IN THE EVENING she writes Christmas cards. She has printed out a photo that she likes. It shows Ilmari and Veikko in front of a wintry scene in Stockholm. They spent Christmas there with Ilmari’s sister last year. She has printed out the photo twelve times. On the back she writes, twelve times: All good wishes for the festive season.
Then she opens the door and goes out into the stairwell. She goes from door to door, putting a card through each letterbox.
She goes back into her apartment, lights the candles on the tree and looks at the still picture on the TV screen. A man smiling. Not an unpleasant or alarming smile, a happy, likeable smile. She doesn’t understand that smile. After she has seen it, she sees a series of pictures that are in sequence but don’t make sense, and while the pictures are running life stands still.
She hears a sound and looks away from the screen. There is a white envelope on the floor under the door. A neighbour replying to her Christmas greeting. She goes to the door, picks up the envelope and opens it. The card shows an angel. Marlies and Tuomo, the young couple on the first floor. They write: Happy Christmas and New Year to you too. Warm regards. She stands in the corridor smiling, and thinks about words. How they can change, yet do the same thing. Two names missing from the salutation, two words extra at the end of the sentence. Warm regards. Her eyes rest on the words.
Later she goes back into the living room. She crushes the angel in her hand and looks at the face on the screen, the smile that she must get rid of before she can feel anything.