Even though everybody knows Ken will be in good hands during the body transplant surgery, the atmosphere is tense.
Hector tries to keep on chitchatting, but it only annoys Kaarna.
- Why don’t you just let us be silent and nervous?!
Ritva has done this so many times, but she can’t say she’s not nervous every time.
In this case especially when a person very dear to her is lying on the operating table.
- Sleep well, uncle Ken.
It’s a huge operation and there’s always the possibility to fail.
But as usual, Ritva’s performance is flawless and she can tell the good news to Ken’s friends.
- The surgery went as expected. He’s sleeping now and you can come visit him tomorrow morning!
But very late that same night Kaarna hears Ken coming in and hollering:
- Kaarna, are you still up? I’m home!
- Wow, you literally light up the room! How the hell are you up and about already?!
- Well, I recovered exceptionally fast. Ritva thought it was strange too.
- And look at the dress! I woke up like this!
- Look, there’s even a wing-like decoration on the back.
Ken is bubbling with joy:
- I feel so light! And here, there was a gift for you also!
Kaarna opens the paper bag and finds a pine cone pendant.
- Cute! I would’ve never thought I’d wear a necklace, but this actually pleases me!
Kaarna comes home from the library and sees Ken jumping around in the yard.
She says:
- The rain starts any minute now. Come inside. Aren’t you cold?
- I don’t mind! I can’t feel any negative feelings! I just want to dance!
- Whatever. If you need me, I’ll be inside watching a tragic movie.
It sucks that the evenings are this cold and damp, when normally the August nights are warm.
This should be the magical time of the nocturnal katydis concerts - not movie nights in bed!
Ken keeps on hopping around, but little by little his feet get heavier.
His thoughts become less and less ecstatic. Obviously the fairy dust wears off eventually.
But at least the new body stays with him.
Ken has found tiles and wallpapers for the new bathroom. He shows them to Kaarna, who approves.
But Ken wonders:
- Maybe I should’ve asked Filia’s opinion too…
- Hell no! If she destroys our common property, and you and Elisabeth are the ones who need to fix things after her, she doesn’t have any rights anymore!
- Ok. Fair enough. Lunch is ready soon!
Kaarna is so pleased to see the good old Ken back. Not the depressed and needy one and not the annoyingly cheerful fairy princess either.
Also Hector is relieved about Ken being back to normal.
He says:
- If you need to get some peace and quiet, you can go to my cabin whenever you want and spend as much time there as you like.
- That would be wonderful! Thank you, I’d love to spend a little time there in the middle if nowhere!
Ritva has nothing against it either.
The bathroom renovation is coming along well. Even if the contractor is quite cheap and was available on a short notice, he’s got excellent recommendations.
He’s already done a nice job with the waterproofing and tiling. And he tells Ken that Filia hasn’t been disturbing him in any way.
Going to Hector’s cabin and leaving all the obligations behind is a tempting idea.
- I have a bad conscience for leaving Elisabeth alone with the heating boiler problems and the bathroom renovation. Could you supervise the contractor? He should be good, but still… And if anything happens, call me immediately!
- I can do that, no problem.
Hector’s cottage is on a hill in a forest. There are no houses or people within kilometers.
Ken steps inside and looks at the terrarium.
- Hi there, little dude. I’ll be looking after you this week, so please don’t die on me, he says to Hector’s hamster, that’s so old it propably won’t live to see the first snow this year.
Ken sits down, looks through the window and sighs. His mind has already calmed down.
After sitting in the silence for a good time he brings in some firewood. Not much wood is needed to warm up such a tiny cottage like this.
There’s no electricity in the cabin, so when the evening gets dark, Ken lights the lantern. He quickly notices that it’s pretty impossible to do anything in the dim light.
He decides to accept the fact that here the evenings are about relaxation. He even switches off his phone.
The silent forest and the log walls make Ken feel really safe. He sleeps so much better here than in a long time anywhere else.
In the morning he checks his phone while cooking the porridge on the gas stove. Hector has sent photos taken by the wildlife camera outside the cabin.
A lynx has walked by while Ken was sleeping and that makes Ken feel blessed.
Of course there’s no running water.
No water pipes that would leak in the wrong places or freeze during the winter. No drains that would clogg.
And no heating system that requires tens of thousands of euros to fix, when it breaks down. Everything is so simple and easy!
After a few days Ken has totally forgotten to worry about anything. It’s lovely to sit in front of the cottage and look down to the pond and listen to the purl of the little brook. Every once in a while a beautiful butterfly or dragonfly flies by or a raven croaks nearby.
Ken realizes:
- Why do we make everything so complicated? We surround ourselves with technology that only makes us its slaves. Kaarna is right, fuck the people. Nature is all that matters.
Ken is lucky with the weather.
Even though the mornings are pretty cold, the sun makses the afternoons really lovely.
Ken has made a habit to take a dip in the tiny pond after his afternoon walk in the forest.
There´s a lot of alga and mud in the botoom of the pond, but Ken is brave. It’s really refreshing, since the springs push some cold water into the pond.
One day Hector stops by.
- Did you already go to see the beaver’s dam he asks.
Ken hasn’t done that yet, so Hector wants to show him the dam. Ken hopes to see a glimpse of the beaver itself, but naturaly it doesn’t come out.
- I’m worried about the old fellow now that the hunting season has started, Hector says.
It’s amazing how much damage can one beaver cause to a forest owner.
The creature has done a lot of work around the lake and there are maybe hundreds of felled trees all over the place.
Hector wants to carry some of the thin dry ones to the cabin, because they are great firewood.
Of course Hector has brought the chainsaw with him!
His idea of a relaxing day at the cottage is somewhat different from Ken’s.
Even though he works as a lumberjack, he still enjoys the same tasks in his freetime!
Ken doesn’t want to look like a lazy parasite, so he helps to carry the wood into the shed.
Days go by peacefully, but then September brings the rains back and decides to go home. It feels sad to leave this place behind.
Ken nearly steps on a toad and says:
- Sorry! But I won’t be disturbing you anymore. Send my love to the beavers, lynxes, ravens, butterflies and all the other animals who kindly have let me visit this place.
- Oops, Ken! I wasn’t expecting you back this early…
- So I noticed. This kitchen is a mess. How’s the bathroom renovation going?
- Weeelllll… Kaarna mumbles and starts to clear the sink.