Hale nodded as a numbing haze began to descended over his awareness, “Let’s get moving.” Maki added.
Hale, reached down and picked up his pack. He slid it onto his back, left arm first, and then very slowly slipped his right arm in. There was almost no pain. Smiling he picked up his rifle, slung it over his left shoulder, and picked up his ski poles.
With Hale’s pain greatly diminished, the two men were able to set a steady pace. The miles quickly fell away as they headed in a northerly direction. Occasionally, Maki would bring them to a halt for a few minutes so they could catch their breath. As the sun touched the south western horizon, they changed direction. They were now heading northeast with the sun almost behind them.
The golden rays of the setting sun, glistened off the white blanket draped across the countryside. The snow-covered countryside, sparkled in the light, making it seems as if there were tiny diamonds embedded everywhere. Hale, basking in the natural beauty of the Finnish countryside, was startled when Maki raised his right arm and made a fist, the signal to stop.
Hale dutifully came to a stop. His ears, uncluttered by the sound of their skiing, he heard the noise of engines ahead. In a whisper Maki said, “Let’s take a break and eat. Once it’s fully dark, we can continue toward them quietly.”
“How close are we to the Russians?” Hale asked.
“About half a mile or so to the east is the road. The sound echoes and carries through this frigid night air.” Maki replied.
The two men opened their packs and pulled out some ration tins, “What are you going to try sir?” Hale asked.
“Hmmm.” Maki responded, “I wonder which one of these would taste the best frozen?”
Hale looked at the two tins that Maki was holding up, “Probably the chicken. If we dig a hole in the snow behind one of the thicker trees, we could build a fire. The enemy probably won’t see it.”
“I’d rather not risk it.” Maki replied.
Hale sighed, “As you wish.” Trying to take his mind off the numbing cold he asked, “Tell me about Sade. How did you meet her?”
“We met in the fall of ‘34, I was attending the University in Helsinki.” Maki replied.
“Was she in one of your classes?” Hale asked.
“No, we met by chance. She was sitting in the park one day, and I was out for a walk. It was a warm day for late September and I was enjoying the feel of the sun on my face. When I rounded a bend in the path, there she was.” Maki said.
“Did she see you?” Hale asked.
“No. She was leaning up against a tree next to a small lake. The sun was setting behind her, and I could see the rays shining through her golden tresses.” Maki said.
“What did you do?” Hale inquired.
“She seemed really focused on a book she was reading. The book was sitting in her lap, so she did not notice me standing there. I found a spot nearby and pretended to watch the water.” Maki said.
Hale laughed, “How did that go.”
“Not very well. She noticed me almost immediately.” Maki replied.
“I bet. What did she do?” Hale questioned.
“I feel like I am being interrogated by the Soviets. You’re asking more questions than a commissar.” Maki chuckled.
Hale, in his best imitation of a Russian accent said, “You will tell me what I want to know or it will go badly for you Finn.”
Maki laughed and relaxed a bit, “Very well. If you must know.”
“It’s helping. We’ve got a lot of time, and this story is helping to keep my mind off the cold and my shoulder.” Hale replied.
Maki closed his eyes and smiled, “She looked up and saw me gazing at her. She hesitated for a moment and then returned my smile.”
Hale leaned in, “Caught! What did you do?”
“There was only one thing I could do, to salvage the situation. I walked over to her and introduced myself.” Maki replied.
Hale whistled softly in appreciation, “Bold. How did that go?
“Better than I thought it would. My heart was pounding, my bladder was weak, and I prayed that she did not see that my hands were shaking.” Maki paused for a moment and then continued, “She didn’t, so I asked if she would like to get some coffee at a nearby café.”
“I don’t think I would have been brave enough to do that.” Hale said.
“I couldn’t believe that I was either, but what did I have to lose at that point?” Maki said.
Hale chortled, “True. So, what happened?”
“She said that she would be happy to have coffee with me, but first she wanted to watch the sunset.” Maki said.
Hale swallowed a bite of his dinner, “Then you got coffee?”
“Well it was a bit late to have some coffee at that point so I asked her to dinner.” Maki said.
Hale whistled softly in appreciation, “A courageous move! Do they teach you such things at the university?”
“No, it just felt right.” Maki replied.
“What happened next?” Hale wondered.
“This isn’t very fair.” Maki said.
“How so?” Hale asked.
“You’re finding out all about Sade, without telling me anything about Nea.” Maki replied.
“There isn’t much to tell. It was a lot different than how you met Sade.” Hale said.
“Let me be the judge of that. Before I continue about Sade, you are going to tell me about Nea.” Maki said.
“Yes sir.” Hale said.
“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just curious too.” Maki said with a soothing voice.
“Oh.” Hale paused for a moment to collect his thoughts, “Me and Nea were different than you and Sade. Nea belonged to the family that owned the farm next to ours.”
“Here in Karelia?” Maki prompted.
Hale nodded, “About forty miles north of here.”
“Viipuri is not much beyond that. We both have a lot to lose if we can’t stop these bastards. Tell me more about Nea.” Maki said.
“As I was saying.”
“Before you were rudely interrupted.” Maki added.
Hale started again, “Nea was part of the family that worked the farm next to my parent’s.”
“How did you meet?” Maki asked.
“I don’t remember.” Hale replied.
Maki’s eyes widened, “What do you mean you don’t remember? How can you forget the moment you met the woman you fell in love with?”
“Because I was like two when it happened.” Hale shot back. A hint of frustration tinged his voice as he added, “Are you going to let me tell the story or not?”
Maki nodded, “Continue. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
Hale smirked, “See that you do.” The young sniper let his mind drift back to a happier time, “We were the best of friends for many years. We’d play together in the forest. Often by a little creek that ran between our family’s two properties.”
“Sounds romantic.” Maki said.
“Oh, it was. We did what children often do. We dropped inspects down each other’s shirts, made mud pies together, tried to help injured frogs, and generally made a mess of ourselves.” Hale closed his eyes and smiled as his mind drifted back to the past, “This went on for many years. We sought each other out daily. When it was too cold for our parents to let us wander about unsupervised, they made sure we were brought together frequently to sip hot cocoa in front of a warm fire.”
Maki smiled, “A warm fire and hot cocoa, that sounds amazing right now.”
Hale exhaled a large cloud of mist, “Yes it would. Around the time we turned eleven, we began to see each other differently. She slowly went from being my friend to something more. We continued to share our inner most feelings with each other, but things changed.”
“Oh, something changed all right. It’s called puberty.” Maki teased.