Amelia and the Hidden Heart

Amelia was excited. Her father was off on one of his hunting trips again, and with Spring on it’s way they would be making their way to the settlement to trade furs for supplies. All year she spent in their lone home on the tundra. Lately, at every full moon, she climbed the ridge to open the secret door in the moon to join the friends that she had made there. Still, other than that time once a month she saw no one. In the bright of the new morning Amelia excitedly began to pack.

The sun was high in the sky before Amelia’s father came home, pulling the sled that held the animals he had caught on his trap line. “Ho, bright one!” he said with a grin. “All ready to go?”

“Yes, all packed Father,” replied Amelia, “let’s go!”

Grabbing their packs Amelia loaded up the sleds as her father harnessed the dogs. Once everything was loaded, Amelia and her father climbed aboard the sled and set off to the East towards the settlement.

Two days of travelling later the settlement came into sight and Amelia nearly bounced off the sled in excitement. “Father, can I go straight to Nana?” she asked, hopefully. Nana was the village healer. She knew everything there was to know about healing people and making them feel better, at least Amelia thought she did. She also told the BEST stories, and Amelia loved to sit and listen to her while munching on cookies, a treat she only got at the settlement.

Before they had even stopped the dogs, Amelia leaped off the sled and ran to Nana’s, hollering at the top of her lungs, “Nana, Nana, we’re here!”

Nana, as everyone in the village called her, opened her door with a laugh. She was an old woman, wrapped in furs and leather against the winter cold, her grey hair pulled back in a braid that fell across her shoulder, her wrinkled, sun-weathered face stretched in a grin as she held open her arms and caught a flying Amelia as she barreled into her.

“Welcome back, child,” she laughed as she held Amelia to her in a warm hug. “Come, come in out of the cold wind.”

“I have her, Arthur. You go on with your trading. Come back when you’re done,” said Nana, as she pulled Amelia through the door.

With a wave, Amelia’s father headed off to do what trading he could for the day.

Nana pulled Amelia in and shut the door. The house was warm and cozy, herbs grew in small pots carefully protected against the cold, there were shelves lining the walls full of jars of poultices and powders that Nana used for those who came to her ill or injured.

“Come now Amelia, let’s make some tea and you can keep me company while I finish storing these herbs.”

“Yes, Nana,” Amelia replied, happy to be in from the cold. “Can you tell me a story while you work, Nana,” she asked hopefully.

Nana laughed. “Of course I can. You and your stories Amelia,” she said with a smile as they made themselves comfortable in front of the hearth.

“Have you heard of the hidden heart of the North?” she asked as she began sorting through jars.

“No, Nana. I haven’t,” answered Amelia.

“Well then, I shall tell you the tale of the Hidden Heart of the North and a girl who traveled to the farthest reaches of the Northern Wilds in search of her brother,” began Nana.

“A long time ago, there lived a brother, Ailo, and a sister, Kaija. Ailo and Kaija were inseparable, being twins. Ailo was curious and adventurous, wherever he went trouble was eventually sure to follow. Kaija was the quiet one with a gentle heart and always weighed things before doing things. A more opposite pair of twins I’m not sure there ever was.

Late in the summer of the year that Ailo and Kaija turned thirteen, Ailo announced that he was going to travel further North to discover the secrets of the legend of the Hidden Heart. It was told that the North itself held a Heart and that the heart was hidden in a valley of unending summer. None truly believed the tale, but many told of it. Ailo, however, was convinced that the valley truly existed and that the Hidden Heart held the secrets to the North. So, packing his travel gear he bade Kaija goodbye. “Don’t worry for me sister, I’ll come back in one piece before winter sets in,” he said as he began walking away from their home. “I’ll hold you to that, Ailo,” she called after him.

Well, Kaija waited. Days passed, then weeks, then months, and the winter snows began to fall, growing deeper and colder with each passing day. Finally, Kaija couldn’t wait anymore. If she left it any longer she wouldn’t be able to look for her brother until the spring thaw, by then she knew she might never find him. Preparing herself for a long, cold journey, she let her neighbors know that she was setting off in search of her brother. Once she was sure that she had what she would need, she left, following the trail that her brother had followed in the summer.

The sun rose and fell, days passing, and in every village that she passed Kaija asked after her brother. Everyone who remember him said the same thing: “Further north, he isn’t here and north is the direction that he went in.”

So, Kaija travelled further and further North and the winter grew harsher as she went. One morning, when she woke she looked at the sky and wondered if maybe she shouldn’t go back home. There had been no sign of Ailo and the winter was getting stronger. It also looked like a storm might be on its way, and winter storms in the North were terrible.

“A little bit further,” she thought, “just a little more and if I don’t find him I’ll go back.” Kaija had now travelled so far she didn’t know if she could go much further without reaching the Great Waters. As she walked the wind began to pick up and the snow began to blow. By the time the sun had reached its highest peak Kaija couldn’t see where she was going anymore. “I have to find a place to wait out the storm,” she told herself as she pushed against the wind, almost doubled over from the force of it.

Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet gave out, and with a scream she felt herself falling and tumbling down through the snow and ice. With an abrupt ‘thud’ she hit the bottom and her head and everything went black.

“Ow,” Kaija thought to herself as she woke up. The light was bright and air felt warm and calm. Which was odd. “Why is it so bright, I was sure I fell down,” she wondered. “Ah, you’re awake,” said a voice. “What?” asked Kaija. Opening her eyes she sat up and looked around her. “What is this placed? Who are you?” she asked. She was inside the opening of a cave that opened out into a valley surrounded by high ice walls on all sides. But that wasn’t what surprised her so much. It wasn’t cold! And it wasn’t winter! Startled and confused she turned to the owner of the voice she had heard. Another girl her own age stood just inside the cave entrance and watched her with a half smile on her face. “Who am I, you ask?” said the girl. “I’m known as the Heart of the North. I’ve been here for hundreds and hundreds of years, but you can call me Hjarta.”

Kaija could only stare at this girl. “The Heart of the North? Is a girl? This girl? This is what—who—Ailo was looking for?” she thought as she tried to decide if maybe she hadn’t hit her head a lot harder than she thought.

“Hjarta? You’re the Heart of the North? But, I thought the Heart of the North was a place. A place of eternal summer,” said Kaija, “and how can you be hundreds of years old? You look the same age as me!” Hjarta laughed. “Trust me I hear that a lot, or at least as often as people stumble across this place. It isn’t easy to find, and it is a place of eternal summer,” she said as she motioned out of the cave towards the valley. “You can see that for yourself.”

“Well, that I can. Nevermind that though. Have you seen my brother? Ailo? He left to look for you, or rather the Heart, at around midsummer, but he never came home. I’ve been following his trail, but I haven’t found him. Have you seen him?” Kaija asked, hopefully. “I have,” said Hjarta, “he said you might follow him. That you two were close. He left a message with me for you should you come after him. Give me a minute. I’ll go an get it,” she said as she turned and left the cave.

Kaija lay back down to rest her head. Finally, a solid sign of her brother, now she could find him and bring him home! Hjarta came back holding a rolled piece of leather. “Here,” she said, “ I’ll leave you to read it. There’s some water in the skin next to you. You can find me over by the lake, and don’t mind the animals around here. They won’t hurt you.” With that she turned and left Kaija to read her brother’s letter.

Kaija quickly unrolled the leather, eager for news of Ailo, but what she read left her in tears. “He’s gone!” she cried, “He’s gone even further and he isn’t coming home!” The letter read like this:

“Dear Kaija,

I thought you might come after me. I’m sorry sister. I know I said that I would be home before the winter snows, but the further I have traveled the more I’ve seen and learned. I can’t come home now. I have to know more. I didn’t realize that the world was this big. Now that I know it I have to keep going. I will make sure to let you know where I am and what I am doing, but it might be months between messages. Please, don’t worry for me. Hjarta, who you must have met by now helped me when I had a run in with a winter bear. She healed me and gave me supplies and a map to continue my journey. Thank her for me again, will you? She’s lonely here. She may be older than all of the Elders put together but she is still a girl, your age I think. Stay with her a while Kaija, you may learn more than you ever dreamed, and maybe make a friend while you’re at it. I love you. Be safe and know that I’ll return when my wandering is done.

All my love,

Your brother, Ailo”

Putting down the letter, Kaija cried. Ailo was the only family she had left and now he was gone. She didn’t know when she would see him again. Now what did she do? There was nothing and no one to go home to? Should she do what Ailo suggested? Stay here with Hjarta?

Wiping her tears, Kaija stood and went in search of Hjarta. Leaving the cave she was awed. The valley that she was in was a huge hole in the center of a glacier that towered hundreds of feet above her head, surrounding the valley on every side. The valley itself was warm, green grass carpeted it from one end to another. A small forest could be seen at the far end and lake lay just off to the side. There were the animals of the North everywhere. Winter bears, foxes, reindeer, owls, voles, geese, some few sea birds, weasels, and a few others that Kaija had never seen. The strange thing was, all of these animals wandered the valley together, and none seemed to be hunting another. Not even the great bears.

Shaking her head, Kaija headed to the lake where Hjarta had said she would be. Warmth surrounded her and a sweet breeze blew through her hair as she walked. “Hjarta,” she called, as she saw the other girl standing by the lake. “She really does look lonely,” she thought to herself. Hjarta turned and watched Kaija approach. “Thank you,” said Kaija, “it is good to have news from Ailo, even if I didn’t like what the news was. Did you know what was in the letter?” “I did,” answered Hjarta, “ that’s why I left you to yourself. Your brother said that you would be unhappy with the news. Did you also ask you to stay?” she asked, a little hopefully. “He did. I don’t have anyone to go back home to and if you’d like a friend I know I could use one,” said Kaija. “Oh, I could,” Hjarta answered as a smile lit up her face. “And while you’re here I can teach you everything I know about the North. I shouldn’t be the only one to hold it’s secrets!”

