Finland and Reader-Concert Tents and Rain

Ok, you can do this! There’s nothing to it, just hop right in. It’s no big deal, you know, just your average...magical portal to who knows where. Not scary in the least. No ravenous cannibals on the other side  waiting for a delicious and unexpecting meal to wander into their clutches.

Breathe, breathe. Don’t think of dying just...Okay, screw it! Screaming with such a high pitch  voice  that it scared the local woodland creatures, you threw yourself in. Bright, suffocating light consumed you. It felt as if every fiber of your being was burnt to a fine crisp by the smouldering sun, then suddenly was reconstructed in a mere second later. Overall, not a fun experience. But when you came to, you weren’t standing in a forest. No, far from it.

There was no wispy trees to be found, in it’s place were tents. No, not the typical circus tents. These ones were white and opened, welcoming anyone who walked by. For inside were bands, perhaps thousands. Scattered in this large stretch of a field, they stood tall and proud. Hey! Pushed to the side, you barely caught yourself from falling to the ground. You looked up, frowning. And unfortunately, it was over crowded. Like ants, the mass of people thrashed with a lingering scent of sweat and drenching perfume. It made your nose crinkle with disgust.

It was amazing really, the varieties of genres mingling with one another. But what really caught your attention was the amount of heavy metal bands. Yeah, there was a lot. Curious, you began to walk around. It was quite hard, taking in all of the sights and sounds at once. Soon enough, you joined the wave of people. Mouth slightly opened in wonderment. The only issue you had was the shoving. With such a limited amount of room to move, you were bound to get an elbow to the chest. And man did it hurt!

That aside, you soon became fixated on a certain group. People seemed fascinated by it in particular, and swarmed like a horde of starved seagulls. Music buzzed in the heated air, the feeling electric in your veins. Dodging reeking bodies like a pro, you somehow managed to worm yourself to the front. Long tangled hair and beards? That’s what you expected, instead you got...costumes? Almost as if they jumped out of a horror film, these musicians donned peeling skins and masks. Um...You shifted uneasily on your feet, okay, this place was starting to get weird. The guy next to you, shared a completely different opinion.

Maybe you were just stereotyping lovers of metal, but this guy seemed out of place. Moon faced, he had short blonde hair and eyes the prettiest shade of violet you’ve ever seen. Cute to say in the least. And right now he was crooning like a new mother over her baby. “Ah! They are so awesome!” squealed the adorable stranger, turning to you, he grinned  “Don’t you agree?!”. You paused, eyes shifting once again to the sight of the band. The stranger’s smile faltered. “Hey, you look like you’ve never seen Lordi before” he mumbled with a pout. Crap. Willing a fake smile to crawl itself onto your face, you tried to fit in like you knew all about them . “Pssht; Of course I know about, Lordey” you said with a wave, dismissing the notion with a nonchalant gesture. “You mean, Lordi” “Yeah, that’s what I said”, things weren’t going well. Abort mission! Abort!

“No, I’m pretty sure you said Lordey” the stranger said with a frown, his body was fully facing you now. His eyes wide and unblinking as he stared through your lie. Damn, you were drowning in those pools of innocence, never wanting to be dishonest again. But you were tangled in this lie, getting ensnared tighter in this web of falsehood, you gave a short bark of laughter. Forced, but laughter all the same. “Pretty? That doesn’t mean you completely believe so” you almost flinched at your snide remark “A-and, so what if I mispronounce something. Sue me! It happens to, um, everyone...”. Wow, that last comment fell limply to it’s death, never to be seen again.

“Not in these parts” he said with a shake of his head, “Everyone’s heard of Lordi. Especially after their performance at Eurovision”. Euro-what? You stared blankly at the stranger’s beautiful eyes. Choking, he looked at you in disbelief. “Y-you know what Eurovision is, right?” he asked, voice slightly trembling in terror. “Um” you started but ultimately your response died on your lips. The loud sound of a guitar ripping through speakers made your ears bleed, but even with it, there was no way to fill the awkward void between the both of you. Crackling thunder.

Blinking, you had mere seconds to process what it meant before the rain poured down from the heavens. Shrieks filled the field, followed by jovial shouts. A part of you was glad for the rain, maybe then the stench would dissipate from the crowds. As the wetness blinded the edges of your vision, you cringed, your clothes were matted to your body. Writhing commenced, as panicking ensued. Everyone sought the comfort of shelter. You on the other hand, you hanged back. You were still held in a staring contest, eyes locked with this man. He seemed to care little about the rain, letting it flatten his hair. Looking through a fringe of raindrops, he tilted his head.

You had just opened your mouth, ready to say something...anything! But he hushed you with a single gesture. Clasping his hand on your wrist, you momentarily revelled in the strength he held. Huh, he was stronger than he looked. Not even saying a peep, he casually dragged you away. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!” you gasped, fingers trying to wrench his stubborn hand off your arm. You felt bruises building underneath the tender surface of skin. No matter how much you tried, his grasp was uncannily resolved. You could only follow him blindly, thankfully enough, the journey wasn’t long. Slipping under the foliage of some trees, you were well sheltered from the rain. Not like it mattered, clothes soaked and all.

Everything was serene, and strangely enough. Intimate. The music lovers all attempted to find a safe haven under the tents, leaving the trees free space to sit. And because of that, there was only the two of you. No crowds smelling of desperation and cologne. Just yourself and this guy that smelled like strawberries and cranberries. Speaking of that, you only noticed how close he stood to you. So much, that when you took a step away, you immediately realized the body warmth missed. And promptly, you shivered.

“How do you not know of Eurovision?” he asked, tilting his head once again in confusion. “Ah” you blushed embarrassingly, the words were lost to you. Washed away with the rain. He smiled, “I’m not making fun of you”. Hmm, you highly doubted that. “To put it in short. All of Europe participates in this event where we show off our respective bands and songs”; Jabbing a finger in Lordi’s direction, his smile widened. “And each country gets the chance to win!” , turning away from you, he stared off into the distance. “Hm, so did Lordi win?” you asked, right now you were genuinely curious. This whole thing sounded interesting. Snorting at your question, he glanced back, eyebrows shot up in despair. “Of course they did! No ones beats Finnish metal!” he muttered with an unamused shrug. Right, you were in Finland. Great.

Coughing to fill in the silence, you stared expectantly at the sky, eyes looking anywhere else. “Y-you, never told me your name” you grumbled. Giggling, your companion just smiled back, “You never asked”. That had you rolling your eyes, how annoying. Further enjoying your irritation, the stranger beside you became an acquaintance once he said his name, “Tino”. You finally smiled back, “Hm, Tino. It suits you well”. “Thanks” he hummed back with a reply. After introducing yourself properly to Tino, the pair off you fell into the conversation of concerts. Seeing how this one was kind of ruined. You know, until the rain stopped.

“So, I know I’m definitely going to show you around” Tino chuckled, “I can’t have you oblivious to the greatness that is Finnish music”. You laughed as well, “Please, I’m sure it’s not even that great”. “Either way I’ll show you!” Tino stated determinedly, “You can even call it a date!”. Your heart stopped, and likewise, so did the rain. “Would you look at that!” Tino said, turning to you, “Come on! We can start that date sooner than we thought!”.