “But what can you do with that! You cannot cut the branch of a birch or kill a squirrel!” She showed her knife that was 30cm long, 5cm wide and very sharp. “You need that when you go to the forest. I already killed a bear. Now take it and go to fish. I want to see what you are able to do.”

Janne took his shoes and socks off and went to the water. It was so cold that he had the impression that someone was planting knives in his legs. He looked at the water and didn’t see a fish. The two girls were sat on a large piece of wood looking at the show. The Russian girl seemed to laugh. I will show you that I’m able to fish. Come on little fish. Come to me, Janne said for himself. He walked a bit more in the center of the river that was not too deep. The water was at the height of his knees. He griped the knife and strike in the water several times. He lost his balance and fell. Tiia got up immediately and asked if everything was okay. He reassured and exited the river. He was freezing. “I’ll make a fire because I suppose that you don’t know how to do. Give me my knife,” Svetlana said letting the couple alone for few minutes. “I don’t like her. What does she want? I told her that I didn’t know how to fish. And now she is happy. I’m totally wet and freezing,” he told angry.

She came back with wood and made a fire. “Take off your clothes. Don’t be shy. I’ve already seen naked men. Don’t think! Do it! You will freeze, get a cold and maybe die. We are not in your country here. So, listen to me,” she ordered. And he did it without protesting. “While you warm up, look how I fish,” she said taking her knife. She chose a long straight and strong wooden stick and cut the extremity to make a sharp arrow. Janne railed for himself. Why did he not think of it? “Are you okay?” Tiia said. “Yes, I just feel ridiculous.” “Don’t be,” she added while she touched his shoulder.

She came back with three fishes and presented them like trophies. “Congratulations. You’re the queen of the forest and I’m a stupid citizen,” Janne said bored. “You have to learn.” “Why should I learn? This evening we will be in that village and in a couple of days will be in Irkutsk and then we take the next plane to Finland. We have no intention to stay here to learn how to fish like barbarians,” he explained while he wore his clothes that were half dry. She laughed. “You are so funny. You are really living in a dream or on a cloud, I don’t know. You don’t understand. Here, it’s different. You can never say what you will do tomorrow. Nobody here is doing projects or think of the future. Enough talking, now eat.” They ate in silence. The atmosphere was heavy like the weather. The clouds were very dark and the rain was coming.

They waited during two hours in a cave in the rock that the rain stops. They didn’t talk. “We can go. It’s only a light rain now. We still have to walk some more kilometers,” Svetlana exposed. As soon as they were outside, Masha joined them. Where was she during the rainfall? Nobody knew. All the smells were amplified. It was a mix of wet wood and some moisture from the ground. The stones were quite slippery.

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Suddenly they found a path. It meant that the village was near. At the summit of a hill, Svetlana stopped and kneeled. “Here is the village. You can go and say that you’re lost. I guess that they will help you. They are not used to see foreigners. Just add that you will not stay and that you want to go to Irkutsk.” The two Finns looked at the village. The houses looked simple and made of wood. The ground was in clay. There was no car but donkeys and horses. There were also some chicken walking in the streets and pigs. Three cows were eating the grass behind a little house that needed some renovation. “Do you come also?” Janne asked to the girl. “I don’t know.” It was the first time since they met that she was unsure. “Anything wrong?” Tiia asked. “Well it’s my village but I don’t go there often. I prefer to live with Masha. Anyway. We have to go.” That girl was not made of stone. She had a heart and some secrets. Janne thought that maybe these weaknesses could be useful in a near future. He was still unable to trust her even if he didn’t have the choice.

When they arrived in the village, everybody was looking at them. Svetlana crossed the whole village and knocked to a door that seemed to be more than twenty years old. “Yeah.” A fat man with a deep voice said in Russian. “I found two lost foreigners in the forest. They want to go to Irkutsk,” she explained. The man wore his thick glasses and looked at them like if they were goods to buy. He asked from where they came from and Tiia answered from Finland in Russian. “Where?” “It’s close to Saint-Petersburg on the extreme West of the country.” But the man didn’t know where it was. “USA?” Both answered no with energy, because they knew how that country was hated by many Russians. “Okay. They can stay. But not in the house. In the barn with the donkeys. Do you have any value with you? Passports?” He asked looking at them. Janne wanted to murmur something to his wife but she spoke before. “I have my passport. That’s all.” Janne closed his eyes for few seconds. It was a mistake. The man took the document and looked that it. He was perplexed. Probably because it was not written in Cyrillic. Then he put it in the inside pocket of his dirty jacket.

