The best thing about winter is being able to ski. I love skiing at night when everyone else is asleep. In the quiet of the night, the city streets and the riverside forests look so different. On a winter night, it’s never completely dark. The snow reflects light from the stars, the moon, and the city lights. It’s a Nightland, and it’s exciting to ski there.

I enjoy skiing in deep snow. That way, I can decide where I want to go. It’s easy for me to stay on top of the snow. Because I’m small, I don’t weigh much. It’s different for people; they find skiing in deep snow really hard.

After skiing, a cup of hot berry juice tastes great. Then I lie down in my hammock to relax. My hammock is the best place to be and dream. It’s perfect for taking a nap, whether it’s a short nap, a long nap, or even a morning nap.

Last night, on the ice of the Porvoo River, when I hadn’t skied very far, I heard a sound from somewhere. “Can I get a ride?” it asked. I didn’t see anyone around me.

“Could you help?” it asked again, now from the other side, below, at my feet.

“We’re completely lost,” the voice said behind me.

“We need to find our way home. Could you help?” came the voice from in front of me.

My head was spinning. Who was talking to me? Where was the voice coming from?

Then I noticed four little mice in front of me, by my feet. Eight dark button eyes stared at me questioningly. “Of course I can help,” I replied. “Come onto my skis, the front is a good place, from there you can look around and tell me where you want to go.”

I skied carefully with four little mice on board towards the old bridge in Porvoo, under which, they said, was their home. During the journey, they explained why they had ended up so far from home. They explained in unison: “We were playing hide and seek.”

“I wanted a hiding place where I wouldn’t be found right away, so I dug… for a long time.”

“I also dug tunnels under the snow, many tunnels.”

“I wanted to dig the longest tunnel.”

“Me too!”

“And me!”

“We dug so much that we got lost!”

“We miss home.”

“We’re tired.”

“Oh, you made a labyrinth under the snow,” I thought. I had never had passengers like this before. It made me laugh. The little mice sat on my skis in a row like on a bus, and Fredde’s ski bus safely took the little mice back to their home.