
Produced by Tapio Riikonen
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
A ferocious autumn tempest roars across the western fjords, turning night into a shivering darkness where wind and rain batter every wall. Inside a modest house, doors slam and shutters quake as the storm seems to seek a way inside, scattering broken beams and flooded floors. The atmosphere is heavy with the scent of sea‑salt and an uneasy prayer for mercy, hinting that nature itself may be a hostile presence.
When the knocking finally stops, the father steps out, a lantern in hand, to meet a procession of hulking, copper‑bearded strangers dripping with seawater. They carry a tiny, leather‑wrapped figure whose skin glistens with dripping water, and the child's mute, gray eyes stare calmly at the startled family. The strangers speak in rough tones, their purpose vague, while the household grapples with fear and curiosity, wondering what this mysterious visitor might portend amid the lingering howl of the storm.
Language
fi
Duration
~3 hours (175K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2011-03-16
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1841–1881
A Norwegian writer and forester whose promising career was cut short at just 40, he wrote novels, stories, and criticism that helped secure his place in 19th-century Norwegian literature. He is also remembered as the father of writer Kristian Elster the younger, born shortly before his death.
View all books
by Kristian Elster

by Vinceslas-Eugène Dick

by Philippe Aubert de Gaspé

by Abraham Cahan

by Pauline E. (Pauline Elizabeth) Hopkins

by Laure Conan

by Eliza Fowler Haywood