The Best Australian Stories 2012 by Sonya Hartnett

Author:Sonya Hartnett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Inc.
Published: 2012-10-26T04:00:00+00:00

Southerly

I Can Hear the Ice Singing

Sean Rabin

Unnar Eyjólfsdóttir, Paris, France, 1982

Jónas? Of course I knew him. We grew up in the same village. You’ve heard the story? Well, I was the person who first discovered him in the ice. My goodness that was a long time ago. Wherever did you come across his name? I haven’t thought of him in years. I was only a girl then, thirteen or fourteen. But already serious about skating. The harbour in front of my village froze solid every winter and I would go out there before school to practise. Even then the only thing I wanted was to become a famous skater and travel the world. And now look at me! I can still remember that morning. As usual I’d walked down to the pebble beach in the dark then started to lace up my skates. I didn’t notice Jónas at first. But as the sun rose I saw something about two hundred yards from the shore. It was large and brown, so I thought it must be a seal. They sometimes crawled onto the ice if they were injured, and in the morning one of the fishermen would have to put the poor creature out of its misery. I skated out to investigate and quickly realised it was a man, not a seal. It happened every few years. Someone would drink too much, then go for a walk on the ice and freeze to death. I was scared it was going to be a relation, and considered going back to the village for help, when suddenly the body sat up. I must have screamed with fright, because Jónas turned around and waved for me to skate closer. I couldn’t understand what he was doing out there and thought perhaps he was too injured to walk. But when I skated in front of him I couldn’t see any blood or broken ankle. In fact, I couldn’t see any ankles at all because both his legs were below the ice. Not all of the leg, just his feet and shins, so he could still bend his knees and lie backwards. It was so confusing I kept skating around Jónas to make sure that what I was seeing was real. I’d always thought he was handsome. All the girls did. Jónas was never too loud or boastful, and never drank more than the rest of the men. Any girl would have been happy to marry him. Including myself. Probably that’s why I flirted and asked what he’d give me if I went for help. And you know what he replied? That a girl as pretty as me shouldn’t have to ask for anything. Well, after that I couldn’t even look him in the eye. I just kept skating around and around as Jónas offered to take me to the pictures. I’ll be wanting a Coke as well, I said. And chocolates. I thought I was so sassy. But when Jónas asked if I’d also like a kiss, it sent me to the shore as fast as my skates would carry me.

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