It was lightly snowing when they set off on two snowmobiles from the concert hall, Avery tightly holding onto Piet and Noelle doing her best to avoid crowding Nick.
She had already used the word 'magical' in her mental descriptors more times than a simple town like Keskitalvi probably deserved, yet quaint or charming didn't seem to do it justice. There was a fairy-tale quality to the houses, especially as the colorful decorations—which seriously appeared to be getting increasingly plentiful each day—received a dusting of white powder. Red berries popped among their evergreen garlands, while metallic ornaments sparkled on light strings.
In spite of the weather, there were more people outside than before, and they were all heading in the same direction.
Heading east, the group travelled to the other side of town adjacent to the lake. Several tributaries that branched off the larger body of water snaked their way between rows of buildings, creating canals akin to those in Utrecht, Holland or Suzhou, China. Just like the lake, these canals were also frozen solid and now half the population seemed to be wearing ice skates and gathered on them.
"Are these races a regular thing?" Noelle asked, once they've disembarked and found a spot by the railing near the start line. There was a narrow pedestrian pathway on either side of the canal that allowed for non-marine travel along the base of the houses, as well as a perfect vantage point for watching the skaters.
"Sure. You can find an informal challenge any day," Nick said. "But the Solstice Sprint only happens once a year on the day before Christmas Eve. It's a local tradition that's been going on for centuries."
"And it's just kids, then?" she asked, looking at the youngsters assembled on the ice below preparing for the competition. They were being sorted into groups by size.
"Now it is. There was a time when anyone was allowed to participate, but the adults took it too seriously, which lead to recklessness and some quite serious injuries." He pulled up his hat to reveal a faint scar between his forehead and hairline. "See this? That's thanks to my cousin's blade. And I was one of the fortunate ones."
"Oh, wow," Noelle said, eyeing the evidence that her hunch about Piet being bad news probably wasn't too far off. If he was willing to risk injuring a close family member to win some silly race, there was no telling what he was capable of to achieve his other ambitions.
"Since then, anyone over sixteen has to sit this race out," Nick continued. "It's all for bragging rights anyway. Oh, look. They're about to start."
A group of about twenty teens—probably in the fourteen to sixteen year-old bracket—were lining up under a "start" banner. The spectators watching from the banks cheered and trumpets blared to fuel the excitement. An older woman teetered along on the ice, flanking the line of racers and held up a bell. After counting down, she began furiously shaking the bell above her head, signaling the start of the competition.
And they were off.
"So how does this work? Will the younger children race separately?" Noelle asked as the nearly two dozen skaters sped along in front of them. So far, they mostly looked equally matched, although one tripped coming off the start and was struggling to get back on his feet.
"That's correct. There will be staggered starts for the other groups," Nick explained. "And the younger they are, the shorter their course will be. The little ones who can barely walk, but can already skate are absolutely adorable."
Noelle smiled at the mental picture. "I can imagine," she said, leaning over the rail to look after the teens who were now out of sight. "But was that it? Can we see any more of that race?"
Nick smirked. "Not by staying here we won't. Do you really want to?"
She was intrigued by his sudden playfulness. "I mean, yeah."
He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the snowmobile. "Come on."
"Where are you going?" Avery, who'd been standing with Piet just a few feet away, yelled after them, but the vehicle's engine drowned out the possibility for an answer.
Nick accelerated and the snowmobile lurched forward, making Noelle grab his waist to steady herself. He looked over his shoulder and mouthed, "Are you okay?" and she not only nodded, but also tightened her grip. Following the canal along the bank, he quickly caught up with the teen field. They had lost a few more from their ranks, but the remaining skaters were giving it their all. Noelle could see why older competitors had to be banned. Even these kids—boys and girls included—were fighting to win, whether with speed, strategy, or a critically placed elbow.
Slowing the snowmobile to match the lead group's pace, Nick had to dodge the occasional pedestrian or spectator along the way, but Noelle's attention was focused on the skaters. Although in a fierce battle for first place, they also all looked like they were having fun. Two girls were even working together. When one fell a little behind, the other made sure to block her nearest competitor in the next turn, giving her friend a brief advantage to make up time.
The main canal meandered through the town, but occasionally smaller waterways branched off to connect to other tributaries. When the skaters turned left in one of these junctions, Nick crossed over a nearby bridge to follow.
The snowmobile caught up with the field before the next intersection, but by then, they had thinned to just twelve racers. As the final dozen sprinted to the finish line located concurrent to where they started, Noelle could feel her heartbeat accelerate. She had nothing invested in any particular winner, yet she found herself always rooting for whoever was in second place at any one time.
She always had a soft spot for underdogs. When everyone was cheering for Ronda Rousey for the UFC title a few years back, she had her money on Holly Holm, even though Rowdy Rousey had not only dominated her previous three fights, but also won each in under a minute. Noelle understood the inexplicable driving force in play when someone who had nothing to lose went against an opponent considered undefeatable.
As the racers rounded the last corner and sprinted to the finish, Noelle got her wish. The smallest skaters—at least in stature—who'd been in the lead pack for more or less the entire race but never at the front made her move. Giving it her all, she faked out a boy so he'd try to block her on the right and instead, she overtook him on the left. When she crossed the finish in first place, Noelle cheered.
She was still on the high of vicariously living through the skater for at least that last few feet when Nick returned to where they'd started from.
"We're going to grab some cocoa. See you back at the inn?" Avery asked as she climbed behind Piet on his snowmobile. In the background, the smallest group of skaters—toddlers who could barely stand on the thin blades in their puffy snow suits—began their "race." The absolute cuteness made Noelle smile.
"I think your friend would like to give skating a go," Piet said, seeing her reaction.
She vehemently shook her head. "Oh, no, no, no. Not at all. I don't—"
"My cousin is practically a pro. I'm sure he'd be happy to show you," Piet continued, making Noelle suspicious of his motives of getting rid of her. Or was it Nick he wanted out of his hair for a while? Perhaps both of them?
"I don't know . . .," she flustered, not exactly against the idea, but feeling obligated to maintain the girl code. Then again, Avery was a grown woman and she was probably overreacting about Piet.
"Go on," Avery urged before looking at Nick. "That is, if you're up for it."
He appeared surprised by the question as if he'd been lost in thought. "Oh, uhm. Yeah, of course. I'd love to give Noelle a lesson. And we don't even have to do it here. There's a perfect spot that's private enough where no one will see you fall, if that's what you're worried about."
This is my #NaNoWriMo2019 project and while I absolutely love all of my silent readers, I would LOVE to get your encouragement while writing this story. So please, please, please add it to your libraries, vote on the chapters (updates daily!) and leave me comments. <3
The canal racing was inspired by the skaters on Amsterdam's frozen canals, who have been taking advantage of the temporary, winter past time since the 18th century!