Twenty
Wednesday 30th September
‘It’s not for the faint-hearted, but I promise you’ll feel amazing afterwards.’
‘Are you sure?’
Henrik nodded. ‘One hundred per cent. Inside and out.’
I eyed the lake cautiously. This situation was entirely my own doing. I’d been banging on about how much I loved wild water swimming ever since I’d arrived, but I’d only ever done it in Greece, in the height of summer. And now it was just me, Henrik and a freezing cold lake, and it was too late to backtrack. I had to get on with it. Surely a little dip wouldn’t kill me.
‘How often do you come out here?’ I asked, trying to stall him.
‘Rarely, these days. I’m not really one for swimming to be honest. Hot tubs and Jacuzzis are fine, but otherwise I prefer to be on the water, rather than in it.’
‘Right.’ He didn’t want to do it either. ‘You’re going in today though, yeah?’
‘No, I’m just the taxi,’ he said with a straight face. ‘You’re the wild water swimming champ.’
‘Right,’ I said, again. ‘Right.’
Henrik laughed. ‘Just kidding – of course I’m going in. I can’t let you go in there unaccompanied. You might get pulled under.’
‘Might I? By what?’ This was sounding worse by the second.
‘Not really. It’s a lake – there are just a few small fish. Maybe the odd trout. I thought you’d done this before?’
‘I have, but not in Norway,’ I said, starting to panic. ‘I’m really not sure about this, you know. My inner child is screaming blue murder, and I like to respect her opinion on these things.’
‘Lucky for you wild swimming isn’t designed for children,’ Henrik said with a wry smile. ‘Your outer adult can make the decision here.’
‘Right.’
‘Oh. Before I forget – I wanted to show you something,’ Henrik said, pulling a Polaroid out of his wallet. It was a stunning, multicoloured sky over Firefly farmhouse. ‘This is the special aurora I was telling you about. The magical version. Taken on a Polaroid, so no apps involved. Proof the Northern Lights exist in all the different colours.’
I took it from him and looked at the rainbow of light: pinks and purples into greens and blues. It was beautiful. ‘No Photoshop?’ I asked, still suspicious.
He gave me a look. ‘Be serious. We barely have Wi-Fi out here. Can you imagine any one of us Photoshopping rainbows onto Polaroids to placate the guests?’
Fair point.
‘That does look pretty cool,’ I admitted, begrudgingly.
‘Cooler than cool. Hopefully you’ll get to see them properly before you head home,’ he said, tucking the photo away carefully and zipping up his bag. ‘OK. Are you ready for a swim? I’ll race you.’ Henrik threw off his fleecy tracksuit and ran full pelt towards the lake, which ironically my inner child would have loved to do. It was impossible not to stare at his body. Hot and cold all at once, and super cute in his Norwegian flag swimming trunks. I laughed as he screamed ‘Geronimo!’ and bombed into the water like an enthusiastic otter.
‘I’ll just be a sec,’ I shouted, my outer adult about to burst into tears. I wanted to enjoy my jumper for a few more seconds.
Bollocksssss.There wasn’t even a sauna to warm up in afterwards.
Speed was of the essence here. Get my kit off quick, get in and out quick and get back in the minibus. Quick. Henrik was clearly part frog; he was swimming around, loving it in there.
I shed my clothes in one fluid movement, like a snake crawling out of her own skin. The air was strangely serene and wrapped itself around me as I walked towards the lake. It was bastard freezing of course, but nothing like it was going to be once I was in that water.
‘Come on!’ Henrik called, impatiently. No doubt shrivelling up like a used balloon. ‘Get in!’
There weren’t any steps, what with it beingau naturel, so there was no option but to suck it up and jump. I couldn’t loiter in the cold any longer. I stood on the edge of the concrete, my feet like blocks of ice.
‘Is it deep enough to jump?’ I asked, gingerly. Last chance to tell him to do one. I was supposed to be on holiday after all.I was in charge here.
