On the Vidda

摘要

IN A FARMHOUSE a little way from Hardangervidda, a vast and wild plateau in central Norway, five elderly figures are gathered in the kitchen, warmed by a cast-iron stove, their feet in woollen socks. The table is set with coffee mugs, a lit white candle and a large plastic tub of home-made raspberry jam. Grey reindeer skins and tightly woven blankets drape the chairs. On top of the electric oven is a baking tray bearing six trout, each stuffed with spring onion and parsley. It might be any backwoods Norwegian home-except for the second table nearby, on which are placed several maps, black-and-white photos and a Thompson sub-machine gun.