Near the house with a broken window on the other side of the street, two men were looking at the foreigners. “What do you think, Boris?” asked the smallest man with dirty hair, a skinny body and light brown clothes. Some of his teeth were missing. “Well. I’m sure that there are American spies. Here no tourists are coming. They want to know something. I don’t believe to their story. Keep an eye on the girl. She is maybe from the CIA. Don’t answer her questions. And look, there are communicating together in a secret language.” “Yeah. You’re right Boris. Should we kill them?” “Not yet. We must know if there are really alone or if there are others spies or soldiers in the forest.”

Some minutes later Janne and Tiia were in the barn. There were three asses that were eating. “Great. And are we prisoners? I don’t like these people. They look suspicious,” Janne said while he sat on a straw bale. “Maybe there are robbers and wanted to protect it.” “Oh Tiia. It’s a trap. Without passport it’s impossible to leave the country. Mine burnt and now yours… it will be probably impossible to have it back. How will we prove our ID?” She realized that he was right and cried. “I’m sorry. I though…” “Oh sweetheart.” He hugged her and consoled. “We will find a solution. If it’s necessary I will go to the house during the night and take it back.” “What? Are you crazy? These persons are maybe dangerous,” she said. “Let’s wait for few days and observe their behavior.”

“Here are some covers, water, bread and butter,” Svetlana said while she entered with a tray. “I’m sorry my dad is… weird. He doesn’t like foreigners. But he is a good guy. He will get used to it. By the way I will spend the night in the house. I let my window open. You can call me if you need. Good night.” “Good night,” they answered while she closed the door. After some minutes Tiia turned on her phone. “I hope that there is network. We can say where we are,” she said full for hope. They both looked at the screen. There was network! Incredible! They smiled and she called her mother. “What is that strange sound?” Janne listened to it. It was like a long buzz but not regular. “I already heard that sound somewhere. But I can’t remember.” And he listened a bit more to it before to turn off the phone. “Yes, it’s a jamming wave! But I don’t understand. There is no modern equipment here,” he said perplexed.

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Very early in the morning the rooster sang and woke up all the other animals and humans. “Good morning,” Tiia said to her husband. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?” “No, not really. It’s hard to sleep on straw. It’s rough and uncomfortable,” she explained. “Look at you arm!” she exclaimed. He looked and noticed that it was reddish and he wanted to scratch it. “I have maybe an allergy,” he said.

“Breakfast is in the house. Come on! Get out from here!” the father almost screamed while he went to his donkeys to drive them to the field. The two foreigners walked quickly to the house. Svetlana and an old lady that was probably the mother were in the kitchen. The room was very simple. There was a wooden table with four chairs, a tin with water and a small furnace working with wood. Janne concluded that there were no running water and no electricity. Some candles were ready to be used on another small table. The dished were stored on a shelf and a dark grey cat was playing with a dead mouse on the floor. “Here is kasha, a kind of porridge, bread and butter. Someone want an omelet?” Svetlana asked. Janne accepted but not Tiia. They didn’t accept to drink fresh milk because they were lactose intolerant like many Finns. So, they drank tea.

After the breakfast, someone knocked at the door and the mother opened. “It’s for you, foreigners,” she answered. Janne got up and went to the door. “Hello. My name is Boris and this is Sergei. We are going to hunt. Do you come with us?” Boris asked in his best English. Janne looked at Svetlana and Tiia. He didn’t know if it was a good idea or not. Svetlana said that he could trust Boris. He was a friend of the family. “I come with you,” Tiia said in Finnish. “No woman. Hunting is for real men.” Boris said when Tiia approached from her husband. “I’ll be careful. Don’t worry sweetheart. See you later.”

When the men were gone Tiia asked Svetlana about Boris and Sergei. “Boris is a bit rude but he is a good farmer and hunter. Sergei is not very clever and he is looking for a wife. I don’t know if he will find one a day. I already rejected him more than hundred times. Maybe he will be interested in you. Do you ride horses?” Tiia was surprised by the question. She told that she rode sometimes when she was ten years old. “What? But it’s important to be a good rider!” “Sorry but not in my country. To ride horses is a hobby or a sport. Not a necessity. If I want to go to town I drive a car. Can you drive a car? Because in modern countries it’s very important,” she answered quite angry.

