NIGHT BEFORE DAY IN BROMARV

Written and Illustrated by A.B. Dance

The question is asked, “If two persons are kissing, who is kissing who?” I believe it is the one who has the strongest intention.

That great kiss of intense love has been given to Bromarv by Nature. Have you seen Bromarv to receive its overwhelming kiss of health and beauty? You haven’t? Then in the next few months it is my pleasure as an artist to sketch and write turning your attention toward the intense kiss Nature expresses there. You can visit, play in the wonderment Bromarv offers, even stay awhile longer or settle down and raise a family in its welcoming arms.

After driving two hours from Helsinki as I made ‘dash sketches’ in pen and ink from our moving car, my wife Harriet, our dog Dina and I arrived in Bromarv March 1, 2022 at noon.

We stared at the tall soldiers of the forest, birches and pines that march across the landscape toward the sea. Sprinkled amongst those soldiers sit beautiful homes tastefully painted in pastel yellows, blue-grays and rustic reds vibrating against healthy evergreens. Below, the ground cover, a bit patchy with snow, was a terrain still touched by Father Winter.

A two lane road welcomes us as we take in the village structures standing near and away from the road. The General Store, the library, a rustic church, local shops and quaint restaurants greet us to satisfy our wants and needs.

A lone male figure with a walking stick waves at us, we have no idea who he is, we wave back.  A sharp left turn up a hill is taken toward the B&B we have rented. Each side of the road is extremely lined with the same beautiful birch and pine soldiers who welcomed us at the village entrance.  We spot toward our left below the road a deep canary yellow two story house trimmed in white. We turn in the driveway descending down the hill and park.

In the door lock the key hangs swinging free welcoming us. Being from California I’m astonished. “No way would that happen in LA.”

We enter and feel the peace of the place, return to our car to get our little girl dachshund Dina who hasn’t made a sound. She scampers out and around the yard and into the house as if to say, “Now this is more like it!” After unloading and placing all ‘the stuff’ where necessary, there is a knock with a petite man standing in the open door. It’s Mikael Aminoff, the owner of the B&B. He greets us with all smiles and walks us through how to use the items inside.

As he explains dials on the wall to keep the place comfortable, I notice a very interesting peace he carries with him. Why, because Dina on meeting anyone always barks. There isn’t a yip or excited yap. She followed Mikael around like they were the best of friends.

After some kind words between us, Mikael left expressing if we needed anything to call or text him.  His new friend Dina stood in the open doorway wagging her tail expressing, “He’s  a nice man.”

Later we settled in the quiet whisperings of the evening as the wind blew through the trees surrounding the house. Compared to the city streets of Helsinki, it was the first time we didn’t hear police cars or ambulances screaming every half hour. No load voices arguing or cars peeling out with their radios blasting music from their interiors, no street lights shining in the windows, only the still of the night. We felt the great intention, the first of many kisses toward us and Bromarv, even the birds had gone to sleep.

               -A.B. Dance

A.B. Dance kokeilee kevään 2022 aikana asumista Bromarvissa vaimonsa Harrietin ja Dina-koiran kanssa. Tässä sarjassa hän kertoo, miltä tuntuu muuttaa suurkaupungista pikkukylän rauhaan ja jakaa kokemuksiaan elämästä Bromarvissa.