under the windows. The wooden building resembles a fortress. Frost forms a thin, limp veil over the yellow paint, unable to penetrate the great house.
A man comes round the corner and leaps in front of Marja like a startled hare. His eyes bear the same expression as Pajula’s dog Peni after Lauri beat it senseless in a drunken rage.
Marja stumbles against the wall. Juho sways in time with his mother, like a branch that yields to the wind’s every whim.
The man loses his footing as he dodges Marja, but he manages to break his fall with one hand. He carries on crossing the street at the same speed, only on all fours. Three other men, who all look like landowners, catch up with him. One of them, who is dressed in wolf fur, grabs the man on all fours by his collar and tugs violently. The fugitive rears up like a horse. Then he slips, and slumps into his coat. The man in wolf fur flings him down as if he were a wild cat.
‘Thief, thief,’ croaks a woman in a blue shawl who has followed on the men’s heels.
A small shrivelled man with a droopy moustache pulls the coat half off the thief.
The thief looks at the moustached man in horror, presses his forehead to the snow and pants. He hunches his shoulders, as if expecting a blow. His pursuer digs out a lump of meat from inside the coat and holds it up like a trophy for all to see. Then, suddenly, he bashes the thief on the back of the neck with the meat. The man goes limp and just lies there. Not because of the blow, but because he has no strength to resist. The man with the moustache kicks him. Marja covers Juho’s eyes.
The woman in the blue shawl spots Marja and points at her with a long, thin finger.
‘There goes another beggar, meat thief, robber, whore,’ the woman shouts.
Marja squeezes Juho protectively, too hard. Juho tries to prise his mother’s hand away. He manages to peer through her fingers; he sees the man using his hands to drag himself forward. Bright-red blood trickles from his mouth.
The pursuers turn towards Marja. The man with the moustache merely glances over his shoulder before turning back to watch the flogged man crawling.
The stares are empty; they exude coldness. The woman in the shawl opens and closes her mouth. Marja sees her teeth, and the frozen breath rising from the woman’s mouth along with her words; she does not hear the voice. The town starts revolving slowly around her. Wolf fur steps closer.
‘Let her be. She’s got a child and all.’
The man’s words open Marja’s ears. After the moment of deafness, she hears the sounds of the town again. They roar in the emptiness inside her head, cause shooting pains behind her eyes, but then, finally, they settle down in their proper places. Wolf fur tells her there is an almshouse on the other side of the river, at the foot of the church hill. She should go there.
Marja cannot move her legs. She looks in the direction wolf fur indicated, then at his hand, and finally at his face. Instantly, she understands how idiotic she must appear. She begins to shiver with exhaustion.
Wolf fur picks up Juho. Marja is alarmed; she tries to stop the man but manages only to move a hand feebly in his direction.
‘Very well, I’ll take you there.’
It takes a moment for Marja to comprehend the man’s words. She calms down and her body stops trembling. The woman in the blue shawl is now standing next to the man, and she looks curiously at Juho.
‘Mr Gustafsson should take care. Could be the boy’s got something. Typhus.’
‘Could be. Could always be there, typhus.’
The man turns and begins walking. Juho stretches out his hand towards his mother.
‘Come on,’ Gustafsson orders.
Marja follows the mitten Juho extends. At the crossroads, she looks at the thief lying on the ground. The manwith the moustache is already walking off, the lump of meat under his arm. The woman in the blue shawl runs to catch up with him and the man he is with. Having joined them, she looks back at Marja
A man comes round the corner and leaps in front of Marja like a startled hare. His eyes bear the same expression as Pajula’s dog Peni after Lauri beat it senseless in a drunken rage.
Marja stumbles against the wall. Juho sways in time with his mother, like a branch that yields to the wind’s every whim.
The man loses his footing as he dodges Marja, but he manages to break his fall with one hand. He carries on crossing the street at the same speed, only on all fours. Three other men, who all look like landowners, catch up with him. One of them, who is dressed in wolf fur, grabs the man on all fours by his collar and tugs violently. The fugitive rears up like a horse. Then he slips, and slumps into his coat. The man in wolf fur flings him down as if he were a wild cat.
‘Thief, thief,’ croaks a woman in a blue shawl who has followed on the men’s heels.
A small shrivelled man with a droopy moustache pulls the coat half off the thief.
The thief looks at the moustached man in horror, presses his forehead to the snow and pants. He hunches his shoulders, as if expecting a blow. His pursuer digs out a lump of meat from inside the coat and holds it up like a trophy for all to see. Then, suddenly, he bashes the thief on the back of the neck with the meat. The man goes limp and just lies there. Not because of the blow, but because he has no strength to resist. The man with the moustache kicks him. Marja covers Juho’s eyes.
The woman in the blue shawl spots Marja and points at her with a long, thin finger.
‘There goes another beggar, meat thief, robber, whore,’ the woman shouts.
Marja squeezes Juho protectively, too hard. Juho tries to prise his mother’s hand away. He manages to peer through her fingers; he sees the man using his hands to drag himself forward. Bright-red blood trickles from his mouth.
The pursuers turn towards Marja. The man with the moustache merely glances over his shoulder before turning back to watch the flogged man crawling.
The stares are empty; they exude coldness. The woman in the shawl opens and closes her mouth. Marja sees her teeth, and the frozen breath rising from the woman’s mouth along with her words; she does not hear the voice. The town starts revolving slowly around her. Wolf fur steps closer.
‘Let her be. She’s got a child and all.’
The man’s words open Marja’s ears. After the moment of deafness, she hears the sounds of the town again. They roar in the emptiness inside her head, cause shooting pains behind her eyes, but then, finally, they settle down in their proper places. Wolf fur tells her there is an almshouse on the other side of the river, at the foot of the church hill. She should go there.
Marja cannot move her legs. She looks in the direction wolf fur indicated, then at his hand, and finally at his face. Instantly, she understands how idiotic she must appear. She begins to shiver with exhaustion.
Wolf fur picks up Juho. Marja is alarmed; she tries to stop the man but manages only to move a hand feebly in his direction.
‘Very well, I’ll take you there.’
It takes a moment for Marja to comprehend the man’s words. She calms down and her body stops trembling. The woman in the blue shawl is now standing next to the man, and she looks curiously at Juho.
‘Mr Gustafsson should take care. Could be the boy’s got something. Typhus.’
‘Could be. Could always be there, typhus.’
The man turns and begins walking. Juho stretches out his hand towards his mother.
‘Come on,’ Gustafsson orders.
Marja follows the mitten Juho extends. At the crossroads, she looks at the thief lying on the ground. The manwith the moustache is already walking off, the lump of meat under his arm. The woman in the blue shawl runs to catch up with him and the man he is with. Having joined them, she looks back at Marja
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