The writing looked childish and the message was simple.

Hi my best penfriend. Thank you for your letter. It must be nice for you to go and stay with your granny. Such a pity the weather is bad. It’s lovely here. In the skiing holidays I and my cousins went to sälen. Hope we meet up in the summer. Hugs gabriella.

I put it away.

The next letter was also addressed to a person I knew. Wonder who would write to him. Then I decided to skip letters to other people. They had nothing to do with me. None of my business to read or to deliver.

There were four letters addressed to me care of bror. Three had dates about a month apart. All had been opened and resealed with tape. I felt that the routes to heaven and hell would begin with the same staircase.

Letter one. Date seventeenth march twothousand-andthirteen. Hi mum. If I may call you that. You know who I am and don’t all the same. We do not know each other. Not yet.

I am your daughter. I was born on april first nineteenhundredandninetysix.

First things first. I am not writing to attack you. I have a good life and I am sure you had your reasons for giving me away.

I am writing because I often think about you. 177

Wonder who you are and hope that we can get to know each other. Here is my telephone number so that you can get in touch with me. Please do!

Love. Diana.

Letter two. Date seventeenth april twothousandandthirteen. You may not have received my letter. I sent it care of bror. He said that was all right.

Perhaps the thought of me troubles you and I can understand that but it would mean such a lot to me if we could meet.

I hope to hear from you.

Love. Diana.

Letter three. Date seventeenth may twothousandandthirteen.

Hi mum. At the time when I wrote the first letter to you I had it in my mind to give you three opportunities to reply. This is my last letter to you. Because you have not answered my two previous letters I assume you do not want to know me. It saddens me so very deeply. I am not sure you can imagine what it feels like. Diana.

Letter four. Date seventeenth april twothousandandsixteen.

Hi jana. Your daughter had tried to get in touch with you as you probably know from reading her letters. As you should have by now. Such a shame you didn’t receive the letters earlier.

This is my revenge on you for ruining the relationship between magnus and me. It was your doing that my son grew up without his parents. And now it’s my doing that hopefully you will never meet your daughter. Katarina.