Welcome to the dark woods of Finland. This is a story of ancient myths, fractured timelines, and a past that refuses to stay buried. I will be updating the story here, but for those who want to dive deeper immediately, please see the note at the end of the chapter.

  Original story written in Finnish. English translation assisted by AI to bring this Nordic folk horror to a global audience.

  The coffee sat forgotten on the table in a white Teema mug as Niina stared at the free local

  newspaper. Her eyes didn't register the text; instead, they were fixed on something in her inner

  world. On the wall, the clock ticked away, trying to remind her that the lecture would start in

  just over an hour and she needed to get moving if she wanted to make it.

  Niina snapped out of it and reached out. She wrapped her hand around the cup and lifted it to

  her lips. The coffee was cold, and its smell nauseated her, just as it had for several mornings

  now. A question rose in her mind—one she wanted to bury immediately. But it kept pushing to

  the surface, over and over again.

  Am I pregnant? The question whispered and shouted by turns.

  The thought of a child felt unfair. Niina did want children—many of them, in fact. But not yet.

  Not before she had graduated and found a job. Not before she knew if she wanted to spend

  the rest of her life with Lucas.

  Niina pulled herself away from her thoughts, glanced at the ticking clock, and pushed the

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  newspaper aside with a sigh. She poured the unswallowed coffee into the sink, rinsed the

  mug, and drank some water, which also tasted repulsive. She moved to the bathroom to get

  ready for the lecture, where she would also see Lucas.

  Niina opened a jar of face cream and spread it on her cheeks. Lucas was her boyfriend, if you

  could call him that. At least they were seeing each other. They hadn't talked about anything

  more serious, as they had only known each other for less than two months.

  Over the face cream, she applied foundation. Lucas was wonderful and loving, perhaps even

  husband material. But he was also German and planned to return home after his exchange

  year. Lucas would also be the father of the child. Niina looked herself in the eyes in the mirror.

  ”What are you going to do?” she asked herself.

  Niina dug a mascara wand out of her makeup bag and leaned closer to the mirror to brush it

  onto her lashes. She hadn't planned on moving to Germany with Lucas, even if the thought of

  a shared future was tempting. She intended to finish her studies in Finland. Truly, she

  intended to finish them. She had no intention of quitting, taking a break, or continuing her

  studies as the mother of a small child. No, she wasn't ready for that.

  The clock on her phone screen struck 7:30. Niina snatched the phone into her back pocket,

  pulled on her shoes, and donned her coat as she stepped out the door to hurry for the bus.

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