The only thing we could think to do was to expand the rectangle and make a fake vegetable plot, located, somewhat oddly perhaps, in a spot that had virtually no sun at any time. But we figured idiots must try to grow potatoes too. We dug up the lawn and turned it and then we tramped back and forth, hacking and digging like a couple of bizarre moonlight farmers in the bright summer night.

I put the shovels back and Håkan went inside to wash his hands. He spent a long time at the sink. Rubbing and rinsing.

‘You won’t get it all off,’ I said.

He carried on washing his hands.

‘You know all that sanitiser people are always slathering on themselves,’ he said. ‘Like healthcare professionals. Particularly healthcare professionals. You pump a dollop into your hand before doing anything else. As though it were some kind of absolution. In a small pump bottle from the pharmacy. A magical ointment.’

‘But it works though, right? Kills bacteria and whatnot?’

‘I guess the alcohol is fine, sure. But it makes people sloppy about washing their hands. Because they think they don’t need to. So the net effect is negative. From a sanitary perspective. In terms of public health. That’s my opinion.’

‘I see.’

‘Soap and water, Gudrun. Soap and water’s the thing.’

*

I kept an eye on the pine trees as we walked to the car. There didn’t seem to be any life in them. A fact I noted gratefully. I quickened my step as we got close and jumped into the car. Håkan probably assumed I just wanted to get out of there and I was happy to let him think that. I rolled down my window, but no more than half an inch; there were a lot of mosquitoes.

‘Now what?’ he said.

‘I need time to think.’

‘Aren’t we in kind of a hurry? If this is a kidnapping?’

I saw his face dissolve. He had been composed. Weirdly composed, I had thought to myself. Now he fell apart.

I experienced something similar on the way back. The further away I got, the worse I felt. You would have thought it would have been the other way around. By the time we reached Suptallen, I wanted to burst out crying.

*

We turned into a Statoil petrol station. Climbed out of our cars and stood in silence in the artificial light. Two crumpled individuals with ashen faces. I took his number and he took mine. Talk tomorrow, I said and he nodded. Then we went our separate ways. I had to drive the last stretch at a crawl, because the road was full of drunk people and I was scared of each and every one of them, even the girls.

Diana walked toward the sea…