A tale of a young love

I met her on a goodbye party.

It was my last day in Paris, my last day of Erasmus, which was my first experience living abroad. I was 19 years old, bold but naive for my age. She was older - 25 I think -, tall and athletic with blond rusty hair which she would thread around her head. This and her hippie clothes gave her a timeless look as if she was misplaced of reality itself. Still, she was so sure of herself and all of her movements were calm and precise. She had the energy of a cat, muscular but delicate. A common friend introduced us, her name was Eeva and she was Finnish. Surprisingly, as she was so different from me, we talked the entire night. As the morning came abruptly, so came the time to say goodbye as my flight home would be in a few hours. We kissed and, all of a sudden, I realized I had fell in love.

Back in Lisbon, I decided to visit her soon. I had no money and the flights to Finland were expensive so I worked on a clothing shop to earn enough for my travel. Finally, the time arrived and I flew to Helsinki then took a bus to Tampere.

I had never been in a country so different from mine. My travels before were always around the Mediterranean and central European countries which, if you look from outside, don’t differ that much. But Finland, oh Finland, was so alien to me as if I had just stepped onto the Moon and not the main Tampere bus station.

I spent a month on the Moon. It was beautiful.

The days lasted until midnight and I was so confused. It was warmer than I thought. Eeva took me to the countryside, to her grandparents potato farm and to the different lakes that sprinkle the land. She told me about the Moomins and the Kalevala. We went to many saunas, some wooden, others in the basement of buildings. I couldn’t stand the highest temperatures. Everytime the golden light of the early Autumn would hit her, she looked like an elfish creature. Something surreal I had no idea could ever stand in front of me so perfect and so close.

September came and I had to come to Portugal to continue university. I had to come back to Finland and so I did. This time, during deep Winter. I had never seen snow - real snow before. On January I flew back again to Finland. As I stepped down from the bus, we hugged awkwardly but after some time our bodies got used to each other again and it was as if no time had passed between the Summer and then. The land was transformed and a huge layer of snow, ice and silence covered everything. She took me again to the countryside and I saw some of the most beautiful moments in my life.

I then left again, back home. Our relationship eventually faded away, even though we exchanged many letters and small gifts that reminded each other of the times we spent together.

Seven years past, a lifetime now, and I hold Eeva and her moments deep in a dark forest, filled with ethereal creatures such as herself. A wild, snowy tale of a youth love that will always be part of me.