The three men were walking on a small path in the forest. Boris was the leader, Janne in the middle and Sergei was behind. On the hill, Janne saw a wolf but didn’t mention it. Half an hour later they arrived in a clearing. At fifty meters from them there was a flat stone. Sergei went there with his bag and aligned ten cans. “Let’s do a shooting competition,” Boris said to Janne. “Okay but I haven’t shot since my last day at the army. It was more than fifteen years ago,” he explained. “I’m sure you will shoot well,” Boris said. He was convinced that Janne was lying. When Sergei was back, Boris took his rifle and shot. The cans were flying in the air. After the tenth shot, only one can was still on the stone. Sergei ran to align them again. “Wow, you are very good,” Janne congratulated. “It’s your turn, gentleman,” Boris said with a wide smile. Janne took the gun and looked at the can on the right. It looked so small. He pressed softly the trigger and shot. But the can didn’t move. “Try again,” Boris said. And Janne missed again. The Russian was perplexed. Was Janne a good actor or was he really enabled to shoot the cans at fifty meters? “You said that you were in the army. What have you done there?” “Oh nothing special. I just did what was compulsory. I didn’t have time to graduate because I had to train for my ski jumping career. I was simply a soldier. I was not interested in the army and I’m still not,” Janne explained. Boris and Sergei were looking at each other. They didn’t know what to think. And what was ski jumping?

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The girls were working in the fields after a long ride with horses. There was a lot to do. The winter was gone since few weeks and it was time to prepare the soil to plant new seeds. Everything was done manually. There were no machines, no tractors. For Tiia it was a very difficult job. She was not used to do so physical work. At noon, the bells of the small Orthodox Church rang. Everybody walked back to the village. In the little house, the mother has prepared some potato soup served with butter and bread and black tea. “Where are the three men?” Tiia asked a bit worried. “You know, when men are hunting, you never know when they are coming back,” Svetlana answered. And the mother added: “Maybe they are drinking and when they’ll come back they will say that they walked a lot and didn’t find a prey.” “I see…” Tiia said in a low voice. Less than ten minutes later it was time to go back to work.

“I’ve never met a such bad hunter! Congratulations,” Boris said. “I’m sorry, but it’s my first time,” Janne admitted. “First time? We have to celebrate it!” Sergei added with a horrible wide smile. “Heheheh good idea. Come on,” Boris added while they walked on a small path. After few minutes there arrived to a wooden house. The typical house of hunters. Sergei opened the door and came back with a bottle of vodka. “Let’s celebrate the first hunting day of… I don’t remember you name,” Sergei said while he drank directly from the bottle and then give it to Janne. “Thanks. Let’s remember that day forever!” he said just before to drink a sip. Like in Yekaterinburg the vodka was much stronger than the vodka sold in the shops. Janne sat because it went to his head. How was it possible to produce such a product? The two Russians had fun. “Look Sergei! He doesn’t support our vodka! His training was bad. They will have to modify their program,” Boris said in Russian while he looked at Janne. “Hey guy, let’s cook the rabbit,” Boris said loudly “But first, let’s drink more vodka.” Janne wanted to refuse but there was no way. Some minutes later Janne helped to make the fire but he had difficulties to understand their discussions because they had a strong accent and he had some buzzing in his ears.

Closed to 5pm everybody was back in the village and was preparing the dinner. In the house of Svetlana, the mother was boiling some potatoes. The father was already sat, drinking some homemade alcohol. “How was the hunt?” Tiia asked in Finnish. “Well, not so well for me. I missed all the targets. And before lunch we drank vodka. It was the worst of all I have drunken in my life. I still have a headache,” he said.

After the dinner, Tiia asked: “Svetlana? Is it possible to take a shower or a bath elsewhere that in the river?” “Yes, sure. Let’s warm some water. There is a basin in the other room,” she explained.

After a hard day it was nice to relax in a hot bath. Tiia was the first one to go. The mother prohibited them to go together. She washed her hair with a dark yellow soap that didn’t smell good. She looked at it more carefully and saw an inscription. What was it? Damn, it was in Cyrillic. When she was dry and wore her clothes, she asked Svetlana. “Oh it’s just the name of the soap. Nothing special,” she simply said. “And why is the date 1988? More than twenty years ago?” “I don’t know. We buy it from the truck that comes once in a month to bring material that we need,” she explained.

