II

"Halló! Elanor?"

"Yes, nice to meet you in person, Eva!"

"Please, come inside, let us get to know you a bit! Anna and I would like to make sure our new friend goes to a good home. Hope you understand."

Another vibrant blonde woman walked in, followed by a couple of Chihuahuas, a Border Collie, and at last a large white Samoyed. The woman smiled warmly at Elanor and introduced herself as Anna, Eva's sister. She brought some black tea, cream, and scones, which smelled so buttery and delicious that Elanor almost regretted stuffing herself with a whole box of rolls earlier. Still, it was impossible to resist and a polite thing as well, so she grabbed one and served herself some tea.

How nice of them to start with this sort of interview and not just trust a random stranger blindly with a living creature. Hope they won't mind that I live alone.

"I am twenty-four, I am from Selfoss originally, but we moved to Canada with my parents when I was fourteen. They are now in Montreal, but I was really missing the quiet of our cottage. When I got a remote job after graduating, we decided I could try coming back here. I arrived this spring and truly felt such ease right away."

"Ah, I understand, Anna is also very introverted, but it must be a bit lonely there all by yourself. It seems like a great idea to get such a gentle companion like our white fluffy rescue," Eva waved her arm at the Samoyed, and he approached her chair, wagging his tail.

What a beauty! He looks like a prince if dogs had a monarchy.

At this, Samoyed turned his head to Elanor and looked right into her eyes; she could almost swear he looked like he was beaming proudly, as if somehow he had just read her thoughts. She blinked at the dog with surprise, but the Samoyed simply sat near Eva and continued to wag his tail. 

"We haven't gotten to naming him, but meet our handsome Samoyed friend. This breed loves company. They do great in the cold season, and he, in particular, seems like such a smart puppy. We found him a month ago on the side of the road and could not trace the owner," she said, stroking the dog's luxurious white coat.

"Eva and I asked at the SPCA and posted him on social media, but no one reached back. However, we instantly had a line of volunteers to take him; I'll be honest, he was making it very clear he does not accept being given away to anyone so far. I don't want to offend you, but if he refuses to leave with you, I'm afraid we will respect his call."

"Oh... I... understand," blurted Elanor, nodding her head. She suddenly got very nervous.

"Anna, let's not scare Elanor away. I have a good feeling ever since she walked in," smiled Eva. "Come, boy, go say hi to our guest. What do you think, love?"

She gently nudged the white cloud that was Samoyed in the girl's direction. It appeared as if he was only waiting for an invitation, because as soon as that bundle of fur was given a go, he sprang up, strolled softly to Elanor's feet, and licked her palm. Everyone's eyes were wide with surprise. Something in the girl's heart gently fluttered, and she smiled to Eva and Anna, scratching the dog's head. His fur felt even more luxurious than it looked.

Whoa, boy, this coat of yours is worth all the hours it probably takes to groom you!

"Well, that seems like a yes! Let us give you a few tips on how to take care of him. You absolutely should take our numbers, here," and Eva wrote them on a sticky note, while Anna left the room and came back with a pack of dog food and some toys. 

Elanor pulled a notebook from her backpack, carefully wrote down all the tips the kind sisters were sharing. She learned not only about general pet care, but also a bunch of Samoyed's personal quirks that she was hoping would make him happy and comfortable in her home. 

"...and he loves it when you set up some pillows and open the blinds in that corner, so he can gaze outside," bantered Eva. 

Sitting in their warm living room, surrounded by all the dogs, her new companion leaning against her legs, sisters jolly chatting at her, she felt some ease, like her usual daily pain she got so used to was now covered in something fuzzy and soft. She was smiling nervously, scared to lean into that comfort and feel even more desperate once the magic is gone. But she looked at her dog, and he returned the glance right away, convincing Elanor to decide she should ignore that fear. 

How should I call you? You definitely don't remind me of berries; you are elegant and stunning. 

"What if I call you Lumi?* You bring a bit of winter wherever you go," asked Elanor.

"Woof!" immediately replied her new friend.

Anna and Eva laughed cheerfully, and the merry gathering continued, finishing way into the afternoon. They shared a generous lunch consisting of rugbrauð (straight rye bread), fish stew, and some skyr with blueberries, which were freshly picked since the season for them had just started. They even guided Elanor through ordering all necessary supplies online, helping her find essentials on a budget. 

Later, when they were saying goodbyes on the porch and happy Samoyed already jumped into the backseat of her car, Elanor thanked her new met friends and, shyly but secretly pleased, accepted their warm hugs. 

"Please don't be a stranger! We would love it if you sent us pictures, name updates, and any questions at all."

"And please, feel free to come see us anytime. Making friends as adults in a new town must be quite challenging," added Anna.

