The wind quiets down as the morning sun rises, the trees and the earth covered in a new fresh blanket of snow. Raakel begins cooking breakfast on the stove as her husbands suits up for a hunt with the other village men. Food is the second most vital thing to get through winter unharmed and right now they are running dangerously low. As he steps into his boots, Pekka runs around him, begging to come along. “Ill stay quiet this time I promise. And I wont touch anything.” He promises, looking up at his water with his youthful sparkly eyes. But Unto just ruffles his hair. “You stay here and protect your mother and sister.” His words are firm but his tone is warm and Pekka seems satisfied by his words. Tyyne rolls her eyes, fully aware that the one needing protection the most in this house is Pekka and Pekka alone. But let him life with his childish fantasies now. Let him be full of whimsy and optimism before the world whittles it all away. She walks over to give her father a hug, not wanting to admit how worried she is. The forest is full of danger this time of year, even if the bears are deep asleep in their dens. He silently accepts the hug, returning it with an awkward pat to her back. Unto opens the door and the winter chill enters the cabin, causing Pekka to run to his mother by the fire.  

But the cabin is safe and the warmth of fire and love is strong, as the door shuts the chill out as it closes again. “Mom, can we go ski today?” Tyyne asks, settling down on her dads chair as she always does when he's gone. Raakel sighs. She really should have expected this, considering how her children are, but the storm had only stopped a few hours before and their father had barely gotten out of the door and already she wanted to leave the safety of the house behind. Tyyne seems to sense her mothers thoughts, adding on: “We will stay close to the village and come back quickly.” Pekka nods from behind Tyynes back, also eager to leave the confines of the small cabin. “Fine, but be careful. And you listen to your big sister.” Tyyne jumps up from the chair and tackles her mother in a hug, nearly knocking her over. “Thank you, thank you.” Raakel shakes her head at her daughters enthusiastic affection, shrugging her off. Pekka goes over to the door, already pulling on his own boots. “But if I found out you went on the ice on the lake, you're both in big trouble.” Tyyne shakes her head at her mothers warning. Each and every child in the village had heard the same stories over and over. Stories of children playing over ice that was too thin and falling in and never resurfacing again.  

“We know, mom. We know.” She assurers her, pulling on her own boots and getting both her and her brother ready to go out. Yet another thing relentlessly drilled into children's heads, what and how to dress when going outside in the cold. Horrific descriptions of blackened limbs having to be cut off for good or of sickness that caused your body and mind to wither. Not every truth could be spared or sanitized for a child. They had to learn how harsh the world could sometimes be. Ignorance often equals death. So as sick and tired of hearing those warnings and stories they might grow, they were necessary. And one day they would repeat those very same warnings to their own children. That was often something Raakel considered as a factor with her younger sister. Her parents had seen her as too young to yet hear of the harm and danger winter and snow could cause. Winter was just a snowy playground one could make snowmen in and engage in snowball fights or ski in the forest or skate on a lake. By the time it set in she was in danger, it was far too late to do anything about it. And behind every single cautionary tale was a dead or mangled body of someone that was once alive.  

As they stepped outside, Tyyne breathed in the crisp fresh winter air. She helped her brother put on his skis and just like that they were making their way trough the familiar forest. It was silent this time of winter, most creatures either hibernating or spending time in warmer places in far off lands. The snow was thick but light, allowing them to glide across it with little effort. The sun was shining now, making the snow glitter like diamonds under its rays. Tyyne pushed herself to go faster, eager to explore the woods. She stopped at the edge of the lake, frozen over just like it always did. Pekka stopped behind her, cautiously eyeing the surface of the ice, as if expecting it to crack any second. “You know what lives under the ice?” She asked, smirking at him. “Fish?” He guessed and she shook her head, seeing the opportunity to tease her brother. “No. Something scarier than fish. Something that likes snatching little kids.” She said dramatically, crouching to his level. He just shrugged, defiantly looking back at her. “Its a monster. Its called Näkki. And I know for sure one of those lives in this very lake.”