She said that she would help me pick. I used a berrypicker but she could pick like a machine. I don’t know he went on dreamily but she was a special kind of person you wanted her to look after you. She came across as someone who could deal with everything. A bit like you. And emelie was of course just the opposite.

Is I objected. She’s still alive presumably.

Allright then emelie is the opposite. Helpless and critical at the same time. When you’re with her you always feel you don’t measure up somehow.

Then what. You got out of the berryforest.

Yes he said. But it started raining and we went to shelter in the johansson’s sheepshed down by the grazing meadows. We were cold. She held me. Her body was warm and reassuring and I. So yes you know. Like the small shrimp I am and always hungry for tenderness I couldn’t resist her. We took our clothes off. Made a mattress of our clothes with her overshirt on top. One thing led to another. The only strange thing was the way she smelled. I didn’t like it. It wasn’t a sweet scent. More like something foostie.

Stands to reason I told him. I read once about this smell test given to young women. They were given clothes to sniff and then say which smell they preferred. They all went for smells belonging 76to the person most genetically different from themselves. If maria was our sister it follows you’d think she smelled badly.

Come off it he said. You don’t have to remind me. It was incest for christ’s sake.

Welcome to the kippofamily I said.

A car turned into our drive. I was dazzled by the sun and couldn’t see who it was until she opened the car door. Angelika one of my new colleagues. Her body squeezed itself out and then waddled towards us as fast as it could waving its hands as if agitated and saying something we couldn’t pick up at first.

Then she got closer and repeated what she had been saying.

It’s about katarina. She’s asking for you. I tried to call. She wants you to come.

Has anything special happened I asked when we had climbed into the car together and were on our way to stina on the hill. It was the name of katarina’s house for all time regardless of who actually lived in it.

She’s delirious angelika said. We think she has got worse. Maybe the time has come. We phoned her husband but he doesn’t answer.

Do you know her husband I said to have something to say.

Not so much she replied. I’m probably not his type. Some of the others know him though.