Mother wakes him at half past four. It’s hard to wake him. It was only a few hours since he fell asleep. He hits out at her half asleep. His mouth is sticky with old booze. Some neighbour had dropped in the night before. Allanberg as likely as not. We can hear their voices all the way upstairs. We are scared that they will come up to us. They sometimes do if they want to have us perform. Twins with rabbiteyes who dance and do magic tricks look kind of fun.

Anyway. Father sits up on the edge of the bed. Sways for a bit until he gets on his feet and pulls on his farming overalls.

Did you personally see all this asked the policeman. Or is it something you’ve just dreamed up.

It’s how I think things went I said. Wasn’t that what you wanted bror and I said simultaneously.

Let her carry on the other policeman said. Or your brother could take over.

Bror closed himself in again so I carried on.

Father’s body hurts. He’ll soon be forty. His knees are especially sore. He has a quick look at himself in the small mirror. Thinks he’s 154not badlooking even though his hair is thinning and food and alcohol have made him fat. Pats his belly and feels the bag that bulges on one side but just then he isn’t thinking about the bag but about us. How ungrateful we are and how we don’t realise how everything is handed us on a plate. Our own rooms and clothes and food. And love as he says. More than he has ever had. He had to make do with scraps passed from one to another over and over. And when they finally fell apart his mother cut them into strips for ragrugs.

Mother tried to explain to us why father was the way he was bror said. That he always went hungry and was beaten up a lot. How it was only natural that he became the person he was.

What do you two think about it the policeman asked. Bror shook his head. I don’t know he said. I don’t know either I said but it doesn’t feel right that you torture your own children in revenge for your childhood.

But did you have the right to kill him in revenge for your childhood the policeman wondered.

Yes we answered simultaneously.

There was a pause. We were given a banana each. Then I carried on.

Mother has made coffee and a couple of sandwiches with liverpaste.