After the bath Svetlana explained that everybody had to go to the church for the evening service. “Tiia, you cannot enter with your trousers. Come with me.” At the first floor, she gave a long blue skirt and a scarf. “It’s the tradition. In orthodox churches you have to wear that.” Tiia obeyed and wore these clothes. It was the first time in her life that she wore a scarf on her hair. When the girls were back in the kitchen Janne looked at them a bit surprised. “You have to wear that?” “Yes,” answered the father quite proud that the foreign girl accepted to respect their traditions.

The church was not so big but full. Almost all the inhabitants were there. When someone entered he had to make the cross sign. Many icons were hanged on the walls and there were many decorations with gold and gemstones a bit everywhere. Some women lighted candles. Some others were kissing the icons and making the cross sign. There were no seats. The main room was divided in two: on the left for the women and on the right for the men. The service began with a benediction and a monk lighted some incense and prayed for the icons and the audience. All the ceremony was so different from a Lutheran service that the two travelers looked carefully at the villagers to reproduce the same gestures. Very often people looked at the ceiling, made the cross sign, inclined and sometimes touched the ground with their hands. The priest was looking at the wall of gold in front of him and was reading the bible with a strange intonation. It was linear and didn’t sound like the spoken Russian. Janne was not sure if it was read in Russian or in an old language. It was almost impossible to understand the text. Suddenly the middle doors of the golden wall opened. Everybody in the audience made the cross sign and inclined. The priest went to the other side of the wall and read another text. It was not easy to see what was behind. It looked like a tomb in silver and gold.

After the ceremony, an hour and half later, Janne and Tiia tried to understand what they saw. But it was impossible. It was like to study another religion from the beginning. “I suggest you to go to sleep now. Tomorrow you will have to work early,” Svetlana said.

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The following days were repetitive. They were working in the fields like farmers and Janne was often with Boris and Sergei that asked questions. The Finn didn’t know if they were curious or if they wanted to know something specific. Before to answer a question, he thought to the best and more neutral answer to give. Every evening, Janne and Tiia walked in the village and tried to call their families. Without success.

An evening after the religious service, the beautiful Russian girl said to the couple: “I go back to the forest. I heard Masha. She probably has something to tell me. Good night.” And she disappeared behind the wooden houses. “It’s only 8 o’clock. I’m not sleepy. We can maybe have a walk,” Janne proposed and Tiia accepted.

In the village, there was nothing very interesting. Just houses, farms, animals, a church, a school and a doctor. “Something is strange in that place. For example, there is a school but I haven’t seen kids. Expect Svetlana who is about 25 years old, all the other villagers are over forty. And there is no shop. How do they buy clothes, material for farming and food?” Janne asked. “I guess that they sell their products to each other. There is also a truck that brings material once per month. But it’s true that I haven’t seen kids. Some women don’t look so old. I guess that they are around 30,” Tiia commented. Janne smiled. “I looked at their body during the service. I know, I shouldn’t. And I’m quite sure that some of them are not girls.” “What? You mean that there are men disguised in women? That’s crazy. But why?” “I don’t know. But I have the impression that this village is a fake. Why to jam the waves when there is no electricity? I think that they are waiting for something from us.” “But what?” “I don’t know. And I’m not sure if we can trust Svetlana. She drove us here. Let’s stay discrete and do all what they want that we do. We have to escape. The problem is that I don’t know how. Irkutsk is very far away and I don’t know how to go there,” he murmured in Finnish.

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“Tiia! Tiia! Wake up!” “What’s going on?” she asked while she yawned in the middle of the night. “Can you hear it?” “Yes, it’s a car or a truck. Why did you wake me up?” “Tiia, they said that they didn’t have cars. But it’s not true! Stay here. I will have a look. Maybe we can escape,” he added with enthusiasm in the voice. “It’s dangerous. Janne, they have guns. They can kill you if they see you,” she said worried. “I’ll be careful. I promise. I love you.” He kissed her and went to the door of the barn that he opened a little bit and looked at the street. Nobody. He went outside and hid behind a house. The night was dark but the moon was lightening the little village. A wolf was screaming in the woods. Some people were talking near the house of Boris. Janne ran behind another house to be closer. His heartbeats were very high. He hoped that nobody would see him.

