Ingrid wondered whether to hold her hand as they walked down to buy provisions. Nelvy settled the question by taking Ingrid’s hand and not letting go, not even when they were at the counter talking to Margot who, after they had made their purchases, began to whisper and make faces, which caused Ingrid to ask her to speak up.

Margot made more faces and told Ingrid to come with her into the stockroom. Ingrid slipped Nelvy’s hand into Barbro’s, followed her in and was told in a whisper to spend all her money as quickly as possible, the money Margot somehow knew she had received from Malmberget, the priest, because something was about to happen, she had heard it from her son, Markus, he not only delivered goods to the Fort, he also had a radio, and if everything goes to the wall, money is worthless.

Ingrid hesitated.

Margot’s bosom swelled and heaved mightily, she hissed that Ingrid had caused a lot of trouble over the years, but she warn’t no cod-head.

Ingrid didn’t know whether she was being tricked or being given an unwarranted piece of good advice, for some unknown reason, but she was in no hurry to find out. She turned and walked out of the store with Margot’s voice ringing in her ears:

“They’re goen’ t’ teik ev’rythin’, an’ mind it war me that told tha!”

Ingrid and Nelvy walked down to the boat and rowed back in softly falling snow, Ingrid realised that once again she had forgotten the cat – and laughed, because now they had Nelvy. When they were home they gave the sheep some fodder, set up Nelvy in Ingrid’s old bedroom and showed her the new clothes and her things, it took all day, and in the evening they put out some nets, two lengths.

7

March is the month of the year for which there is least use. The islanders see the sun rise and are deceived by the light, which only makes the winter more apparent. And April is equally insidious and even more treacherous. But the Eurasian oyster-catchers come anyway, and create their din, there are sounds in the sky and on the rocks, one layer of headscarves and socks can be removed, the enormous sheep wanders around the brown gardens nibbling at old grass as the snowstorms continue to swirl, just as hope threatens to call forth a smile or two in the human spirit; the islanders both curse and freeze more than they did in January, but they remove another head-scarf all the same, they are urging spring to come.