Chapter 4: The storm and continuous journey
"Snowy, I don't want you complaining so much. I know what I'm doing. And it's for a good cause, okay? So behave yourself."
Tintin knew what he was saying, because earlier that night, he began to pack his bags and everything. He had decided that the best time to leave for Norway was that night tonight. He packed all the essentials he needed, like extra pairs of clothes, socks, shoes, three sweaters, books, pencils, a journal, toothbrush, toothpaste, and a pair of workboots. "There," he said. "Now I'm prepared for my journey to the Land of the Midnight Sun," he said.
Dressed in a dark blue turtleneck sweater, Tintin went down to the docks to rent a motorboat that would take him to Norway. He found the perfect boat, which was a baby-blue sailing boat, complete with a good navigation system. "And are you sure you want to take this vessel up to Norway?" the fisherman who sold Tintin the boat asked. "'Cause I heard there's a storm coming in a few minutes, and waves up there get pretty bad in the fjords." "It's only for a good cause," Tintin said, getting on the boat and starting the engine. "Goodbye!" Soon, Tintin was on the vessel, sailing out to sea and journeying to Norway!
A few hours seemed to pass by while Tintin had sailed far from Brussels and was already out into the sea, all alone. But Tintin had high hopes that once he got to Norway, he would eventually prove that the violet ibis really existed. He even hoped that the violet ibis will help him rid himself of the dreaded Norway fever once and for all, and that he would come back home, healthy and happy to be back to normal.
It was already ten o'clock at night. A few hours had passed ever since Tintin left the sea port in Brussels to journey to the fjords of Norway. While he was busy steering the boat toward its rightful path, Tintin took a deep breath. A little while later, Tintin felt a sharp twinge in his stomach. Of course, it wasn't the anxiety that was rushing through to his body already.
"Boy, am I starving," Tintin said. "I must have forgotten to eat dinner before I left my home. I better find something to eat right now." Tintin put the steering wheel on autopilot and began to search the boat for some food. In one of the lower compartments next to where his dog Snowy slept, Tintin found nothing but a torn map, an empty whiskey bottle, a dirty rag, and a dried, rotten apple. "Great," Tintin muttered. "There's nothing here for me to eat. How am I gonna continue this trip if I'm going to have to do it on an empty stomach? Oh well. Until we get to dry land, I'll find some food to nourish me." Giving up his situation, Tintin returned to the steering wheel.
As nightfall descended upon the ocean, a cold breeze began to blow, spraying Tintin's face. It hadn't been a few hours and Tintin was already growing even hungrier by each second. His stomach pinched even more, twisting his guts until they ached. In fact, Tintin was so busy feeling concerned about his continuous hunger pangs that he did not notice the dark storm clouds covering the moon. Tintin felt the calm breeze starting to grow stronger. Little Snowy woke up with a start, then began to run around in a crazed circle, barking. "Gosh, the wind seems to be getting stronger," Tintin said. "I can barely see a thing. But I have a feeling that we might be reaching the fjords in any moment now. I hope that no unexpected force will penetrate the…"
Tintin's words were cut short by the monstrous wave that crashed into the boat, soaking Tintin. The wind had created such violent force that the ocean waves were now becoming stronger. Tintin could practically feel the boat rocking back and forth violently, as if he were inside a baby cradle. He dropped to his knees and grabbed a hold of the steering wheel, for fear that he might become seasick at any point in time. He eventually managed to pick himself up and attempted to steer the boat.
But it was no use to him. The boat careened on all sides of the waves thrashing it back and forth violently. Falling backwards, Tintin grabbed on to Snowy and braced himself. Within minutes, the waves sent the boat crashing onto a narrow inset of land near the shore. The boat itself was smashed into pieces, and its remains bobbed up to the surface. Tintin popped up from the water, gasping for breath and swimming toward the shore. Panting heavily, Tintin began to regain his bearings, and took a moment to look around. His boat was crushed, his clothes were shredded. "Okay, this shouldn't be a problem," he said. "I guess I can just continue the journey on foot." Grabbing a broken pole, Tintin began to continue the rest of his journey farther into the fjords.