Boris, Sergei and other men from the village were talking with two guys from the army. They came to the village with a kind of Jeep. They gave to the villagers some radio transmitters and went into the house. Janne didn’t know exactly what to do: to steal the Jeep or to listen to their conversation. He thought that if he stole the vehicle they will not hesitate to shoot on him. And Janne knew that Boris was a very good hunter. And he was not good enough in Russian to understand the discussion.

In the house, there was light on the ground floor. Janne looked in the streets. There was nobody. He ran behind the church and approach slowly from the house. “What are you doing here?” Janne jumped and thought that he would die. “I… I couldn’t sleep and I had a walk,” he lied to the father of Svetlana that looked very angry. “You’re spying. I’m observing you since a couple of minutes. I have to tell it to Boris.” “No, no, please! I go back to the barn. And I don’t understand Russian. I cannot spy. And I swear that I’m not a spy. And we are not American. Tomorrow with my wife, we will go to Irkutsk. We will not bother you any longer. Thanks for your hospitality,” Janne said with a shaking voice. He had fear. He didn’t know what the father would do. If he talked to Boris, there would be killed.

“Oh you are here!” Tiia ran to the arms of her husband. “Yes, I’m back. But I’m quite sure that we are in big trouble.” “What do you mean?” She asked worried. “Svetlana’s father saw me. If he tells it to Boris we will have big problems. And there are guys from the army. I have no idea what they are doing there. Something else was strange. On the car there was not the Russian flag but the USSR flag.” “What? But where are we?” She asked. In the background they heard the noise of the engine of the Jeep driving away. “I fear.” “Don’t worry. We will escape and be safe,” he promised while he reassured.

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“You have to go. Come on!” Svetlana ordered when she entered to the barn in the very early morning, few minutes after the car left. The two foreigners followed the girl to the forest. They went to the path that went to the hill with the best view on the village. “Look on the East,” she said. “Oh my God, what is that?” Janne asked. “It’s the Russian army. Someone probably told them that there were two spies in that village and they want to capture,” the Russian girl explained. “But we told them I don’t know how many times that we were not spies and not American. Just poor tourists that had a plane accident in the middle of nowhere. And why is it the USSR army and not the Russian army?” Janne asked curious. “It’s our army.” “But the USSR exploded in 1989! Now it’s the Russian Federation. And the war between your country and USA is ended,” he explained the true situation. “But what are you talking about? You abused of the vodka,” she added quite shocked. “No, that’s true! Now both countries are friends. By the way, why is this army there, so far from the border? What is the secret of this village?” Janne insisted. “I can’t tell you. This is a military secret. It’s why many foreign spies are coming there. The day when Russia will dominate the world is close. Here we have everything to succeed. So now, you have to choose. Or I tell you about the secret and I kill you both or we start walking immediately in the direction of Irkutsk before they realize that you are not there anymore.” Without a hesitation they chose the second option.

Suddenly they heard some noise and agitation coming from the village. They were looking for the foreigners. It was time to run. “Go, go, go. Don’t look behind you. They will follow us!” Svetlana screamed. Janne was first and saw the wolf that was running slowly in front. He thought that he had to trust the animal and to follow. The noise of the villagers and soldiers was closer and closer. When they arrived to the river three donkeys were waiting. One had big bags on his back and the others had just a cover. “Let’s ride!” Svetlana ordered. She jumped on the back of one of the donkeys and took the rope of the one with the bags. Tiia went to the back of the last donkey and Janne went behind her. “Can you ride?” he asked his wife. “She taught me. Hang on!” And the three donkeys ran into the forest following Masha. Suddenly they heard the noise of the bullets hitting the trees. “Don’t stop! Follow Masha!” Svetlana screamed while the wolf overtook them. The donkeys were very at ease to run between the trees. Tiia couldn’t manage her animal. She had no idea if they were still following the wolf or if there were lost.

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Some minutes later they stop near a clearing. “Everybody’s okay?” the Russian girl with the long black hair asked. “Yes, where are we?” Janne asked. She laughed. In the middle of nowhere, of course! “Are they still following us?” Tiia asked. “No, not anymore.” Close to midday, they sat beside a river with rapids. “Let’s make some spears,” Svetlana proposed. When it was done, Tiia made a fire and the two others went in the river to fish. The water was so cold! Janne looked at the water and saw a big fish. He shot as fast and as strong as he could to get it but he fell into the river. Tiia got up immediately, worried. Janne stood up and in his right hand he had his spear with a big moving fish at the extremity. “Wow! Super Janne!” his wife congratulated.

