‘You remember what I said about the trolls, don’t you, that they hide in animal form? Underneath that fur, that lovely, brown fur, there’s someone lurking. A creature? Yes, a creature I’ve never seen. But I can feel it looking at me. He stares at me and has thoughts about me and that’s not all: he can affect how I feel and make me do things I would never do of my own accord.’

‘It was strange, actually, now that you mention it. When I was at Susso’s, I noticed I was saying things I didn’t really want to say. It was like I was drunk and blurting things out. The kind of things I was thinking but didn’t want to say.’

Gudrun nodded.

‘Then you know what he’s capable of. What he can do.’

‘I don’t think it likes me.’

‘I thought you said he was neutral.’

‘I don’t know. I teased it a little. Susso trapped it in the kitchen and I looked at it through the window and I don’t think it appreciated it.’

‘Trapped him?’

‘Yes. I think it was because it was ruining things for us when we were trying to talk. It butted in, in various ways.’

‘Yes, exactly.’

‘Wasn’t he in the kitchen when you were there, you and Håkan?’

Gudrun shook her head.

‘No, the house was empty.’

‘Isn’t that weird? Maybe they went into the kitchen then? And took him as well. He might not even be alive any more.’

‘He’s alive. And he’s there.’

‘How do you know?’

Gudrun made no reply; she just looked at her, pleadingly. Diana did a lap around the shop, inspecting the items on the shelves.

‘What if he doesn’t want to come with me?’

‘Tell him you’re going to go get Susso. That’ll make him come, I guarantee it.’

‘What’s that smell?’ Diana said, sniffing the air.

‘There’s a smell?’

‘Something smells in here.’

‘I don’t know,’ Gudrun said and wrapped the cardigan around her.

*

On her way home, Diana felt nausea rising. It was as though it was feeling its way, looking for a foothold. Her legs buckled but she didn’t allow herself to sit down and rest, not even for a minute, because she didn’t want anyone to see her. Even though her entire existence had been shaken to the core and everything around her seemed like a treacherous aspect of an enormous illusion, she clung to her reputation. Aside from Håkan’s colleague, she hadn’t run into anyone who knew her yet, which was a miracle in itself. She hurried home and when she passed along the back of the hospital, she hid her face in her hood like a conspirator.