The European Enigma (LSD, #9)

32. The Norwegian Newspaper

The Norwegian Newspaper

Harry was happy. Harry didn't mind if he didn't make the scene. He had a full-time job. He was doing alright. It was a beautiful evening in spring, he had a fine wife, two kind kids, his doctor hadn't seen him in ages, and today was his birthday. Forty years old. Some say, from now on, he would be on his way down, over the hill, facing death, but Harry wanted to look at his life with a different mindset: he had made a success of the first half, and now he had the experience to make an even bigger success of the second half. Life starts when you're forty.

His good mood didn't wash away when he entered his office at the newspaper's newsroom. On the contrary. He loved his job as chief editor and he loved the idea of all those readers, starting the new day with a nice breakfast, a good morning cup of coffee, and the latest news, edited by Harry Nesbø, on his birthday. This edition had to be something special. Harry was looking forward to giving it his best.

Until he saw the articles the journalists had prepared for the front page.

This was not what Harry had in mind.

His good mood almost disappeared.

Almost.

It was Harry's birthday. He wanted this edition of the newspaper to be something special. All he had to do was sit down, do his job, and make this edition one that Oslo would remember forever.

«80 cars involved in tragic accident, 12 people killed and 54 wounded»

Is that a way to start a beautiful day? It is not.

Harry started his computer and corrected the article: «Miss Prince has acquired her driver's licence. 67-year-old Miss Victoria Prince has acquired her driver's licence. This is remarkable because it took her 256 lessons and she failed the test the first 17 times, but Miss Prince did not give up, and yesterday, her effort paid off with the success she desired so much. On our reporter's question about where her first trip would take her, she answered: "Oh, that's up to Tom, my driving instructor. After so many lessons, we've become good friends. I don't want to lose contact, so I keep taking lessons." We wish Miss Prince all the best and we hope she will enjoy her permission to travel in her own car.»

«unemployment goes up again»

Is that a way to start a beautiful day? It is not.

Harry rewrote the text: «New job opportunities stimulate economy, education and public health. Many sectors of our society have welcomed the government plans to stimulate every person who's been unemployed for one year or more. They consist of a combination of free classes for a new profession and an exemption of income taxes for the first two full years of his job as a new self-employed worker. Teachers will get lots of new and highly motivated students, public healthcare looks forward to seeing the number of depressed people go down fast, and many unemployed people are looking forward to this new chapter in their lives. In cooperation with employers and consumers, the ministry of employment has made a list of the most-needed professions. People who study can be guaranteed the desired reward of a job. The costs of education will be much lower than the costs of current support for unemployed people. Sectors that will benefit the extra available hands are healthcare, homes for elderly people, recycling garbage, and commercial services.»

«80 people killed in a terrorist attack.»

Is that a way to start a beautiful day? It is not.

Harry thought there was something far more important to tell: «100 different sorts of tulips are blooming this week. Spring has started in the most colourful way: blooming flowers dominate the parks and gardens of our cities. The most popular is the tulip. Its pink, red, orange, yellow and white flowers are the living proof that spring has arrived.»