The Fire Witness

158

Elin sleeps in the room next to Vicky’s, keeping the doors to both rooms open. She wakes several times in the night to the slightest noise. Each time, she listens and then gets up and looks into Vicky’s room. When morning comes, she stands for a while at the door, watching the girl sleep, before she goes downstairs to the kitchen.

Daniel is standing at the stove, making creamy scrambled eggs. The kitchen smells like coffee and freshly baked bread. The view from the open windows is almost frightening in its immensity: mountaintops and pools of water with mirror surfaces; valleys covered in trees shimmering red and yellow.

“It’s almost impossible to look outside,” Daniel says. “It’s like it hurts my heart.”

They embrace and he kisses her on the top of her head. She stands still, breathing in his scent and feeling a little dizzy with unexpected happiness.

A timer beeps on the countertop. Daniel loosens himself from their embrace to get the bread out of the oven.

They sit down at the large dining table, and as they eat breakfast, they touch each other’s hands. They drink coffee and look out the window, and the beauty of the view takes away their words.

Finally Elin says in a low voice, “I’m so worried about Vicky.”

“It will all work out just fine.”

She puts down her coffee cup.

“Promise?”

“All I have to do is get her to talk about what happened,” he says. “I’m afraid that her feelings of guilt are making her more and more self-destructive. We really need to keep our eye on her.”

“The nurse from Åre is coming in an hour. I’ll drive down and pick her up at the bus station,” Elin says. “Should I ask Vicky to come with me? What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” he says. “It might be better for her to stay here.”

“That’s right. We’ve just gotten here,” Elin agrees. “Still, I can’t help worrying. Promise me you’ll keep her in sight the whole time.”

“She knows she can’t even lock the bathroom door,” Daniel says.

At that moment, Elin glimpses Vicky through the window. She is on the lawn, kicking through the colorful leaves. Her long hair is still tangled down her back. She looks cold. Elin takes her sweater from the back of her chair and goes outside to hand it to Vicky.

“Thanks,” the girl whispers.

“I will never ever let you down again,” Elin says.

Without saying another word, she takes Vicky’s hand and squeezes it. A moment later, Vicky returns the gesture. Elin’s heart is so filled with joy that she can’t speak.