Aunt Santa

Chapter 10

There wasn't much time to look around once they landed in Oslo. Their next flight to take them to Nordkapp was set to depart in an hour and they had to get through customs first.

Still, Sara tried to take it in as they hustled through the airport. The building was vast, a collision of wood and steel, simple yet elegantly constructed. Every detail looked clean and functional with elements of the outdoors folded into it. And the marble floors were a nice touch, she thought with her hand firmly in BB's. "Too fast!" BB shouted suddenly. She'd dropped her stuffed bunny in their hurry.

"Okay, come on, I'll carry you." Sara hefted her into her arms and Sam gamely took her backpack along with his as they continued their way.

"You are going to where?" The security agent looked at their tickets, switching to English with ease when glimpsing their American passports.

"We're flying to Tromsø," Sara explained. "And from there, we fly to Honningsvåg."

"Yes, of course, I can read your tickets here myself. But it is very cold and dark there, you know. Not much to see." The agent handed the tickets back to Sara. "It would be a better idea to go in February when there is more light."

She'd gotten the same report when they'd checked in to their Norwegian flight at JFK. Sara tried to smile. "We'll manage, thanks."

A line was forming, but the agent continued to frown at them. "The roads are very bad this time of the season. In the snow, there is only one convoy each day to make the journey."

Sara nodded. "Yes, the person at JFK told me."

"It is odd to take children there!" the agent called to their backs as they hurried past. "This is a very odd decision!"

"What did they mean?" Sam demanded as they waited for their turn in the line. "What's a convoy?"

"It's like when you're on a highway in the snow and you all drive behind the snow plow. But that's only if there's a storm," Sara explained. "And apparently there isn't meant to be any snow today or tomorrow so we should be okay."

"How do you know all of this?"

"I looked it up before we left." She patted him on the shoulder. "It's going to be okay, Sam. We'll get there, don't worry."

"Hey, this is your crazy idea. I'm just here to watch." He looked pointedly at his little sister who, as if on cue, announced that she was bored and also hungry and tired as well.

"It's all going to be fine," Sara said, saying it as much for herself as for them.

"You are going where?" The next security agent declared as they handed over their passports. He looked at them and frowned. "Oh, but this is a terrible idea."

Despite the dour warnings, they had been blessed with a break in the weather. Oslo's skies were clear of clouds when they landed and their short flight to Tromsø was uneventful, though BB moaned when she heard they still had one plane ride to go. "Six hours to go, BB," Sara told her apologetically about their final flight, and when the girl yelped, she thought it only fair for her to let it all out. "I hear you. I'm tired of flying, too."

Though it was only 6 pm on the East Coast, it was almost one in the morning in Norway when they boarded their final flight to Honningsvåg so she encouraged BB and Sam to try and sleep on the plane. It was an easier request than she expected as the long travel day had exhausted all of them.

They landed in Honningsvåg early. As the plane touched down, Sara opened her eyes to peer into a darkened world. She saw glimpses of light as they landed and wondered about the landscape that was hidden from them.