October 2013

October 2013 is the time frame for Wanda Phinn’s arrival at the Nature Absorption Academy, where a polite attempt to turn her back exposes the personal rivalry beneath the Academy’s formal welcome. Wanda is set on seeing Atu Abanshamash Dumuzi; Pirjo, who has devoted twenty years to Atu and his world, recognizes her as a threat to the hope that she might one day win his heart.

Setting and Arrival

Wanda appears in the square before a large yellow building, standing beside a flagpole with a suitcase. The scene is framed through Pirjo’s response to her: Wanda’s beauty, athleticism, brown skin, and difference from the far north’s local population intensify Pirjo’s sense that she is being displaced. The date therefore anchors not simply a visit, but the arrival of someone Pirjo believes may unsettle a devotion she has sustained for two decades.

Pirjo’s Attempt to Turn Her Back

Sitting astride her scooter, Pirjo briefly considers turning around. She decides against it, reasoning that Wanda has come so far and will find her own way if refused. Pirjo is inwardly trembling, but first tries persuasion rather than the more extreme measures she recognizes might become necessary. Crossing the square, she introduces herself and says Wanda has come in vain. She offers to pay for Wanda’s return journey to London, presenting the offer as a response to misunderstanding and poor communication; her sympathetic smile is a tactic she believes tends to work.

Wanda’s Persistence

Wanda does not accept the proposed departure. She identifies herself, thanks Pirjo for the offer, and says she has come specifically to meet Atu. She understands that no course places are available, but insists on seeing him. When Pirjo explains that Atu is away from the course center, Wanda shows disappointment only briefly before composing herself. She has already checked that Frimurare Hotellet, two minutes away, has rooms, and says she is prepared to wait there for a couple of days until Pirjo calls. The exchange ends with Wanda still determined to meet Atu and Pirjo’s effort to redirect her unresolved.