Lapland [antikvár]

PREFACE People say Fm good natured, but I'm not at all pleased. It's been suggested I describe a journey. Not one journey, but several, and in all seasons too. Fortunately, for us, in Lapland, it's mainly summer and winter. Of course we alsó have spring and autumn, but it's simpler to say "the beginning of winter" when the first flakes of snow fali on the gleaming birch leaves, and "the beginning of summer" when the last flakes of snow fali on the still-shy birch leaves. I don't know why, but I've accepted this job. Perhaps it's because of the photographer. He comes from Spain. When people come from a long way off and aren't too stupid, you can always learn something interesting from them. Alsó he told me that if I didn't want to show him Lapland, he would find somé other girl. There are 3,000 Lapps in Finnish Lapland, and they all know each other. If something rather extraordinary happens, if for example a reindeer were to trample on a wolverine instead of allowing itself to be devoured, everyone would know. And if I allowed the Spanish photographer to follow me everywhere, people would prick up their ears. But when the photographer arrived with a young Skolt Lapp, my parents stopped making a fuss. Apparently when three people go on a trip together nobody pricks up their ears. The Skolt is called Kosti. He has to describe our journeys too. Will he write as well as I do? When I went to the high school in Ivalo, my teacher would sometimes read my compositions aloud, to show a good example to the other pupils. I'm called Inga, because it's a name I like. My reál name is just as beautiful, but I prefer to keep it secret in this book. After "Espa" (that's what my little sister calls our photographer) had used up a whole film photographing Kosti, the young man wanted to say: "Do it again." Men are vainer than women. Espa wanted to take me by surprise. I just had time to cover my face with my hands. But when he told me that my picture would help the book I didn't dare say no any longer. People who think we look particularly Mongolian are wrong. You've only got to look at my head and face. My eyes, perhaps. But you have to look at them very closely. Now that I've begun to write I don't feel so cross. It amuses me to see how far my literary talent will go! You might think that a young girl of 19, even with my education, is too naive to express herself clearly. We'll see! I forgot to say that I'm a Lapp from Utsjoki. This is an advantage for the book. I can take Espa into Norway and Sweden, the two countries bordering on Northern Finland, and where my parents and I have acquaintances and friends. I've been looking for Espa to show him my preface. He was running after Elizabeth and Nullikka, two little reindeer who often come to see us. "These pictures won't be much use," said Espa.