§ § § -- June 10, 1985
"Impossible," Teppo said immediately.
Leslie blinked, then turned to Teppo and remarked teasingly, "Boy, you Finns sure have some peculiar ideas about mythology."
"Quiet, you," Teppo replied cheerfully. He eyed Roarke. "Did Launo Haavisto tell you that, too? Is he actually serious?"
"Your Mr. Haavisto shed a great deal of light on Lempo's proclivities," Roarke said. "It's true; Lempo is both the god of evil and the god of love, implausible though it may sound. It was the reason Leslie was untouched whenever Lempo took control. He knew that you and she were beginning to fall in love, and because of that, he couldn't touch her. And because he is the god of love, he could not thwart the developing relationship; indeed, he was obligated to encourage it. That was the trump card I played against him. I deliberately provoked you by telling you I would keep you away from Leslie, so that Lempo would take control and I could finally confront him."
Teppo thought this over and suddenly winced. "Oh, no. That's why I…or rather, Lempo attacked my parents. Just before Lempo took over on that occasion, they were trying to gently discourage me from developing more than a friendship with Leslie."
"That's also why you attacked Kekipi," Leslie realized aloud. "She was trying to pull rank on me at the beach, poking her finger at me and threatening to rat me out to you, Mr. Roarke. Even then I guess Lempo knew something we didn't yet realize, and took control so he could 'protect' me from Kekipi." She laughed. "It's almost too bad you weren't here when we first hired that woman, Teppo. We never did get along, and she had a way of trying to blame me for anything she thought she could remotely get away with."
Teppo grinned. "Well, better late than never, as the saying goes. So, Mr. Roarke, you're saying that Lempo released me because I've been…attracted to Leslie?"
Roarke nodded, studying him and Leslie by turns. "Perhaps there is more there than you realize just yet. But before you start to think too hard about that, I suggest we check on your mother. With Lempo's departure, there may be a change in her condition."
When they reached the hospital, they discovered that Roarke was correct. Tellervo Komainen, according to her attending doctor, had awakened about half an hour before and, despite a slight headache due to her concussion, told him she felt fine. She brightened when Teppo came into her room, followed at a slight distance by Roarke and Leslie, who waited by the door while Teppo and his mother hugged each other and spoke in Finnish for a few moments. Then Teppo took a deep breath and cleared his throat; though he continued to speak in Finnish, Leslie and Roarke knew from his expression that he was breaking the news to his mother about his father's death. When he finished speaking, he hung his head, as if waiting for recrimination.
But Mrs. Komainen seemed frozen in place, and she stared blankly at the wall across from her bed for a seeming eternity. She was silent for so long that Teppo finally looked up, and frowned at what he saw. "Mother?" he ventured, passing a hand in front of her eyes. She continued to sit and stare, and Roarke sharpened his focus on her, watching her intently.
Finally she moaned and began to mutter in Finnish, as if to herself. Teppo's gray eyes widened in alarm. "Mother," he said again, but that was all he got out before she broke down into heavy sobs that racked her body violently enough to shake the bed. Roarke called hastily for the doctor, who was still standing near the admissions desk; he came on the run, and within a couple of minutes Mrs. Komainen had been given a sedative and had settled back in the bed, growing woozy from the medication. Both Teppo and Roarke had been watching her carefully; when the medical personnel had cleared out of the room and the three visitors had followed, the two men looked at each other.
"I've never seen grief like that," Teppo said uneasily. "Do you think she will be all right?"
Roarke hesitated before replying, as if weighing his words. "We can only wait and see," he said. "In any case, it appears your mother will be here for a few more days, and apart from keeping an eye on her and visiting her for some time each day, I don't think there is very much you can do for her. Grief is an extremely personal emotion, and each individual must deal with it in his or her own way. You must allow your mother the opportunity to do so…and you must deal with your own grief as well."
Teppo nodded his understanding. "Thank you, Mr. Roarke." He turned to Leslie. "If your father doesn't mind, would you come back to the cottage with me? I think we have some things to talk about."
Leslie deferred to Roarke, who nodded. "Take whatever time you need." She thought she saw a wistful glint in his dark eyes, but it was gone so quickly that she decided not to mention it. Instead she simply smiled her gratitude at him, took Teppo's hand and strolled out with him.
They had ambled for some five minutes in the direction of the cottage in which Teppo was staying before he spoke. "How did you handle the deaths of your parents?" he asked.
Leslie thought it over. "I kind of withdrew into myself," she remembered. "I was scared of everyone and everything for awhile, because I wasn't sure what was going to happen to me. I mean, I knew my mother had made arrangements with Mr. Roarke for me to come here and live with him till I was grown, but I was in shock, and on top of that I knew nothing about him or Fantasy Island. Remember how I told you they died in a fire?" Teppo nodded, and she went on: "Well, it wasn't just a fire. It was an inferno. The house burned to the ground in practically no time flat, and not only did my parents and sisters die, but I lost nearly everything I owned."
"How did you escape perishing in that fire?" Teppo asked, amazed.
"I happened to be sleeping over with my friend Cindy Lou the evening of the fire," she told him. "I had an overnight bag with my pajamas, a change of clothes, my toothbrush, and a photo album I was planning to show Cindy Lou. That's the sum total of everything I brought to Fantasy Island with me." She sighed. "Nobody knew quite what to say to me afterward. I interpreted their awkwardness around me as rejection because I was an orphan now, and I built a wall around myself. Only my mother had left a will, and the only thing it dealt with was what should happen to me. The lawyers were dumbfounded. They kept saying how eerie it was that the will handled that and literally nothing else, as if she had known that I'd be the only survivor and that there'd be nothing left to leave to anyone."
