The Swing in Helsinki
While traveling in Helsinki, I wore only a few clothes. Though the weather looked like it was going to snow, I wore only a short-sleeved T-shirt and a cotton maxi skirt. I put on Bluetooth headphones, using them as ear warmers. As the saying goes in Taiwan: “children have fire asses,” implying that children, with their higher body temperature, aren’t bothered much by the cold. Indeed, when my inner child emerges, I forget the cold. Fenno experienced an annoying week. He fought with Linia last week and didn’t know how to reconcile yet. His mom urged him to go to the park to play with friends. “Linia said sorry, right? Everyone must miss you! Just go to the park!” Fenno’s mom encouraged. “I don’t want to go; the park is so boring!” Fenno sat on the steps at the doorway, his face reddened by the cold wind. He couldn’t help but cover his face with both hands as if trying to hide from anybody. “You’re lying! If you don’t like it, why do you sit in the doorway every day?” his mom teased. “Mom, leave me alone! I just don’t want to go to!” Fenno sneezed involuntarily, his forehead still furrowed. He couldn’t figure out if the sudden wind made him uncomfortable or if not going to the park did. Waking up from a nap, I packed my things and leisurely walked out of Think Corner at the University of Helsinki, strolling aimlessly around the campus in the afternoon. Perhaps my mood was influenced by the Think Corner building, now everything around me had a warm orange, woody tone. The campus bustled with people, and magically, all the events that had ever occurred here seemed to overlap at this moment. Group activities, sports games, audiences, and players filled the area with lively energy. Some people sat under the shade, chatting and playing instruments, perfect with hot coffee. At a not-very-far distance, a guy with a backpack on his left shoulder yelled his friend’s name toward me. As if whispering secrets, two young ladies in maroon scarves passed by my left side quickly. Of course, I couldn’t understand the language they were speaking. Even if I accidentally bumped into them, I just passed through them gently, not bothering anyone. The university seemed lively yet maintained a smooth order, a peculiar sense of tranquility different from many American or Taiwanese cities I had visited. Perhaps this was the essence of the Finnish people? The orange light streams and the crowd kept flowing around me, washing away some of Helsinki’s coldness. It was 3 PM and almost sunset, but Fenno still sat in the doorway, feeling bored. Almost falling asleep, the cold wind woke him, making him shiver for a while. He thought that if it soon snowed heavily, and everywhere was covered in snow, maybe his mom wouldn’t keep asking him to go to the park. But then Fenno thought, if it snowed, would it take a long time before he could play on the swings in the park? Although he wasn’t afraid of the cold, he knew Linia didn’t like going out when it was very cold. “Even without Linia, I can swing by myself…” Fenno mumbled stubbornly. I kept walking to unfamiliar areas of the campus, and suddenly, a swing set caught my eye. A swing on a university campus!? Without thinking too much, my body automatically sat on it and began to sway like an excited kid. Initially, I couldn’t figure out how to swing, and my feet struggled to push the ground, probably because Finnish people were generally taller, so the swing was higher. I felt like I was about to fall every time I swayed. But after a few attempts, I caught the hang of it. It was as if there were some mysterious force helping me, and my body finally swung effortlessly. When Fenno realized, he had already walked to the entrance of the park. Oliver and Mathias were running around and making loud noise, while Linia reluctantly chased after them. Ada, as always, walked on the balance beam, seemingly unaffected by anyone. Fenno’s face was red, unsure how to explain why he hadn’t been to the park this week. As he hesitated about turning back home, Ada suddenly shouted. “The swing is moving! Linia, Oliver, the swing is moving!” The empty swing suddenly started swinging on its own! It started slow and irregular, then gradually swung faster and higher. The kids were amazed, running and shouting around the swing. Fenno, forgetting his shyness, hurriedly ran towards the swing set to see what was happening. Oliver and Mathias, laughing loudly, pushed the swing a few times, and it began to dance in the air like the wind. I closed my eyes, feeling as if I were dancing lightly like the wind. The music in my headphones Porter Robinson’s Wind Tempos, coincidentally reached the clear and calm piano melody in the middle parts, blending with the serene floating sensation in the air. I was so immersed in the music that I vaguely heard a little girl saying, “Fenno, come play with us!” “Fenno,” Linia walked straight to Fenno, “come play with us!” She reached out her hand without hesitation. Initially reluctant, Fenno didn’t know what to do. However, Linia kept staring at his face for a long time, making Fenno feel embarrassed. Finally, Fenno placed his small skinny hand on Linia’s slightly larger hand, whispering, “Please be gentle this time…” Linia led Fenno to another empty swing, gently helping him sit down. After ensuring Fenno was sitting comfortably, she slowly pushed him out. Every time the swing was about to touch the ground, Linia stood steadily beside Fenno, making sure he wouldn’t fall before adding more force to swing him. After a few back and forths, Fenno, like the empty swing next to him, swung higher and higher, gradually dancing in the air. Fenno, you’re smiling!" I suddenly blurted out as I jumped off the swing. It seemed that the snow in Helsinki wouldn’t come so soon. I casually turned over and picked up the cardigan from my LA home, putting it on.