The Year of the Hare - Arto Paasilinna [49]
Vatanen said he needed help, or, rather, the hare did, because it was unwell.
“So what’s this hare, and what’s the matter with it?” the professor said, taking the hare in his lap. ... “Hm, it might well have some parasite, I think. It couldn’t have been in contact with any foreigners, could it? Or eaten some unwashed vegetables?”
“It might well have,” Vatanen said.
“It’ll have to have some blood tests; then we can tell.”
He wrote an admission note on a yellow slip and handed it to Vatanen, adding: “The hare’s from Evo, of course.”
Vatanen nodded.
He took his form to a laboratory and gave it to an assistant, who produced several hypodermic needles and took two or three samples from the trembling hare. The assistant said the results would be available in a couple of hours.
Vatanen went for a meal in the meantime and was allowed to leave the hare behind while the tests were being run. A couple of hours later, Vatanen had more than a hare on his hands: a mass of papers, forming a sort of case history. He carried the documents back to the professor’s study.
“As I expected,” the professor said. “Intestinal. A couple of injections’ll do the trick. I’ll make out a prescription, and you can take the medications with you to Evo.”
The hare was inoculated, and Vatanen was given several ampoules and disposable needles.
“Something ventured, something done,” the professor said and took off his white coat. It was five o’clock.
“I’m driving to town. Come along, if you like, if you don’t have a car with you.” The grubby professor was being most amiable. Vatanen got into the car, and the professor headed for the city center.
“It should have lots of fresh water, but nothing to eat for two days. Then it can be fed as before. It’ll certainly recover. I can drop you off at the train on my way, if you like—you did come by train, didn’t you?”
Vatanen couldn’t help replying, “I came by plane, actually.”
The professor was nonplussed, then gave a laugh. “But there’s no plane from the Evo Game Research Institute!”
“I came from Rovaniemi, in fact—and before that from Sodankylä.”
“Not from Evo! But what . . . !” the professor said, completely disoriented.
Vatanen began to tell his story. He pointed out that the hare was indeed from the south, though from Heinola, not Evo. Then he described his travels around Finland with the hare: Heinola, Nilsiä, Ranua, Posio, Rovaniemi, Sodankylä, Sompio, back to Rovaniemi, and now here. The professor had pulled up the car across from the Sokos store in the midst of the Mannerheim Road rush-hour traffic. Parked by the curb, he was listening to Vatanen with obvious disbelief. From time to time he interjected, “Impossible.”
When Vatanen had reached the end of his story, the professor said sternly: “Excuse me, sir, but I don’t believe a word of it. Quite a tale, I admit, but why you’re spinning it I can’t imagine. Now, take that hare back to the Game Research Institute, and I’ll phone there in the morning.”
“All right, if you don’t believe me, call. I don’t attach any importance to the stories.”
At the Sokos corner, a tired reindeer was tugging and pulling at its leash, while a broken-down old Father Christmas gave it a nasty kick on the hooves. The reindeer kept its eyes closed, probably in pain. The deer was surrounded by squalling children, whose tired mothers were having to repeat over and over: “Jari, Jari, stop trying to get on its back! Come on, Jari. Jari, listen. ...”
Vatanen began to feel profoundly depressed. He begged the professor to drive on. The car turned down toward the station.
Stopping again, the professor said: “No, I must relieve you of that animal. This won’t do. I can’t imagine who made you responsible for it. Now, go back there. I’ll send a man to Evo with it tomorrow. Tonight, I’ll look after it myself, at home.”
He had not come from the Evo Game Research Institute, Vatanen insisted.
“Look, this is not a small thing,” the professor said, and moved to take the hare. The car, parked by the snack bar, was causing an obstruction.
Vatanen held on to his hare,