‘I don’t know what’s wrong with her.’

Susso stepped into the hallway. With a supporting hand on the trellis, she took off her shoes.

‘I can tell you there’s no one here, at least,’ she said.

She went upstairs and Diana followed.

The door was open. After Diana established that Kiruna was not in her room, she yanked open the bathroom door. She wasn’t in there either. Nor in the bedroom, nor in the study.

‘Dana.’

Susso was squatting on the floor in the little girl’s room. Diana got down on all fours and looked under the bed. And there she was, on her back. Diana buried her face in her hands. The relief at the little girl not being missing lasted for no more than a second.

‘Why are you under your bed?’ Susso asked.

‘Because I want to,’ the little girl replied.

‘And why do you want to?’

‘Because Mummy’s mean.’

‘In what way is she mean?’

‘I don’t want to be here.’

‘Then come out.’

‘I mean at home.’

‘Then where do you want to be?’

‘In the cabin. Where we were.’

‘How come?’

‘Because it’s fun there.’

‘What’s so fun there?’

The girl said nothing.

‘What’s so fun there?’

‘We were going to play.’

‘You were going to play?’

‘Yes.’

‘Who were you going to play with?’

Instead of replying, she started fiddling with the underside of the bed. Ran her fingers along the slats and pressed her hand in between them, pushing the mattress up.

‘Who were you going to play with?’

‘I don’t know their names.’

‘But they’re little, aren’t they?’

Susso leaned closer and looked at the little girl, who had turned her face to her and nodded.

‘Then I know exactly who you mean. And I can tell you right now that they’re not good friends to have.’

‘Yes, they are. They’re fun.’

‘Do you want to know what they did to another girl who thought they were fun? They ate her.’

‘I don’t believe you.’

‘No?’

‘They’re too small to do that.’

‘Well, they ate part of her. They started with the eyes, because they’re the tastiest. Then the lips, because they’re soft and very delicious too. Then they munched through her cheeks, but from the inside out, and then it looked like the little girl had three mouths that were always screaming.’

‘Is that true?’

‘It’s true.’

‘Mummy?’

‘Yes.’

‘Is that true?’

‘It’s true.’

I counted the days, every single one…