Johanna Gardy: The jackrabbit in the mountains
Foreword
Before you, dear reader begin the story, I would like to share a few things that may be useful during the reading process.
The first thing that will certainly catch your eye as the story progresses is that the countries mentioned in the book are not named, and many of the characters’ names also avoid any clear cultural or ethnic identification. The reason for this is that I wanted to avoid the reader associating any stereotypes with any of the characters based on their country of origin or religion, and to give them the opportunity to get to know the characters’ true personalities rather than immediately placing them in a category, which, like our other prejudices, is generally weak in relation to reality and more closely connected to our imagination than to the reality of the person in question. The only culture we will get to know is a made-up culture based on a variety of real sources, with the main inspiration coming from my cultural reading material, as well as my own experiences and the stories of my acquaintances.
Secondly, the sport, which in the case of a story set in the mountains would presumably cover winter sports, will provide a significant foundation for the events to unfold. There are two reasons for this, which ultimately converge: on the one hand, if someone has the good fortune/is forced to start their life over abroad, one of the best ways to connect with the locals is through a shared hobby/interest. The other is that if someone leaves, for example, education for the ‘real world’, or becomes an individual entrepreneur instead of an employee, etc., the social life offered by the institution is often lost, whether it creates a sense of relief or absence, it is unlikely that we will feel good about being alone for a long time. In such cases, a hobby or interest is a great help – including, of course, any level of sport – because it offers an easier way to connect with other people with similar interests, as there is already at least one common point, which can then lead to the unfoldment of a friendship.
Thirdly, Irena’s story also speaks of self-confidence, because the sport’s powerful emphasis in some chapters of the book shows how much the protagonist tries to seize the opportunity that has now arisen. She searches for her place in the present changes, while the demons of the previous chapter of her life constantly haunt her, and despite the obvious changes in her circumstances, she is unable to easily let go of and move on from the previous difficulties in her life. However, one of the important lessons of her story is that she does not give up the fight for the opportunity she sees before her – therefore, she does not give up the fight for herself, and for the opportunity to not only leave her past behind her, but also to feel that she is living a different life compared to the one that was given to her before.
I wish you a very pleasent reading!
Johanna Gardy
Chapter 1
This would be me: Irena. I looked at myself in the mirror and saw nothing more than an orphane girl. In the mirror she had long, light red hair, almost blonde, and big brown eyes full of sadness. Her skin looked lifeless, as if she had just recovered from a disease. Yet this girl was not sick, or at least I didn’t know of any illness.
I just got home from school a few minutes ago. I had been waiting to come to our house, to be between the four walls that shelters me, and have some peace and quiet, so I don’t need to focus on the teacher or on what my classmates are saying behind my back.
I was listening in their conversations from the distance, because I knew that they talk about me from time to time. I feel a slight sense of shame for paying any attention to them, because it seems as if I’m interested in everything that comes out of their mouths. But that’s not the case! I try to work out when they’re talking about me, when they’re talking about why my hair is neither blonde nor red, why it’s so long or why my skin is so pale? They have discussions way too often about why I’m not like the others?
I mean, they don’t always converse about me. But when they do, they mock me, they pick on me, they pick me apart and examine me from every angle, like a laboratory animal. However, behind their investigations there is no genuine curiosity, any wish to improve, or an insatiable desire to understand the world, but just a few spiteful, arrogant boys who were not taught good manners by their parents and who were led to believe that they can do whatever they want. They believe they were born with some kind of superiority, so they can tease anyone they want.
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Chapter 3
The journey was mostly quiet, and we just cut through the landscape. First, we saw the high peaks in the distance, which were still covered in snow. There were no such mountains at home, and I had never seen this sort of high peaks before, the tops of which were always covered in snow. It was as if a cake had been dusted with icing sugar, and no matter what breeze blows into the kitchen, it never blows it off the top, as the sugar and the cake are one. The lower contours were visible, as the rolling hills defined the high summits that reached towards the sky, each one disappearing in some mesure behind the surrounding clouds.
I stared as if I had been blind until now and had just regained my sight for the first time in my life. I suddenly forgot if I had ever seen anything else in my life, or if my eyes had ever been filled with wonder before.
I never understood what made people want to climb mountains, and now, as I look at this landscape, I wish I could be up there, whatever awaits me. I want to know the mountains’ every song and echo, the secret places and treasures, and to be closer to the sky than whenever I climbed the highest tree in my neighbourhood.
