· Särna, Sweden
The road to Särna.
From the journal of the Wolf of the North · a work of fiction
The first call came before sunrise. Astrid Lind's two children were stranded in the milk shed, and a reindeer stood between them and the house, striking the door with its antlers. I crossed the frozen yard low to the ground, listening for the moment its hooves shifted.
I pulled the shed door off its hinges and carried both children out beneath my coat. Astrid asked if I had been frightened. I told her the truth: I had been. Fear is useful if it makes your feet move quickly.