White Hunger (Chance Encounter Series) by Aki Ollikainen Read Free Book Online

states.
     
    Mataleena stares silently ahead. Her stomach is hurting. At first the pain pinches, but soon there is an angry cat scratching, scraping, sinking its teeth into the pit of her stomach. Claws push through to her ribs from inside and the animal mauls her so brutally that she starts to writhe. The cat raises its mangy tail and comes out of her mouth, bloody porridge. An angry hurricane blows in her head and hits her eyes, making them roll.
    Mataleena collapses on the floor.
    From Marja’s mouth comes an animal cry, subdued at first but then slowly gathering strength. Retrikki is the first to recover. He lifts Mataleena up off the floor and carries her to the bedroom, where he lays her down.
    Marja presses Juho so hard to her body that the boy can barely breathe. Retrikki lifts Mataleena’s eyelids, then puts his ear right up close to the girl’s mouth.
    ‘She’s alive, still alive. Possibly not for long – I can’t say. Now bring some water, for God’s sake!’
    Hilta fills a cup with water and tiptoes softly into thebedroom. Marja sits trembling on the bench by the front door, Juho on her lap. She stares into the other room with vacant eyes, seeing Mataleena’s blanched face. Juho gazes at his sister with fearful curiosity. Marja hears the low voices of the farmer and his wife.
    ‘Has she got a disease?’
    ‘Not likely. She’s been so short of food her guts couldn’t even take gruel.’
    ‘Shall I take her to the doctor’s? Could he save the child?’
    Retrikki comes out of the bedroom and stands before Marja for a moment, deep in thought. Marja looks at the man standing in front of her as if she were a sinner and he St Peter at the pearly gates.
    ‘You can’t leave now. I daren’t take the girl in the sledge: she won’t make it… I’ll try to get the doctor to come from the village. Though it might be he’s too busy to come out to the back of beyond for the sake of some beggar. And it’ll take a while; she might not even survive that long.’
    ‘Don’t bury her before she’s dead – just go,’ Hilta snaps.
    ‘There’s no point dressing it up. It’s clear what’s going to happen.’
    Retrikki slams the door on his way out. Marja looks to Hilta for something, even just a scrap of hope. Hilta stares at the blade of the scythe that hangs above the door, until she hears the sledge setting off outside.
    ‘She’ll be fine. Just stomach cramps… She’s got skinny but she’s a strong girl,’ Hilta says.
    Her voice quavers, though, and the last shreds of hope fly away from Marja. She takes Juho off her lap and goes to the bed where Mataleena lies. Hilta follows Marja, then takes the cup of water from the bedside table, lifts Mataleena’s head and pours some liquid carefully into the girl’s mouth. Mataleena coughs, water spurts down her front. Marja sits on the edge of the bed and asks Hilta to wet a rag. She dabs gently at the girl’s face with the damp cloth.
    Finally, Mataleena recovers enough to drink a little. But the water does not stay down; she throws up over the side of the bed before sinking back into unconsciousness.
     
    Dusk becomes dark. Mataleena regains consciousness. This time, she even tries to talk, she looks at her mother and smiles.
    ‘Father brought goldeneye eggs. For my little cygnet, he says.’ Mataleena laughs.
    This laughter comes from somewhere very far away, Marja realizes. Coldness strikes her from within. She senses something she does not want to understand.
    Just then, the door opens. Hilta jumps up and rushes to meet the arrivals. Retrikki lingers by the bedroom door. Dr Berg bends over Mataleena.
    ‘Father… father… father…’ Mataleena gasps.
    Then the dark brightness of vacancy appears in her eyes.
    Dr Berg closes Mataleena’s eyes. He looks tired. He has caught Mataleena’s pallor, Marja thinks. She shrinks back as Berg lays his hand on her shoulder.
    ‘…perhaps to a better place,’ Marja hears Berg say softly.
    A chill spreads from