Festive Fling with the Single Dad

‘We’ll use Tante Flora’s candle, shall we? Just for tonight.’

Mette nodded, and Aksel fetched matches from the kitchen and lit the candle. They sat together on the hearthrug, saying their goodnights, and Mette leaned forward and blew out the candle. Aksel carried her upstairs, settled her into her bed and kissed her goodnight.

At a loose end now, and not wanting to go downstairs just yet in case Mette stirred, he went to his own bedroom and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. This was the first night that he’d been completely alone with her, and it was a responsibility that brought both happiness and a measure of terror.

Aksel woke up to the feeling of something tugging at his arm. Opening his eyes, he realised that Kari had hold of his sweater in her jaws and was pulling as hard as she could to make him wake up and get off the bed. A moment later the smoke alarm started to screech a warning that made his blood run cold.

‘Mette...’ He catapulted himself off the bed and into her room. The bedclothes were drawn to one side and Mette was nowhere to be seen. Remembering that children had a habit of hiding when they sensed danger, he wrenched open the wardrobe doors, but she wasn’t there either.

As he ran downstairs, he could smell smoke, but he couldn’t see where it was coming from. Mette was curled up at the bottom of the stairs, crying, and he picked her up, quickly wrapped her in his coat, then opened the front door and ran with her to the end of the path.

‘Papa. Kari made me go away from the fire.’

Cold remorse froze his heart suddenly. He could see a flicker of flame through the sitting-room window. Kari must have herded Mette out of danger, shutting the door behind them as she’d been taught. He held his daughter close, feeling tears run down his face.

‘It’s all right, Mette. Everything’s all right. You’re safe...’

* * *

The sound of an alarm beeping somewhere woke Flora up. It wasn’t coming from inside the cottage, and she rolled drowsily out of bed, sliding her feet into her slippers and peering out of the window. She saw Aksel outside with Mette in his arms, Kari sitting obediently at his feet.

Running downstairs, she grabbed her coat, not stopping to put it on. As soon as she was outside, the faint smell of smoke hit her and she hurried over to Aksel.

‘Are you both all right?’

He raised his face towards her, and Flora saw tears. Mette realised that she was there, although she must be practically blind in the darkness, and reached out from the warm cradle of his arms.

‘Papa says we’re safe.’ Aksel seemed too overwhelmed to speak, and Mette volunteered the information.

‘That’s right. You’re safe now.’

She looked up at Aksel questioningly, and he brushed his hand across his face. ‘There’s a fire, I think it’s pretty much contained to the sitting room. Will you take Mette while I go and have a look.’

‘No, Aksel. Wait for the fire brigade. Have you called them?’

‘My phone’s inside. Please, take her.’

It seemed that Aksel was more comfortable with dealing with the situation than he was with taking care of his daughter right now. Flora wondered how the fire had started. She took Mette, holding the little girl tight in her arms.

‘Papa’s just looking to see how big the fire is.’ As Aksel walked back up the path, peering through the front windows, Mette craned round to keep him in view.

‘It’s all right, he’s qu

ite safe. He isn’t getting too close, so the fire won’t burn him.’

Mette seemed more confident of that than Flora felt. ‘My papa fights crocodiles.’

‘There you are, then. If he can fight crocodiles then a little fire will be easy...’

She watched, holding her breath as Aksel walked back towards them, his face set in a look of grim determination.

‘It’s just the hearth rug at the moment. Will you look after Mette while I go and put it out?’

‘You should leave it, until the fire brigade gets here. We’ll go inside and call them now...’

‘I can put it out, there’s a fire extinguisher in the kitchen. And if we leave it, then it may spread to the chimney. I don’t know how long it’s been since it’s been swept, and I want to avoid that.’

A chimney fire could easily spread to her cottage. Flora dismissed the thought. What mattered was that they were all safe. ‘No, Aksel...’