Then all happens like on a merry-go-round. She is taken to the hospital. Her daughters and granddaughters arrive there, and argue with each other.

“Now, calm down, calm yourselves,” she says, but it comes out as: “Yupyupyupyup …”

But where is Francis? Where has Francis gone off to? Why doesn’t Francis come to see her?

She is brought home from the hospital. They settle her in the kitchen. A strange woman and the daughter she had wronged take care of her.

“Brumbrumbrumbrum.”

Where is Francis? What have they done with Francis?

And why are they watering those amaryllii all the time?

They must be carried outside and put somewhere under a bush.

Not quite in the sun, not quite in the shade. Then they must be neglected for the whole summer. Make them thirst for water.

Ella pushes away the spoon of porridge offered by the strange woman and says to her:

“Harden up, toughen up, harden up.”

But the nurse does not understand her.

The Son

When Maria returns from the woods, the rainwater has flooded the fields up to her knees. She, a tiny drenched piece of chaff. The heavy basket of wild mushrooms is dragging her to the ground. Her old dog has vanished. Maybe the rain has washed him away. She has never experienced such rainsqualls in all her life. The water has flowed from the woods and rushed down the hill like a water fall. Maria hangs onto an aspen tree not to give in to the floods. Why did they take the dog and not the basket of mushrooms? With her last bit of strength she crosses the doorstep. The ones who had stayed at home – another dog, a bitch and the cat – in their delight at her return, jump up at her, almost knocking her down. Maria collapses on the bench beside the old hearth and cries. The dogs first hurry to find the old dog, then they return and nuzzle Maria’s wet cheeks. For a while the three of them have a cry for the old dog taken by the floods.

The air after the rain is invigorating and fragrant. Maria changes her clothes, takes her basket of mushrooms and steps outside to clean them on the doorstep. The dog and the bitch, one on each side of her, prick their ears for sounds from the woods and behind the corner of the house. They sniff the rigorous air.