Kidnaped!

aint Petersburg at turn of the century

Two tall fit men of purpose were striding along a dark wet cobble street. Frost from their powerful breath fell behind them like the wake behind a swift sailing vessel. Carriages rhythmically clicked along on this brisk evening and paid them no mind.

At length, they approached a walled castle of the modern French style. Guards were supposed to be posted in response to the unrest in the peasant population, however, the two men saw no soldiers at all. Unsettled they made their way around the grounds.

A panic came over them as they entered through the garden doors which had not been locked, "Perhaps we're too late already" the younger said.

Tiina Kinna was a mystery, an Estonian woman of grace and beauty living the life of an aristocrat in Tsarist Russia. This was an unheard of privilege considering the Russian prejudice towards the somber and private but productive Estonians.

A strong rap came on the door to Tiina's room, "Who is it please?" she asked as she turned from her mirror holding her long hair, the door burst open and the two men advanced into the room. Her alarm was apparent, "What are you doing here!" Tiina was a striking woman with strong grey eyes and well defined cheekbones, jaw and an Estonian nose.

She had the air of someone who has succeeded and is in command of her circumstance, she also was a bit too daring. Her very presence in the Russian castle was a subject of envy and scorn, but she brushed such things off as trivial for she was providing an exceptional life for her daughters and herself in a time poverty for most people.

Her young daughter, perhaps 8 or 9 years of age, came in to see, "Emma, go practice your piano lessons", "But mommy, it's late at night, why are they here?"

The older of the two pressed, "You must come away with us. Yes, tonight, urgency is upon us".

"I will not, we have a good life here, servants, food, education for my girls, cloths, jewelry, I won't give it up". Tiina said with conviction.

The two men were desperate to have her to come with them. "Can't you see at all? There weren't even any guards at the gate, you don't realize the danger. Look at that beautiful Museum of yours, the Hermitage, surely you've noticed, it's empty. Why, because a storm of untold dimensions is approaching rapidly. The people are rebelling against the Tsar everywh-" He was rudely interrupted by Tiina.

"Hush, have you forgotten where you are and who you are".

The older of the two men rose, "Perhaps it is you that has forgotten who you are!"

"I haven't forgotten, how could I? But I'm providing a decent life for my children instead of starving on the street. Do you think that there is one moment the people here at the castle don't remind me of who I am?".

The younger impatient brother jumped in, "We must leave now! War is at hand, and anyone of means will become victims, you most of all for living with a Tsarist soldier" he argued.

The other brother joined in with "Do it for your children if not for your own safety, your General will most certainly perish, you never see him anyway and he will most certainly be one of the men at the front for holding you, an Estonian, in such grandeur. And even if he can return home, this place will be in ruin and you too if you stay. Sister, your entire family is leaving, your sisters, brothers and your father. You will be here alone with no one to help when you are in need, please come with us to Canada, you can contact him afterward".

Tiina said nothing, still frowning at them for trying to destroy her beautiful life.

"A last time, come with us, we have no more time for talk." asked the older but with a hint of threat in his low voice.

"Ayolla! It will all go away" Tiina folder her arms and turned away, a hot tear crept into her eyes.

"Then you leave us no choice sister". The two men look at each other, "Now is probably the best time". A kerchief went over Tiina's mouth, they tied her hands and gagged her. "Do not struggle or we will have no choice but to knock you out, this is dangerous enough without your resistance and it's for your own good and that of your children".

They threw a few hasty things into a bag, a few photographs of Tiina and her daughters in extravagant dresses, some of the dresses and garments, a silver hand mirror, her brush, jewelry. The younger brother went to fetch the carriage.

A short time later, Tiina, her two daughters and the two men made their way through the exotic gardens. Emma loved the gardens and spoke often with the head gardener, she carried her very own flower that she had grown all by herself in a painted pot. They were last seen going out of the gate carrying a few bags. Tiina was wearing a dark dress and hat with a full face veil.

The younger brother was agitated, "I saw fires".

The older brother was visibly stunned, "Where, which part of the city?"

"To the south west" the younger brother answered dejectedly.

"That's trouble, perhaps we can go around, but we're going to be hard pressed as is" Then the older brother stirred into action, "Hurry, we must be quick!"

As they came out of the castle walls a mob with torches was approaching.

"Quick now, jump in, we'll have to turn the carriage around, there was a smaller mob coming from that direction too.

"But there's trouble too!" the younger brother pleaded.

"We have no more choices, we must run them down". He whipped at the horses that reared and snorted at the danger in the air. One nervous horse slipped and nearly went down which would have been the end of them all, but it regained it's footing on the slippery surface and continued the awkward turn.

The crowds were running toward them, but they were now faced with less people than they were before the turn. The horses eagerly strained at their harness, desperate to get away from the terrible smell of death.

As they crashed through the obstacles thrown in their path, one torch found a mark and hit younger brother in the face, the torch fell to the floor blazing. Some of the fibre from the torch stuck to younger brother and his face started to burn, but he threw the torch on the floor out first before slapping out his own fire. Fierce threats and curses tailed off in the distance, but they were going the wrong way.

Tiina banged on the roof, younger brother opened the communication hatch and she said, "You don't know the city as well as I so I will direct you. I saw the hate in those poor peoples faces, you were right."

After several more less exciting detours they finally got to the open road, but trouble was there as well. Luckily, most of the trouble was asleep, however one had created a road block. They could see it lit by a campfire from rather far off, so the two brothers crept up to it and quietly subdued the only guard. Then they cleared a path. They wrapped handkerchiefs around the horses hooves and led them by hand through the barricade. Just then someone saw them and yelled, a shot rang out as they bailed aboard the carriage and stirred the horses into a full run. Several more shots rang out, but none found a home.

After a long hard carriage ride throughout the night and most of the next day, they met up with their father Jaak. "Thank the Lord, we thought something terrible had happened.

"Something did" answered younger brother with a painful grin.

"Well, all is prepared, our belonging are aboard and they are just waiting for us and the tide now, let's make haste". Papa now had all of his children and grandchildren safe. He thought, "Nothing else in my life has carried so much weight, what we have accomplished today is the most important thing I will ever do, may the rest of our journey be in peace".

"Daughter Tiina, please try to understand, while we do not want you to be miserable, but more important, we don't want you and your beautiful children dead or worse, and that is most assuredly what is going to happen. There are many Estonians going to this wonderful place in Canada, it will be just like when you were growing up only without the threat of foreigners gobbling up everything. You'll see". Jaak, still the patriarch was concerned as always, he was a kind hearted man.

Tiina said nothing, she knew that she was now too old to rebuild a lifestyle to equal what they had. But, she took comfort knowing that her daughters were safe, educated, and wonderful gentle souls and they would not have to face the hated that was thriving in this land. And they would have family, yes, under the circumstances, this was the best that could be. She placed her gloved hand on her fathers arm and laid her head on his shoulder.

They all boarded a vessel bound for North America, and they did not return.

Long ocean voyages later, the Kinna family of several brothers, and at least two sisters and their children arrive at an Estonian community in Medicine Valley Canada. And in Russia, a soldier begins searching for his mate and daughters.

"Mommy, what happened to my daddy?"

"I've tried to tell you that daddies been killed in the war, remember that's why we left Petrograd. Please don't ask about it anymore. Do you like our new organ? I think it's quite a good one. And by the way young lady, I see you've been mysteriously appearing out of nowhere every time a certain young man comes around, you watch yourself, you must find a man of great inner strength. And don't be a foolish girl, men don't make lasting relationships with foolish girls".

INTRODUCTION