"Herranen aika," Teppo mumbled in Finnish, then smiled apologetically. "Sorry, but I have to agree with those lawyers. It was eerie."
"That's because they didn't know she'd been to Fantasy Island once before and found out what was in my future," Leslie said. "I told you about that too, remember?"
"That's right," Teppo said, thinking back. "But you seem to be happy now."
Leslie nodded. "It's been long enough that I can smile now when I remember my family and my early childhood. But when I first came here, Mr. Roarke scared me almost to death. Even Tattoo made me nervous, just because he was a stranger to me. But he was the one who put me at ease right from the start. I felt like I was walking on eggs for weeks after my arrival because I was certain I was going to royally screw something up and catch holy hell from Mr. Roarke." She grinned. "But I slowly settled in, and I got used to Mr. Roarke, and Tattoo treated me like a niece. I think he kind of smoothed things out between me and Mr. Roarke, so that when Tattoo got married and left the island, Mr. Roarke and I wound up becoming much closer."
Teppo heaved an enormous sigh and stared into the trees. "Well, I'm not very sure my story will have as happy an ending. My mother may blame me for my father's death, and not without reason. It doesn't matter that Lempo was controlling me at the time; I'm still the one who brought it about. I can't stop feeling guilty for that. The last time I spoke with my father, he was explaining to me that you and I couldn't possibly have any future because I live on the other side of the world from here. His and Mother's skepticism set off Lempo, and…well, you know the rest. And I'm afraid that when my brothers and sisters learn of it, they'll blame me as well."
"They know you were possessed by Lempo, don't they?" Leslie protested. "I realize you and they would have a different perspective from mine or anyone else's, since he was your father. But you've got to remember that it wasn't you. If you'd been in full possession of your mind and body, it would never have happened. You couldn't do anything about it whenever Lempo took over, and you know it, and I'm sure they do too. You've got to stop blaming yourself, Teppo. It was simply beyond your ability to deal with. I didn't get a chance to know your father well, but he seemed like a really nice man, and he must have been a great dad. I have a feeling he'd tell you the same thing."
Teppo stopped walking and turned to face her. "You're right," he said softly. "I've been trying to tell myself that, and I know Mr. Roarke has said it a few times too. But for some reason, it took you to convince me. Not that I won't always feel some measure of guilt. You know, 'if I hadn't done this, that wouldn't have happened.' But you make sense when you put it that way, and it helps me to feel better." She smiled, and for a moment they stood there, with her hands folded into his. Then his expression changed. "That's another matter for discussion. Mr. Roarke seemed to be under the impression that our feelings for each other must be deeper than we think, if they were enough to protect you from Lempo and eventually be the instrument of my release from him." He thought it over while she watched.
After several moments she said hesitantly, "I don't know exactly how you feel, but I can tell you I didn't sleep too well last night, and I cried a lot. Maybe both Mr. Roarke and Lempo saw much more than we do. But the more I think about it, the more I think I'm in love with you."
Teppo blinked several times and snapped his gaze back into focus. "It's been such a crazy weekend, it feels as if it's been more than forty-eight hours since we were first introduced to each other. And yet…there must be something in the air on this island, because I have the same feeling. As you said, the more I think about it, the more I believe I love you, too."
"I hope we're both right," Leslie murmured bashfully. "I guess we must be, since it was enough to get Lempo out of your head."
A slow smile began to spread across Teppo's face. "Right now, I prefer to suspend the discussion till later," he said, and with that, he kissed her.
‡ ‡ ‡ -- June 23, 1985
Tellervo Komainen was finally pronounced well enough to travel, and she was released from Fantasy Island Hospital on the Sunday two weeks after the Komainens had arrived on the island. Though still grieving over her late husband, she and Teppo had talked things over and both agreed that Leslie and Roarke had been right that it was Lempo who rightfully bore the blame for Jaakko's death and not Teppo. The body had been flown home to Finland for a funeral and burial, and there had been long and painful discussions and explanations for Teppo's brothers and sisters, all of whom fortunately understood that he had not been to blame.
Teppo and Leslie had had some fairly long talks as well, learning more about each other and falling more in love with every passing day. Now, they sat beside the small aquamarine pond at the base of a waterfall, each with an arm around the other, bare feet skimming the water's surface. Fireflies winked all around them; twilight was deepening, and the young couple had been quiet for some time, both considering their decision.
"You're very sure this is what you want to do?" the question finally came out in a worried murmur.
A nod. "I'm sure. I want to be with you, no matter if it's here or in Finland."
"Then we're going to have to tell our parents, you know. There's no reason for us to wait any longer. If we're not certain now, then we never will be, don't you agree?"
"It's going to be so hard…" A tear dropped soundlessly into the pool, and a finger reached up to dry the eye from which it had fallen.
"No, no, don't cry. It's going to be all right, I promise you that." They kissed gently, then drew back and peered at each other in the fading light. "Are you ready?"
"I guess it's now or never. Come on, let's get it over with."
They went to the cottage first, where Tellervo had been moved after her discharge from the hospital that afternoon. When they told her their intentions, she stared at them with the most animation anyone had seen on her since Teppo had had to tell her of Jaakko's passing. "But, Teppo…we have to leave tomorrow," she finally said.
"This is how it's going to be, Mother," he said. "We're both adults, and we're in love."
"But you still hardly know each other," she protested. "And what will Mr. Roarke say?"