My best friend and I had everything ready, a huge suitcase full of winter clothes, ready to go volunteering to take care of a farm in the city of Eidskog in Norway near the Moberget mountain. We had already gotten off the plane, but due to difficulties in purchasing train tickets, we arrived in Eidskog at midnight, on a different train than the one we were going to go to at the beginning. My friend Pol was calm, he was the one who was guiding me I was hooked to his arm and looking again at the previous messages that we mailed to the apartment we were going to go to, I was very nervous to have arrived late, but they still hadn't sent us anything since we left the airport. - Don't worry, I don't think they'll say anything about us arriving at midnight, instead of arriving at 4:30 p.m. yesterday. He said - OK, but what if they don't open the door for us because they're asleep - Well, we could walk through the village, I'm sure that at night the whole atmosphere is very quiet and beautiful
It was the first time we traveled alone, and apart from the fact that I was now a little nervous about being late, I thought that deep freedom of the night was a pleasant and exciting adventure. The blood, after the long and tired trip, began to circulate on my numb legs and with a smile of astonishment, I listened to the great train station and the voices that formed between the people who were waiting on the express and those who arrived hours late. We finally left the station and it was very windy, a heavy and fresh air, entered my lungs, with the first confused feeling of the city: a mass of sleeping houses; closed establishments; of lanterns, like sentries, drunk with loneliness.We began to take out wool scarves, hats and mittens to withstand the cold autumn wind of Norway at night. Our luggage was a very large wheeled suitcase, and the wheels could be heard crashing into the stones of the street while we were walking.
- I hope they let us in because with this icy wind we're going to freeze. I said while my teeth were stirring. We were silent for a while walking with the air that was pulling us backwards.
- there is less and less data coverage, one moment we are going to stop and see the hole track of GPS to be able to get to the apartment. Pol said. We stoped and you could only hear the leaves of the trees against the wind, there were no people around or cars passing by. I stop questioning it since it was 2:12 in the morning and obviously with this air no one will want to go out and even less when it's Monday.
-Okay, we walk straight and in five minutes we have to turn left and after 20 minutes we have arrived. He told me I'm still holding Pol's elbow while we're walking.
After 20 minutes of walking the street we were on stopped being illuminated with streetlights. Pol and I turned on the cell phone flashlight and we were able to manage and kept walking . After 10 minutes of walking in a fierce wind we stood right in front of a bar that had light inside, it was the only thing that lit up on the whole street.
- could it be this? I said. It was a bar, but on top of it there were windows that looked like a house. - I guess, let's see if there is coverage and I can see the GPS. He turned on the cell phone and tried to put the GPS on. No, there's no data here, well let's go in.
When we entered the bar it was an all-wooden tavern, in the bar where they served the drink there was a very old man who should be retired cleaning the last glasses he had left to close the tavern. - I'm sorry, I closed a few minutes ago, come back tomorrow. -We're sorry, are the apartments for volunteers nearby? Pol asked The old man didn't answer and kept cleaning the last glass. Pol and I kept quiet. The pictures of photos on the walls were of soldiers and young boys in black and white hunting large animals like deer and others that could not be distinguished. I went to where the old man was, just in case he hadn't listened to us, and because I was getting nervous, since he wasn't responding to us. - excuse me sir. I said irritated from tiredness. Don't you know anyone who organizes volunteers nearby, it's that we have arrived now, we don't have coverage on our cell phone and we have to sleep somewhere, near the train station the GPS said it was around here, if you could help us we would be very grateful. I said a little sick of all the thoughts that i was having because of the tiredness and the cold I had.
- kids, I'm very sorry but I don't know anyone who organizes anything, this whole street is just small houses, and I don't know who could had rent their house, don't you have any number to call? The old man answered us. - no, we only have the email and there is no coverage to send messages. I Answered.
I couldn't believe it...we're not going to have a place to sleep...and with the cold outside..., what if we've been scammed, we already have the return flight, we would have to overtake it. I thought - Can we have a quick drink here? Pol said. Thank goodness Pol. I thought - I'll put you something, but you will have to take it outside, I've been working for 12 hours and I'm leaving now, it is what it is kids. - Give us a bottle of Aquavit. Pol said - and some salmon toasts. I kept saying. Pol and I thought the same thing, drinking to at least have a good night and forget a little about the situation. Besides, the man didn't have to prepare anything, he already had the salmon toasts prepared on the bar behind the glass. - 208, 73 NOK. The old man told us. - With credit. I said and I paid for our dinner.
We all left the tavern and the old man with a key close the tavern after turning off all the lights, he had with him a huge flashlight that was already on and we lit up with the cell phone. - kids, forward there is a picnic area right in front of the mountains, you can sit down there - Thank you, sir. Pol said
We went to where the old man told us while our cell phone illuminated the street. - have you noticed the photos that were in the tavern?. Pol told me - yeees there was one with a huge boy and with a very small dear dead. We both laughed and talked about volunteering and anecdotes until we arrived at the picnic area as the old man said. The seats were wet and we put in our seat the suitcases to sit on, although now the table was a little low. We put the phones upside down with the flashlight lighting up and we started eating and drinking. The salmon toasts were very tasty, the bad thing is that they were very small.
- Oh my God, how strong the Aquavit is, how much percentage does it have? I said. It was the first time we had Aquavit, we only knew that it was the typical Norwegian liquor or so it put on the internet. I took the bottle of Aquavit and on the label it said that I had 40% alcohol and I laughed. We were getting more and more drunk. After a long time of laughing and talking constantly, we only had a bottle left. Suddenly it started to snow a lot. - I can't believe it!,!! Hahahahahhahahahah. Pol said. I also laughed, nothing worse could have happened to us. We got up and took out a raincoat so that the main coat didn't get so wet and I put it on my head. - Why do you wear it like that? Pol asked me while he was laughing. - well, the wool hat is going to get very wet if I don't wrap it. I answered him - it makes sense. And Pol put on the raincoat just like me wrapping his head. We began to hear sounds from the forest closer and closer and tremors but we ignored them and kept talking, the bottle of Aquavit fell on the ground breaking and losing the alcohol it had left. Pol took a picture of the broken bottle and began to pray with invented words. - Amen. He said
The noises and tremors stopd and we realized that. - what if it's a stampede? Pol asked very nervous suddenly - what? I said - of animals. He said - What's up with the animals? I said. - the tremors that have caused poor Aquavit to fall. He answered me the question - but if there are no tremors there are no animals. I said, and I illuminated the forest in front of us.
- WO!. We both said at the same time. They were huge feet with white-haired pants wet by the snow that was snowing, the toes were huge, the big toe was like a big beach ball, and the foot was like a big van. I put up the cell phone flashlight, We couldn't appreciate it good because the cell phone flashlight didn't reach that much, but it was clearly a giant in front of us.
The three of us were silent without making any movement.
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_________________________________________________________________________________ Hello! I hope you liked this introduction to this story that I'm trying to carry out.
