My regards to our erik he said. Hope he gets better soon. People miss a game of cards and a glass or three. The village is otherwise ever since he slipped in the pissgutter. Tapping with nicotineyellowed finger on the wheel to the refrain that’s life.

Bror chewed on his nails and pulled his fringe behind his ear. I chewed on my nails and pulled my long fringe behind my ear.

Don’t look so miserable you two in the back allanberg said. You’ll see your daddy soon.

Daddy what a word to use. We had no daddy. We had father.

Father now in the convalescence building that mother called his new home. We took the lift to the third floor. That was quite something anyway. We had never been in a lift.

His hair had grown around his bald patch. He used one side for a comb over. He even smiled.

Now look who’s here such fine visitors he said. Fancy you two daring to come along. Especially you jana that was brave.

I was watchful. Sooner or later the wolf would tear himself loose. He reached out with his hand come here.

We stayed in the doorway. I needed a pee. Bror’s breathing sounded odd.

Fourteenth birthday have you had too. That must be celebrated. He pressed a bell push. A nurse turned up. 110

Miss he said. Could miss trouble herself to let us have coffee with something to go he said sounding as polite as in a film from the nineteenforties. We sat down at his table and were served coffee and squash and buns.

I broke off small pieces and dipped them in the squash. Forced down dissolving bits of bun. Bror mostly stared out of the window. There was a squirrel in the fir tree.

Siri father said. Get the bible and read to us. I put in bookmarks to show where.

She read.

Come ye children, listen to me I will teach you the fear of the lord.

Who is the man who desires life and loves a long life in order to see good. Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.

Turn away from evil, and do good. Seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their cry.

The face of the lord is against the ones doing evil to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

Psalm thirtyfour. Now isn’t that very good father said. Go to the next one siri. Matthew sixtwelve.

She read stumbling on words that wanted to be as they were on the muchthumbed pages of her childhood bible.

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.