Visions: for Erkki Melartin

They say to document the conditions now becausesoon the fading will begin. What the fading isI do not know, so let me begin by telling youabout the cold. When you want to eat with a spoon,it must be warmed next to the fire firstor it sticks to your lips. When my daughter wentmissing, I knew it was because she was black-hairedand beautiful, and these are the traits the soulswho live between stones find attractive, and soshe was taken. When you wash your hair it freezes,and when you brush it beside the fire the waterfalls from the comb in the form of snow.The winter months are not as dark as you might think,despite the absent sun. Some of us carry onconversations with juniper trees. But beforeI go too far, let me say that our children do readthe Bible — and no, we do not eat with dirty hands,as some have accused us. When the male bear sleptwith the human woman, the child emerged with the bodyof a bear but the face of a human. No choice but to kill it.When my daughter was born, she was givena piece of boiled reindeer fat to suck on. Sugarhad not come to us yet. Now that I am alone,I can spend all day watching reindeer eat lichen,their quiet chewing entrancing me until I am bothhere and not here. It is commonly known that the wolfwas invented by the devil, and if you are not carefulyour snow will turn red while you sleep.I do not think I could live without my reindeer.Like them, I prefer circles to squares.I know we exist in a middle world—there are spirits below that you can touch by passing through a hole at the bottomof a lake with the help of certain fish—but sometimes, I wonder what would happenif there were no other worlds, just this one.What the fading would mean then.I suppose it makes no difference. Either wayI keep packing grass in my shoes for warmth.The sky had a purple slant to it this morning.It is said that whoever flies before his wings can bear himlands in a dunghill, so I have told you this story carefully.