Venturing through a dense entanglement of trees, shrubs, and grass, Tintin seemed to lose his focus every time he stopped to catch a breath. Little Snowy was worried about his friend, but Tintin himself was worried too. "Can't…stop…" Tintin huffed. "Have…to…keep…moving…forward." With every new step he took, Tintin began to slowly grow weaker. His stomach hurt so much from lack of food. His body ached, and his legs were being scratched up by unseen twigs and branches. But Tintin decided to move on, without any limitations.
Later on, as he began to saunter in different directions of the path, Tintin stopped short, for he saw something in the distance. "What is that over there?" he muttered as he inched closer to it. It was a large and rather defunct barn, with the paint chipping off from the sides. Tintin and Snowy decided to check out the place. Opening the barn doors, Tintin looked inside. "I have to keep going," Tintin said, feeling weak, "but…it's getting…late." Suddenly, Tintin felt his head whirling and his legs shaking. "Oh no," Tintin said. "I feel…so…so…dizzy. I…I…" And without a warning, Tintin suddenly fell to the floor, weak, hungry, cold, and tired. Snowy howled in agony.
Meanwhile, inside the farmhouse, a sheep farmer named Thomas Syvertsen sipped his tea while his daughter, Lilli, tended to the fire. Thomas and his daughter Lilli had lived in the fjords of Norway for almost sixteen years after his wife died years ago from a miscarriage. "Well Daddy?" Lilli said to her father. "Have you done all of your chores yet?" "I have," Lilli said obediently. "You've cleaned the barn, fed the chickens, tended to the sheep, dusted the furniture, and cooked the supper?" Thomas said. "Yes Daddy," Lilli said teasingly. "I have done all of my chores in the morning and afternoon." "Well, you still have one more thing to do," her father said. "Okay. What is it?" Lilli asked. "Why don't you go down to the barn and restock the firewood supply? Can you do that?" "Yes, I can," Lilli said. Grabbing her coat, Lilli went outside.
Outside near the barn, Lilli was busy chopping the wood from recently cut trees. It was cold in Norway, and she would have to make sure that there was enough firewood to warm the house. While she tied the wood together, she heard a strange barking noise. "Now what could that be?" she wondered as she went with the wood to check.
It had been no sooner than Lilli had found Snowy braking and running around in a crazy manner. "Hello, little fellow!" Lilli said. "Where did you come from?" Snowy barked at her, though Lilli could not understand what he was trying to say. "What do you want to tell me?" Lilli asked. Snowy wagged his tail and ran into the barn, with Lilli following him from behind.
"What is it that you want to show me?" Lilli asked as she followed Snowy inside the barn. She then dropped the wood as soon as she saw a weak and fragile Tintin lying on the scratchy hay. "Daddy! Come quick!" Lilli shouted. "You have to see this!"
Thomas rushed outside to see what his daughter was shouting about. Running into the barn, he stopped short and gasped as he saw Tintin lying face down on the hay. "Who is this man?" he demanded. "I don't know," Lilli said. "This dog told me to come inside and I found this guy just like that." Thomas grabbed Tintin and felt his skin. "He's cold as ice," Thomas said. "He was probably out on the fjords at this time of day." "And he probably didn't have a bite to eat while he was there," Lilli said, placing her hand on Tintin's empty stomach. "What do we do with him?" "Help me carry him inside," Thomas said. Lilli nodded her head and the two worked together.
Carrying him upstairs, Thomas had Lilli undress Tintin until he only had on his white undershirt. Then, Thomas placed Tintin on a plain cot and covered him with warm blankets, Thomas turned to Lilli. "Tomorrow I'm going to Oslo for a farmer's meeting," he said. "When the boy wakes up, I want you to feed him breakfast, give him a bath, and take him to a doctor. Plus, you'll have to buy costumes and supplies for the Falling Stars Festival tomorrow night." Then, he slowly walked out of the room.