| “ | It is a poor place. My mother and her mother left that world behind when they inherited this balloon, and we are not going back. None of us are. | ” |
–Elsa Ekéus, concerning the Nordic countryside. | ||
Elsa Ekéus is a character in 80 Days. She is a young and pretty Norwegian woman who crews an airship, the Nordic Flyer, alongside her mother and grandmother.
Background[]
When the trio of women inherited their airship they used it as an opportunity to escape their poor lives in the rural fields of Norway for a better and freer life in the air, and they have never gone back. Though she does like her life aboard the airship, she admits that if she had her own choice she would have liked to be a musician.
Role[]
When Phileas Fogg and Passepartout board the Nordic Flyer for Sweden they are greeted by Elsa, who asks why they are headed to Stockholm. After she hears about their wager Elsa is marveled at the thought of going around the world and asks Passepartout about where they've been so far. She is somewhat less excited after actually hearing the answer since at this point the pair have only been to a few cities in Europe, many of which she has been to herself, but Passepartout explains that this is only the beginning of their adventure and she relents. Later, while the two are looking out over the Scandinavian countryside together, Elsa will tell Passepartout about her childhood and how she came to be living in the air. If Passepartout remarks that this is a place he would like to settle down in one day Elsa will interpret the comment as a hint at marriage, which she will decline citing her mother's wishes for her to stay with the ship. They then dock in Sweden and say their goodbyes.
Later, while Fogg and Passepartout are staying at a hotel in Stockholm, there will be a knock at the door very late at night. Though Fogg wishes for it to be ignored Passepartout can open it to reveal Elsa, who has changed her mind and decided to marry and travel around the world with him. Though clearly very confused since he never proposed marriage, Passepartout can decide to introduce her to his master, who is very polite to the young woman and even offers her their room for the night while they rent another one. After being given permission to accompany the pair on their wager Elsa is ecstatic and immediately moves into their old room for the night.
After leaving Stockholm with Elsa in tow, Fogg and Passepartout run into a problem at the next border they try to cross; Elsa does not have any of the required paperwork and therefore cannot leave the country. She attempts to soften the hearts of the border guards with tears before slipping away to let Passepartout finish the job. Despite her best efforts the guards are unyielding, although the necessary paperwork can simply be bought for one hundred pounds. Regardless of whether he pays for her paperwork or not, Passepartout will go to seek out Elsa only to find that she has disappeared, as has a valuable item from their luggage. The only trace of her left is a note explaining that the Nordic Flyer is in desperate need of repairs and she needed to secure the funds somehow. She continues by apologizing for her deception and hoping that Passepartout can forgive her but even so she could not lose the Flyer, her home. Fogg attempts to comfort his valet in this time of heartbreak, but Passepartout just replies that he did not love her and anyway he is too confused to be upset.
Later, on the Nordic Freight Train from Helsinki to Tromsø, Passepartout can briefly think of her with a degree of pain should the passengers he meets mention falling in love.
Character[]
Elsa is a wistful and dreamy-seeming young woman at first glance, but is secretly very resourceful and devoted, being level-headed enough to orchestrate and carry out the plan to secure funds for the Flyer, which she is deeply attached to.