‘How’s the perpetual-motion machine coming along?’
‘It has reached a very critical phase. I am waiting for one point of obscurity to clear up. Everything else has been worked out, but one small issue remains unresolved. That is, I have not been able to eliminate the difficulties presented by friction and the gravitational pull of the celestial bodies. In the void, which presents none of the difficulties of gravitational forces, I would be able to set it in eternal motion, but under the given conditions I must pursue another solution.’
The men didn’t understand a word of Honkajoki’s speech, but its comically distinguished intonations made them laugh. The Lieutenant, on the other hand, was put off by Honkajoki’s prattle and turned irritably away.
After droning on for half an hour, Honkajoki prepared to leave, but before he did so, he removed his cap and clasped his hands, saying, ‘Because it has already grown late, perhaps I shall stay here and dedicate an evening prayer to this humble abode. Shield us from the enemy’s ploys, and above all its snipers and direct-fire cannons. The daily rations could also stand to be a bit more generous, should You still have any untapped stores You might call upon to fulfill Your children’s needs. Grant us at least tolerable weather, that our shifts on guard in the name of Your cause may be slightly more entertaining. Moonlight would be most welcome, indeed, as it alleviates our anxiety and aids us in the conservation of our limited flare supply. Protect all the patrols, guards, seafarers and drivers, but do not trouble Yourself unduly over the men in artillery. Protect the Chief Commanders and the Chiefs of Staff, and the less consequential bosses as well, provided You have the time. Protect the Commander of the Army Corps, the Division Commander, the Regiment Commander, Battalion Commander, and, most especially, the machine-gunners’ Company Commander. Finally, individually and as one, protect these Distinguished Officers of Finland, that they not bang their heads into the pines of Karelia a second time. Amen.’
Had Honkajoki caught a glimpse of the Lieutenant’s face as he left the bunker, he would have known immediately what had promped the summons he received the following day, ordering him to Lammio’s bunker.
Now, Honkajoki was no Rokka, and the difference was evident in the unmasked fury and disgust on Lammio’s face as the solemn man stepped before him to attention, his bow over his shoulder, announcing, ‘Captain, sir. Private Honkajoki reporting for duty.’
‘I can see that. Just what kind of enlightenment officer do you think you are?’
‘Captain, sir. In these challenging times no support to morale is to be sniffed at.’
‘You’re cultivating defeatism. Are you working for the enemy?’
‘Captain, sir. My honor as a soldier prevents me from answering such an inquiry…’
‘Your honor! I’ll give you the honor of a court martial summons if these disparaging speeches about the army and its management don’t stop. Do you have any idea what this nation’s security rests upon?’
‘Captain, sir. It resides upon the noble shoulders of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Marshal of Finland.’
‘Precisely. His and those of his army. And you are a parasite within that army. The flea that thrives only in filth.’ (The image wasn’t Lammio’s invention, but rather that of the Battalion Commander.)
‘Captain, sir. In my understanding, the flea is not the cause of filth, but merely a symptom. Or perhaps I have misunderstood the Captain’s suggestion.’
‘Don’t get smart with me. Are you a communist?’
‘I am an inventor. My original occupation was, indeed, in pine cone collection, but I hold the pursuit of knowledge to be my principal vocation in life.’
‘Are you insane?’
‘Captain, sir. Such questions can never be resolved by the very person of whom such a condition is suspected. It falls to those around him to determine his case.’
‘Very well. I have determined that your mockery will cease. I am giving you a serious warning. The army has plenty of means for disposing of unwanted entities. This subversive activity will end. We cannot afford to admit the enemy within our ranks, even clad in the gray uniform of the Finnish army, which incidentally is far too respectable to be worn by the likes of you.’
‘Captain, sir. For a very long time indeed I sought with the keenest of interest to divest myself of it, but the disappointment of this desire over my long experience certainly justifies my suspicion that the esteemed Captain’s suggestion cannot be in earnest. Which is, indeed, regrettable. I shall let it pass, however, and request your permission to put forth my own understanding of the present circumstances.’
‘Wouldn’t that be something.’
‘In so far as the enemy’s advance is concerned, I would consider the situation merely temporary. Communism will collapse under the weight of its own impossibility – underground forces are already at work to that end. The final conditions of peace will be dictated by Finland. Our position as a superpower affords us that prerogative. I have never considered communism to be a significant factor in any way. To begin with, the grain transfer system within the kolkhozes has been robbing farmers for twenty years. They’ve even been stripped of seed grain. And in the second place, a more important point. As soon as the people return to the land claimed by the Red Army, revolution will ensue. The government will lose all control, because the Germans will have removed all the barbed wire.’
‘Get out!’
‘Yes, sir, Captain. But I would caution you against a certain other actor. In my opinion, the greatest threat we now face is that of the Yellow Peril.’
‘Out! Out!’
‘As you wish, Captain, sir.’
V
The skeletons sheathed in their chiffon of decay emerged from the snow for a third time. Water trickled through the trenches, and guards gazed through strained eyes at periscope mirrors. The calm only deepened, though the snipers still struck their targets now and then, and enemy patrols increased.
A feeling of great resolution hovered in the spring air, however. The men endeavored one more time to rally their hopes of salvation. ‘Rommel’s striking back against the invasion!’ And then: ‘The tank wedge is pressing east again.’
‘If they could just drive them back to the sea, we might have a different game on our hands.’
‘It’s not gonna happen, guys,’ Hietanen said. He was perhaps the most pessimistic of all of them, surprising as that was to the others. Another change had appeared in Hietanen as well. The boisterous fellow would sometimes stare blankly off into space. Such moments were rare, certainly, and Hietanen’s lively, wayward spirit was quick to return, but he saw something in those moments. Maybe it was just that, in any case, the future was going to bring heavy fighting and more men were going to die. Him too, probably.
Koskela had been more prepared than the others from the outset, so nothing much changed in him. The same was true of Rahikainen. His business ventures had ended, though, as nobody was buying lamp-stands anymore.
‘We could make coffins,’ Rahikainen suggested slightly bitterly to Rokka, but the latter brushed him off, ‘Naw, we ain’t doin’nat. They can bury you just fine without.’
‘The gravedigger always gets the last laugh. Heeheehee!’
Once when Kariluoto was making his rounds on the Millions, a shard from a shell blast got him in the shoulders and put him in the hospital. Koskela served as the Third Company’s interim commander and Hietanen filled in as platoon leader.