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and the road back home was inviting and promised hope.

***

It felt like Lumi and her spent their whole lives together. Driving back all the same forests, buildings, and the mountain seemed to transform and now looked full of sunshine and life. They were waving to the red car, silently celebrating Saturday evening, and even the cold wind was there, surely, to join in on the homecoming ceremony.

Elanor could not wait to share the news with her parents and introduce Samoyed to the family. He joyfully barked at his brand-new grandparents through the video call. After that, both the dog and the girl sang along with the car stereo, Lumi "aroooed" trying hard to mimic the tune, but failing, while Elanor was making up Korean lyrics to her best ability and failing also. She drove around town showing Samoyed the main landmarks and stopped at the coffee shop to treat him with some whipped cream.  Finally, she stopped at the gates to the red wooden cottage.

"Welcome home, Lumi." 

***

For the next five weeks, Elanor was waking up early to take Lumi on walks, which half of the time were endured under some nasty cold rain. Together, they would walk uphill to enter the forest and share blueberries from Elanor's pocket. After that, Samoyed played on the grounds outside on a sunny day, making friends with local squirrels and birds, and napped on pillows in front of the window during rainy days, while Elanor worked from the couch. 

As a true supportive friend, Lumi made sure she would get regular exercise by stealing her socks (and getting the more excited the more Elanor chased him around), sprinkling water everywhere, digging through cupboards in search of carrots, and shoving all small objects he could find under furniture.

On lunch break, they would exercise in commands, but Lumi seemed to know everything perfectly already, only refusing to follow them if he wasn't feeling like it. In the evenings, they usually played something more active like tag or catch, or simply danced with the freedom of only those who lived so far from any neighbour that it was unnecessary to fear that someone would ever watch them being silly. 

Not right away, but Elanor finally noticed that the usual grip and pressure the darkness had on her was melting. She could not remember if the elephant was even in the room last night. When has she seen him last?

***

On Elanor's birthday, the weather was particularly wonderful. After she was done with work, Lumi followed her outside and they headed briskly towards the woods. The sun was low and ready to set, which on a day of Autumn equinox meant it was soon time Elanor could see the northern lights. She was impatient to watch Aurora with Lumi, but it was raining all week, so the skies were covered. 

Today could be the day! What a lucky birthday gift. 

The forest was clearly visible ahead, the sun setting behind their backs. The path was clear, and around them, almost no trees yet, just open fields with moss and flat rocks. No fallen leaves she got so used to in Canada were crunching under their feet, but the air smelled fresh of a cold river, which they could not see, but Elanor knew was to the east of here. The scenery was pleasant to the eye, and Elanor got lost in her thoughts, while Lumi was taking short strolls forth and then back to her. Soon they reached the edge of the forest. 

Suddenly, Samoyed bolted ahead after what seemed like a bunch of fireflies, and the leash was yanked out of Elanor's hands so fast, she had no time to react. Surprised, she chased after him, but the leash that was dragging behind was already out of reach. Thankfully, it was very easy to follow the dog's bright white silhouette in a shadowy forest, and despite getting winded quickly, Elanor kept running, led by fear of losing Lumi in a forest just before nightfall. 

They only ran for probably about a minute, but Elanor would never believe that. Boulders covered in moss and tall pine trees were flying by as her feet were disturbing the quiet with loud stomps and cracking of the leaf-covered forest floor. Thoughts of all possible scenarios as well as regrets for coming here at all whirled in her mind so fast, she barely caught the moment when Lumi reached the bottom of a clearing and simply disappeared, as if a light bulb turned off, leaving only the darkness where just a moment ago was Samoyed's bright figure.

But not only darkness remained, rushing to the bottom of the meadow, she could see now small fluorescent mushrooms everywhere. In the centre, they were forming a circle, and Elanor felt hair rising on the back of her head. She froze in her tracks, her body shivering from running or maybe from horror. 

Mushroom ring. Of course, she knew of them ever since childhood, as did most people in Iceland. She saw plenty of these faery rings in the wild and sometimes even near their cottage. This one was special, however, for she had never seen anything so otherworldly before. The mushrooms were numerous and differed in shape and size, starting from those as small as a penny and finishing as large as a palm. They were emanating soft light and throbbed with changing intensity, which looked eerie, as if they were breathing.

She believed now that Lumi stepped into the circle and left this world, travelling into the faery one. Desperation hit her in the gut, and her cheeks started burning, panic was rising from her stomach to her throat, and she willed it to slow down. Now was the time to make decisions; she could panic later. The forest here seemed completely dark, and in the dead silence, she could only hear her pulse beating madly in her ears. Elanor turned her back to the mushroom circle and broke into a run.

* Lumi, Finnish for “snow."