After the meal, Janne asked some questions. “Why do you help us? Do you want something?” “Huh. What do you want that I request? You have nothing and you showed me that you were untalented. I just help you because you said the truth. You’re not spies and not American. You were just at the wrong place at the wrong moment,” she explained. For Janne and Tiia it was a relief. “But why did you bring us to the village?” Janne asked. “Because I didn’t know who you were! We already found spies in the region. American spies but also from Chechnya, Turkey and Germany,” she explained. “What happened to them?” Tiia asked. “I don’t know. They were probably killed,” she answered. “But why to protect a secret in this region when the war is ended?” he asked. “No, it’s not ended. We are in a transition period. But one day we will be again the most powerful country. We are waiting for the signal.” Janne and Tiia were convinced that she was living in a total delirium like all the villagers. But they preferred to don’t comment because they knew that she was dangerous and able to kill.

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After 7 days of travel in the Taiga

“Look. It’s Irkutsk.” The two travelers smiled. Finally. It was the end of the journey. They would finally go home and hug their children. They exited the forest and walked in the streets. It was a noisy and industrial city with plenty of cars. Everybody was looking at them, walking with donkeys. When they arrived at the police station, Svetlana explained their problem after three hours of waiting. “You say that their passports burnt? Huh. How much money do they have?” “I told you: nothing. They had an accident and all the documents and money burnt. They have nothing and want to go back to their country.” “Sorry. I cannot help you,” the man with rounded glasses answered. Svetlana was angry and disappointed. “I hate the administration. Come with me.”

They quitted the centre of the city to go to a poor quarter. The buildings were probably built more than fifty years ago and nobody had maintained them. A lot of garbage was on the floor and it didn’t smell good. Tiia felt unsecured. She held more strongly Janne’s hand. On a corner there was a little shop. Many different objects were available. It looked like a flea market. “Hi Igor,” Svetlana greeted. A man that was approximately 55 years old, with a huge belly, a grey beard and a cap exited his shop. “Hi my dear princess of the woods! Welcome to Irkutsk. Do you want some tea?” he proposed and she accepted.
“I went with these two lost travelers. Their passports and money burnt and they want to go back to their country. Can you help them?” He looked carefully at the Finns and poured the tea in cups. “You know Svetlana, I’m not anymore in this business. It’s too dangerous. You have to ask someone else. Maybe the guys from the mafia. But honestly, don’t go there. You’re too precious.” She smiled. She was touched that he was taking care of her. “So, what can we do?” she asked while she drank a mouthful. Janne held Tiia’s hand. “Don’t worry. We’ll find a solution. If she cannot help us, we can jump in the night train and travel with the goods or animals,” he murmured in Finnish.

When they were back to the street, Igor exclaimed: “Oh but you have beautiful donkeys!” “They are my father.” During long minutes she looked at the animals and then to the travelers. “How much? How much can you give us for a donkey? We need to buy train tickets to Moscow.” Igor laughed. “My dear, do you know how much one ticket costs? You will need to sell me more than three donkeys!” he exclaimed. “Give me the money or my wolves will eat you for dinner,” she threatened with her knife. “Calm down. I come in a minute,” he said before to go back to his shop. “Is he calling the police?” Tiia asked anxious. “No, he will not do it,” the Russian girl said.

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He came back with an envelope. “I have these tickets since years but I never used them. I got them at my wedding. She loved theater. But we never went. She was pregnant few weeks later. And when it was time to give birth she…” he erased a tear with a tissue. “Anyway. Have a safe trip. Families are more important than holiday, travels or theater. I have no reason to go to Moscow. And we have too many foreigners in that country. It’s nice that two of them want to go back,” he said with humor. They thank him for the wonderful gift. “Let’s drink some vodka. The train leaves in more than three hours,” he proposed with a smile.

In exchange to the train tickets, Svetlana gave the three donkeys. “How will you go back to your village?” Janne asked. “Don’t worry. I can live in the forest forever. And Masha is waiting for me. You have to go now.” “Svetlana, come with us. You are a clever girl. You don’t have to be prisoner from that village,” Janne said while there were on the platform. “It’s sweet from you but my life is here. It was nice to meet you and your wife. Now, it’s time to go. Goodbye,” she said before to kiss him quickly on the lips and to disappear into the crowd.

