Page 51 of Entwined in Norway

‘I think I’m owed some time off. Let’s enjoy ourselves.’

They grinned at each other, but Ida wondered whether Erik was thinking the same as her; that their days were numbered. Because they were. And there was no way she was thinking of anything other than this being a holiday romance, because she couldn’t, but also it was horrible to think that it was all going to end in a few days.

They didn’t leave it too late to paddle back, because even though it wasn’t far, it was spooky paddling along this part of the fjord now it was getting dark. The mountains seemed to close in around them and apart from the gentle splashing of the waterfall from around the corner, it was eerily still.

They left the beach and the old cabin exactly as they’d found it. ‘I wonder if anyone has ever come across this place by accident?’ said Ida as she climbed back into the kayak, reaching out to take the bag from Erik.

‘I guess Heidi would know. There are bound to be signs if someone else has been here. Things you’d only notice if you were usually the only person using it.’

‘It feels so far away from the island, even though it’s only around the corner. It’s been here this whole time.’ It was quite magical. And now it was a place that would always be special. Maybe somewhere to come when she missed Erik, because she knew she would. Or maybe that would be too hard after a few more days together. It was hard to imagine that she’d come out of this unscathed to the point she’d be able to sit on that beach without sobbing.

‘So, onto the next adventure. Do you need to pack for tomorrow?’ Erik asked as the island came into view.

‘Yes. I think Mats is staying here tonight so he can do the first run over to Bergen in the morning. The shuttle boat won’t be up and running until after lunch. He could drop us at home so I can pack, then we can get a bus to the station.’

‘Great plan. I feel bad that Mats was alone for dinner tonight.’

Ida scoffed. ‘What were you going to do? Invite him to join us?’

‘No, but maybe we should have stayed and eaten with him.’

It was a nice thought, but there were so many times when Ida had been left home alone when Mats and Lotta went out; she didn’t feel bad at all. They hardly ever suggested she go with them unless other people were going too, and it was a group. ‘We don’t need to do that. Don’t feel bad about leaving him out just because you’re workmates now,’ she teased. ‘I love my brother, but he can’t come on our dates. Sorry, Erik.’

He laughed and Ida smiled as she watched his shoulders bounce up and down. ‘Okay. I better tell him Voss is off.’

The following day they arrived at Bergen Station with enough time to grab a coffee and pastry to eat on the train. Ida hadn’t been to Voss since the Christmas before last. The first one after their father died, when none of them could face being in the house in Loddefjord for a Christmas which felt the same on so many levels but was fundamentally never going to be.

The journey to Voss took just over an hour, and in that time, the train climbed through the mountains, giving them a wonderful view of the town when they reached Voss station. They’d left behind the slight drizzle in Bergen and stepped out of the train into a bright sunny day.

‘Can we walk to the cabin?’ Erik asked.

‘It’ll take us twenty minutes and it’s uphill. Shall we get a taxi?’

‘Let’s walk.’ He took her hand in his and smiled.

Ida led the way through the town, climbing gently upwards away from the centre, which was built up and newer, and into the edges of the town where older cabins were spread out across the lush, green hillside. It was uphill, but it was a gentle incline and the views were distracting enough that you didn’t notice.

‘Here we are.’

The cabin was a simple one-storey building, but it was large. The roof overhang at the front made a covered porch where a couple of chairs faced out over the valley. Ida had a sudden vision of her parents sitting out here together, talking and laughing in low voices when they thought Ida and her siblings were asleep. It made her smile to think of them like that. It had been a long time since she’d been able to think of them as anything other than the people they’d been in the last weeks and months of their lives. This was a welcome memory, and she was glad she’d come.

‘You okay?’

‘Happy memories,’ she smiled, wiping a tear away.

The key was underneath the doormat as always. Erik laughed when he saw that.

She opened the door and straight away knew that someone had been there recently. The place had a lived-in feel that was unusual. Being shut up for months on end made the air stale, and it wasn’t.

‘I think one of my sisters must have been here recently,’ she said.

‘You guys don’t tell each other when you’re using it?’

‘We always used to come together. We don’t have a system or anything.’

She headed through to the bedrooms. There were three. One that had been her parents’, a tiny one with bunk beds for the boys and another with bunk beds and a single bed that had been hers and her sisters’. The single bed was made up, which was odd. Someone had forgotten to strip it before they left.

‘This place is cool,’ said Erik, standing in front of the kitchen window. It had the best view of all, looking across to the ski slopes. ‘Man, I would have loved to board here.’