With this Kaija and Hjarta began a friendship that would be talked over across the entire northern wilds for years to come. Ailo was right in what he said. Hjarta was lonely and still a girl despite her many years. The girls spent every waking moment together and Hjarta taught Kaija how to find the hidden things of the North. How to listen to the wind and hear what stories it told, where to find the plants that held the most healing, how to speak with the many animals that wandered the wilds, and where to find the things needed to live in the harsh winters of their land.

Eight seasons passed this way. Nothing changed until Kaija began to notice that while she grew up and grew older, Hjarta remained the same as when she had first fallen into her valley. After much thought and not a little heartache, Kaija finally decided that it was time that she went home. As much as she loved Hjarta and wanted to stay with her there was no further life for her here. She would grow up but she would never have a family of her own and with everything that she had learnt from Hjarta there was so much good that she could do for her people. The North was a hard place to live and every bit of knowledge could help many. Sadly, Kaija went and told her friend what she had decided.

“I know,” said Hjarta, when she heard what Kaija had to say. “I’ve been expecting this for a while now. I don’t age and I want you to have a family. I want to see a little boy or girl with your smile and ferocious nature, someday.” Crying now, the two girls hugged. “Go home Kaija. Maybe by now that wandering brother of yours is back as well. I’ll see you from time-to-time. Before you came I would often go out to visit the villages. No one ever saw me, but I saw them. Thank you for staying and thank you for being my friend,” said Hjarta as she said goodbye. Kaija packed her bags, wrapped herself in her furs, it was still winter outside of the valley, although Spring was not far off.

Hjarta walked with her up the steps in the cavern walls. “Goodbye my friend,” she said when they finally reached the top and the winter winds blew their cold breath around the girls. “Take my blessing and the blessing of the North itself with you. I’ll see you again. Greet your brother when you see him. I hope he found what he was looking for.” “Goodbye Hjarta,” answered Kaija as she hugged her friend, a teardrop slipping down her cheek. “Thank you for your friendship and everything you have taught me. I plan to put it to good use for my people. May more friends come your way.”

With these goodbyes the girls went their separate ways. Hjarta went back to her valley and Kaija began the long journey home.

When she arrived back in her village, it didn’t look as though much had change in the seasons that she had been gone. Going to her home, she knocked on the door. It was possible that someone else had moved in since she and Ailo had been gone for so long. “Kaija?” asked a voice behind her. Turning, Kaija saw her neighbor. “You’re back! We thought neither you or Ailo were coming back! We didn’t know what had happened to you. There was no news! Your home is still your own. I kept it for you, in case you came back. It’s good to know that your okay and home,” said the older woman as she pulled Kaija in for a hug. “There are some letters from your brother here. I’ve kept them as well. Come to my home and warm yourself. Your place has been closed for so long.”

Agreeing, Kaija went with the woman, happy to know that there had been news from Ailo and that her home was still her own. Ailo, in the meantime, had found his own place. It was far to the Northeast. Too far to travel, but he was well and had a family of his own now. He’d traveled, gotten into a fair bit of trouble, but discovered many things on his own journey. As the years passed, Kaija remained in her village but she taught the others around her the things she had learned from Hjarta. Her people were happy to have her home, yet couldn’t help to see the changes in her and around her. Kaija had come home with a great deal of wisdom and knowledge, but more than even that it seemed as though the sun, which wasn’t seen all that often, followed Kaija wherever she went, the winds seemed to calm, and the animals that were wild and usually unseen came to her.

Kaija lived her life, always learning and teaching. From time-to-time she was sure that she heard Hjarta’s voice on the wind and she missed her friend. At the end of her life, having lived it to its fullest she passed in her sleep and her people mourned her.

That isn’t quite the end of the story though. The winter of the year that Kaija passed was longer and colder than any in living memory and wind wept and wailed across the open spaces around the homes of the villages. When Spring came though there were many who insisted that they had seen Kaija. They had seen her as she had been as a young girl, in the company of another girl and they danced across the Steppes with the wind. To this day, people speak and tell the tale of Kaija and the Hidden Heart of the North, and if you listen closely to wind you can hear the sounds of girlish laughter as sweeps through the trees,” finished Nana, as she put the lid on the last of her jars at the hearth.

“Wow!,” breathed Amelia, “thanks Nana. I liked that story. How do you know it?” Nana smiled. “Kaija is the name of my great-great-great-grandmother. All of the women in our family have been healers and teachers. Perhaps you will be the next.”

Just then, Amelia’s father returned from trading, gathering an excited Amelia to him as she told her father all about the Heart of the North and the girl who was her friend. “Father, can I go find the Heart as well? Please, please, please!” begged Amelia. With a laugh, her father swung her up in a hug. “Little one, if the Heart of the North is lonely I am sure that she will come and find you. You would be an excellent friend. If she does, perhaps the two of you will dance on the wind with Kaija. But, for now we need to get some rest. We go home tomorrow. There will be time for more adventures, don’t you worry.”