Soon, our path took a turn, and the mountains revealed their different sides. Here they were flatter, as if a plain lay on their summits. I didn’t know why these mountains looked the way they did, and not like the previous ones. The sun painted the landscape, especially the sky, with its rose rays, and it appeared as though the sun was alive, as though its arms that reached over the mountain and who knows where they ended. They clung to the sky, far from the sun, so that the planet full of light could rise above the horizon, as its beams illuminated and warmed the scenery.
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Chapter 10
I wouldn’t be honest if I said I wasn’t excited the next morning. Aunt Lily made me the usual morning tea, and brought it to me. I went out onto the balcony, but I was no longer the Irena who had arrived there weeks earlier. Even though it was the same mug that I had brought from home, the girl who held it had changed.
Even the way I sat exuded a certain dignity and pride. It’s amazing how life can change! I moved from a small village to another country, made friends and from then on we spent Saturdays together! At least, that was what I hoped for.
My pride then turned into a little punishment from fate, because one of my slow swallows went a bit wrong, and I started coughing so much that I felt completely sick. Well, maybe I’m still the same Irena who came here from far away. This little accident helped me to get back to reality.
I got dressed, put on my underwear and my ski outfit. I opened the door to my room and went downstairs. Aunt Lily was busy, but when I stepped down from the last step, she looked at me.
‘Have a great time!’ she said. ‘And take care of yourself! If these guys are really as cool as you described, it’s probably because skiing is a dangerous sport! Beautiful, but dangerous!’ I tried to take her warning seriously.
I stepped out of the house into cold and darkness, as if setting off on an adventure. I looked up and saw that the stars, albeit faintly, were still shining visibly. For some reason, of all the events that had happened to me in recent times, I felt most that I was entering the big wide world at that moment.
The cool air sat on my shoulders, and my hair looked blonde in the dim light of the stars instead of red. It was impossible to tell by the sky whether we were in that part of the night when we were approaching dawn, or in the part when the sun had just set. Is this the time when everything is before us and the sun is waiting for us to conquer it? Or is this already the time of night when we retreat to our homes or restaurants to share our time with others?
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Chapter 13
I took a seat on a little bulge, which was fairly close to the entire length of the ramps, but still far enough away to not disturb the others while they were sliding.
By the time we got there, the Woodcutter had left, so I didn’t have the opportunity to meet her that day. I didn’t find out what’s the reason behind her nickname, nor did I see the tricks that made her legendary. However, I hoped that I would have the opportunity to get to know her at some point in the future!
Below me, there was only frozen snow, but fortunately, the others quickly warmed up and, in the absence of any other options, left their coats to me, so that only their base layer covered them from above, and they even rolled up the sleeves. With their permission, I put their coats under me so that I wouldn’t catch a cold by the end of the day.
I looked at them and the landscape behind them, as the setting sun bathed the snowy landscape in golden light. Suddenly, I realised that I was in another world. The bright snowy landscape that had covered the terrain was replaced by a fiery red lava field, which glowed orange like the setting sun. Only the areas shaded by the ski lift buildings or the other mountain peaks escaped, like small islands in an ocean, reminding me of where we had been.
The sky, which had shone blue until now, was like a body of water illuminated by candlelight, slowly absorbing the light passing through it.
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Chapter 22
The next morning, feeling a little down, I walked to Manja’s house. I had to accept the fact that I wouldn’t be travelling home for the holidays, and my heart was still resisting this.
My lethargy was not helped by my tiredness, caused by the fact that yesterday evening the birthday celebration and my conversation with aunt Lily went on so long, and I had to get up early the next day.
I stopped in front of Manja’s house and waited. A few minutes later, he appeared from behind the door and my mood improved slightly.
He punched the air with his fists and said, excitedly and determinedly:
‘Last park before the break! Today we’re going to give it our all!’
I was impressed that he had so much energy, and it’s true that I’ll have plenty of time to be sad on other days when we’re not going skiing. For example, I’ll have enough time to myself during the break, so if I can still be with my friends today, I should definitely appreciate it.
We got in the car and picked up Thanon and Torco outside the school. From now on, I won’t be entering this building’s entrance for several weeks, and suddenly I felt a melancholy, a kind of nostalgia, as if I were saying goodbye to this place forever, as if I would never return.
Apparently, Manja is the only one who is always in top form, because Thanon, Torco and I fell asleep in the car on the way to the park.
Wish to continue the journey?
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