In Finnish language

This story goes on in my other blog in Finnish language and that is why I don't write it in English anymore.

If you can't read Finnish and still want to know what happens to Gaion and frends send a comment to me and I will continue this English version of the story.

I hope you enjoy the wintertime and snow.

Girls

The Holy Mother opened her arms and hugged Gaion. And he hugged her back. "It has been too long" said Gaion and he has tears in his eyes. "But now you are here" said Holy Mother and looked at him very pleased. "Come in my son, come in" "No Mother, there is somebody else with me" he said and walked to the bush in which he had hid the girl. He lifted the girl in his arms and walked to the gate and to the Holy Mother. The cat and the raven followed him.

"I found this girl in the woods, she was as she is now, and my knowledge cannot help her." explained Gaion. "Oh, a girl again" sighed the litle nun in front of him. "Again?" asked Gaion. "What do you mean, again?" "We do have already six girls here in the monastary, all unconscious" said the nun. "And we could not have waked them up. All we can do is make them swallow a litle water, so they are not drying away."

"But who are these girls, what has happened to them..." "Stop asking and bring her in! We must examine her, if we can find out something..." The Holy Mother walked through the gates of the cloister and Gaion followed her carrying the girl in hes arms. The cat and the raven came with him. Behind them the big gates slammed close.

Gaion walked across the front lawn to the infirmary, into the big room where was beds side by side and nuns were walking among them. "Put he there" said the Holy Mother, "Sister Marian can you take care of this poor girl. Try to find out what has happened to her. Maybe it is something usual, she might have fell down in the forest or something...." "Yes Mother" said sister Marian and bend over the girl.

"Come with me Gaion" said the Holy Mother "We have to talk" "Yes, Mother, we really have to talk" said Gaion and followed the Mother to her study. They sat down and watched to eachother. "What has happened here Mother? When I came the gates were closed and now you say that there are unconscious girls her." "Yes Gaion, we do keep our gates closed nowadays, because one of these girls is one of us. And we don't know what has happened to her. We found her in her own bed. She was the first girl as far as we know. Then a fisherman brought her daugher here to get her well. And then the healer of the city of Citadel came with her daughter, he could not help her and that's why he came to us. Then a noblemand daughter, a traders daughter, and a mountaineer's daughter. And this girl you brought in was dressed like a farmers daughter."

A knock on a door interrupted Holy Mothers talk. "Come in" she said. There was sister Marian and she looked worried.

The cloister

When the man reached the end of the forest, the air was clear and sun was shining brightly. He stopped and put the girl down. He straightend hes back and stood very still listening. The only thing he could hear was a silent breeze. There was nobody in sight, as he was the only person in the world. He and that unconscious girl.

And then he heard it. The bells of the Cloister of The Holy Mother Earth. He had almost forgotten the cloister. The sister would know what to do with the girl. He took the girl in his arms again and started to walk very carefully and silently. Trying not to hurt the girl.

After two more stops he could see the cloister. Old memories begins to spring in his mind. It was an old greystone house, walls around it. And a splendid gardens with medical herbs, and aromatic flowers. And the big gates of the high wall was always open as welcoming everybody to come in.

But the gates were not open now. The man stopped and watched and could not believe what he saw. The gates of the cloister were closed. That was not good, not good at all. But he has no choise, the girl was still almost lifeless and he needed help for her. His own skills did not help here.

The man set the girl down by a big bush, which covered the girl from others. Then he started to walk towards the cloister carefully stopping to listen after few steps. And then closer and stop and listen and then closer. Till he was by the wall. He walked to the big gates and banged them. It took several minutes and then he could hear voices behind the gates like somebody was discussing intencely. Then "I know what I am doing!" said a clear determined voice and the gates begin to open.

A short firm elderly lady in grey gown stood in the gateway and said "It has been a long time since, Gaion Dahill!" "Yes, Mother Superior, it has been!" answered the man humbly.

By the creek

When the man reached to the creek he set the girl down. He listened a short moment and then he bended down beside the girl. "What should I do with you?" he murmed and touched her forehead. "No fever, but still unconscious. How long have you been unconscious? What causes it?" The man raised and moistened his hand in the creek and applied her face with cold water. She sight but did not wake up.

The man rised up and listened carefully. "I do not like this!" he said and looked around. The mist looked like it has been tightened. "Fog althougt the sun has been up hours! We cannot stay here!" He rised the girl up and started to walk on carefully. After a few steps he stopped and listened again. He could hear nothing. Carefully he walked on step by step across the creek. And then he stopped again, put the girl down, and listened carefully.

The cat and the raven has been following the man. The were clearly alert. The man waved his hand to the raven and it looked like it understood. It raised up to its wings and flew away. The cat started to tiptoe under the bushes. The man waited paitiently. He know that soon he will know. When waiting he bended down and touched the girls face. She was still unconscious and her breathing was light, maybe too light. The man wrinkled his brows anxiously.

At the very moment the raven flew back and shrieked shortly. And the cat came forth from the bushes. "So did you see anything?" asked the man silently. The raven shrieked again, rised to its wings and flew towards west. The cat sneaked towards west too. "OK, you think we must go to west although the city of Citadel is north." muttered the man. He lifted the girl and started to walk. He trusted hes companions instincts and followed them towards west.

"City of Citadel has to wait for me for a while." he thought. Soon he realised that the mist was not so thick anymore. And when he reached the end of the forest the air was clear.

The discovery

There was a raven sitting on the branch of the bush. "Hey, was it you who mouned here?" said the man and turned around. The raven shrieked and the man turned to it "I don't bother you if you have your nest there in the bush." said the man to the raven and started to walk. The raven rised to its wings and flew towards the man. The man swerwe the bird and tried to go on. The raven shrieked again and flew towards the man.

"Hey, are you trying to say something to me?" asked the man and stopped again. He realised that the cat has been standing in front of the bush for a while. "Is there something in the bushes?" wondered the man. He bent down to hes knees and tryed to see in the bush. He could see nothing so he pushed hes hand in the bush and get grip something soft. He tryed to pull it on sight bud could not.

"What do we have here?" he mumbled and bent down on the ground. He saw yellow fabric sleeve in the midle of the bush and in the sleeve there was a hand. "What a hec!" The man took a good grab and pull. Slowly he got a body out of the bush. It was a woman, actually a young girl. "Is she dead? No she breathing. Thank God!"

He lifted the girl up and starts to walk on. Soon he could hear water rippling and there was a little creek in front of him. He layed the girl down. The raven and the cat turned to watch him. "Hey, she is not made of air." he said to his companions.

The beginning

The road was small, not exatly a road at all. Just a two trails going to the same direction. The mist was spinning around. Bushes alongside the tail were dense. Trees were big and their leafs was still green. Summer has not yet turned towards winter.

The man stood there watching and listening. It was almost noon, there should not be any mist left. What was waiting for him behind the trees? But he knew he must go there. He must go through the misti forest, because behind it was the city of Citadel. And his frend was there waiting for him.

The grey cat looked up the man and begin to walk on the path. Watched back to the man, as saying, come on, and went on.

"Okei, Fellow lets go on." said the man and started to walk. After few steps he heard something. Stopped to listen, nothing. He stepped away from the path to the shadows of the forest and listen. Somebody was moaning somewhere near him.

The cat was watching him looking surprised, as saying, hey there is somebody who needs your help. "Shh, Fellow, we have to be careful. Don't know what comes out of there." He walked few steps and looked behind the bushes.