‘Tjåvo mu.’

He chanced another step closer as he surreptitiously pulled the headlamp out from under his shirt. He let it hang down so its beam hit the floor. Two concentric circles dancing across the concrete.

‘You have to come out of this mountain. To the children. Jurddes unnoras asiide.’

Now the old one rattled out a noise.

‘You can’t stay here. Gal dån ipmirdat, adja.’

A displeased sound.

‘You just disappeared. When I came back, you were gone. So I never had a chance to talk to you about what happened. What happened to Karats. Do you want to know what happened to Karats? Sorbmejädji. Nu dat lei. Sorbmejädji.’

The bear turned around and lumbered off.

Lennart hung back a moment. Then he followed.

The old one had moved into a chamber and lain down. Lennart stopped in the doorway and cast the light around the revolting room. A human was on the floor, facing the wall. Fully dressed. Boots with deep-tread soles. Blue wind-breaker down to his thighs. Strands of hair that had rotted inside the hood.

Skeleton parts from God knows what creatures were scattered across the floor. Bone sticks, bone hooks. A curved bone column. A small ribcage. And over there was an entire cat. Except without its abdomen. Like some kind of miniature cheetah. The stench was a noxious gas; he coughed discreetly as he walked over to the bear and sat down on the floor next to it. After a while, he reached out and placed a hand on its wide brow.

‘Badjan, Stuora Skabram.’

The bear’s eyes were closed, the slits invisible.

‘I’m here. I’m here with you.’

*

Ingvill started in fear when she heard someone coming out of the mountain. She quickly stood up and stared at the crevice. Once his upper body was through, he turned around and slid down on his bottom. The sunlight was strong; he was squinting.

‘Was he there?’

He put his sunglasses on and nodded.

‘The little one didn’t come out.’

She scooped the mouse out of her jacket pocket.

‘It came out a long time ago.’

Lennart prodded it with his index finger.

‘You can’t just run off like that.’

*

Grete was eating. Tuna with pasta spirals in an old plastic container. She put her cutlery down and swallowed.

‘That was quick.’

‘There’s a human in there, did you know that?’

‘A human?’

He held her gaze until she understood what he meant.

She waved her hand dismissively.

Lennart sat down and stared at her.

‘What are you saying we should have done? We had to find a way to cheer him up.’

‘There are better ways.’

‘We felt it was worth a shot.’

‘He has retreated very far into himself. It’s as if he can’t find his way out. He might not even be aware that he can turn.’

‘You can help him, I know you can.’