When they were sat in the second class carriage they looked through the window. “I’m sure that she could have a good life in a civilized city.” “Janne, our world is not for her. Look, she is happy in the forest with the wolves. We cannot change it. I saw that she likes you a lot,” she added. “No, Tiia. In Russian custom, you kiss people on the lips when you say goodbye. It was not love,” he explained. Tiia wanted to call her mother to announce the good news. “Where’s my phone,” she said while she checked her pockets. Janne helped her but they didn’t find it. “Maybe you lost it in the ride,” he guessed.

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78 hours later

The train finally arrived in the capital, Moscow, in the Yaroslav station. It was very impressive to see the crowd moving so fast in the station. It was like an ant. It was also much noisier and some cars were honking. The couple walked to the information desk and asked about the Finnish embassy. It was at more than five kilometers away. And without money, they couldn’t pay a taxi.

More than two hours later they found the building. It was so good to see the Finnish flag. They were so tired. “We’re almost at home,” Janne said while he opened the door. It wasn’t one of these luxurious houses. It was simple, clean and clear. They sat on a sofa, waiting for their turn. Only one desk was opened and a family was there. They wanted to register their new born child. It looked quite complicated and they had to fill many forms.

When it was their turn, Janne explained their situation: the trip, the accident, the death of Jukka, the village and how they traveled to Moscow. “Where did the plane crash?” the blond fat girl at the desk asked. “I don’t know exactly. In a clearing near Irkutsk. About 200km on the West,” he told. She took a map and asked Janne to show more or less where it was. From Irkutsk he followed the railway tracks and after 200km he showed an area a bit more on the North. “Somewhere here.” “And you haven’t had problems? You were not arrested?” “We met strange people in a village. But no. Why?” he asked curious. “Because it’s a military area, highly protected,” she said. “What is so protected?” he requested. “The nuclear weapons. Many bombs and missiles. It’s the former arsenal of the Soviet Union. But don’t worry about it. Most of it has been destroyed. There is no more danger. It’s under control. And the war is ended.” This was the secret of the village!

“So, I need your name, address, phone number and a person to contact to confirm your identity. And I also need your finger prints on that sheet.” When it was done, they asked how they will go back to Finland. “Once your IDs are confirmed, you will get plane tickets to Helsinki. It can take three days to a week. We have accommodation and will give you some money to buy food. Once you’ll be back in Finland you will have to pay back the temporary passport, the hotel and the money for food. Don’t leave the city by yourself and wait as much as possible at the hotel,” she recommended.

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When they opened the door of the hotel room they discovered a holiday flat. “Looks nice. There are a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room,” Tiia enumerated. She went to the window of the living room and looked at the street. She was happy that it was a small one with few cars. The flat was old-fashion with a very ugly tapestry, dark green carpet and light green sofa. A painting was hanged on the wall. It was hunting scenery. Janne smiled and remembered his disastrous performances. “I’ve to take a shower. After one week I smell bad and I have to shave. But lady’s first,” Janne said. Tiia smiled and closed the door of the bathroom. Janne sat on the sofa and turned the TV on. It was an old CRT TV. He thought that it was again a wink to the Soviet period. After have passed the numerous Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and Chechnyan channels he finally found the European channels. But there was nothing interesting. He closed his eyes and relaxed.

Some minutes later they went to the reception and asked if they could call their family. “Yes, sure. But don’t call to long,” the black short hair man said. When they were in the cabin behind the reception, Janne had a hesitation. “The number of my mother ends with 23 or 32? I can’t remember.” She didn’t know either and they called with 23 at the end and it was the wrong number. “I hate mobile phones. You record the numbers and then you’re enabled to remember them,” he railed. But with 32, it was the right number.

“Is it really you? Oh my God, Janne I’m so happy to hear your voice!” Maarit exclaimed in the handset. She was almost crying. “We are also so happy. In few days we’ll be at home. We had many problems but now the nightmare is ended.” Tiia asked also to hear the voices of the children. They were also happy but were fewer enthusiasts than they adults. Maybe it was because they didn’t realize what happened to their parents.

After the conversation, the couple went to the closest shop to buy some food to cook. They decided to go outside as less as possible. They have had enough adventures.

Five day later they took the plane to Helsinki. “Goodbye Russia. Hello Finland,” Tiia said during the take-off. “Yes, that was an unforgettable journey,” he told with a smile, thinking to all what happened.

The end

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