The Lost Boy

FJÄLLBACKA 1871

The pastor was big and fat and gratefully grabbed hold of Karl’s hand so he could climb up on to the dock. Emelie curtseyed modestly. She’d never been to a church service in town. Here she stood now, blushing and hoping that the pastor wouldn’t think her failure to attend had to do with a lack of will or faith on her part.

‘It’s certainly an isolated place, isn’t it? Beautiful, though,’ the pastor added. ‘But isn’t there someone else who lives here?’

‘Julian,’ said Karl. ‘He’s tending to the lighthouse at the moment. I can fetch him if you like.’

‘Yes, please. That would be good.’ Without waiting to be invited, the pastor started walking towards the house. ‘Since I’ve finally made it out to this island, I might as well meet all of the inhabitants.’ He laughed and held the door open for Emelie while Karl set off for the lighthouse.

‘What a nice, tidy house you have here,’ said the pastor, looking around.

‘Our humble home isn’t much to look at.’ Emelie discovered that she was hiding her hands under her apron. They looked so rough after all the scrubbing she did, but she couldn’t deny that the pastor’s words of praise made her happy.

‘There’s no reason to scorn what’s humble and simple. From what I can see, Karl should consider himself lucky to have such a clever wife.’ He sat down on the kitchen bench.

Emelie was so embarrassed that she didn’t know what to say, so she began making coffee.

‘May I offer you some coffee?’ She wondered if she had anything to serve with it. Then she realized they had only the plain rusks that she’d baked, but they would just have to do, since his visit was unexpected.

‘I never turn down a cup of coffee,’ replied the pastor, smiling.

Emelie was starting to feel less nervous. He didn’t seem to be a stern sort of pastor – not like Preacher Berg, in her former church. The mere thought of having to sit at the same table with Berg made her knees wobble.

The door opened and Karl came in. Right behind him was Julian, with a wary expression on his face. He avoided looking the pastor in the eye.

‘So this is Julian?’ The pastor was still smiling, but Julian merely nodded as they briefly shook hands. Karl and Julian sat down across from the pastor while Emelie set the table.

‘I hope you’re taking care that your wife doesn’t work too hard, now that she’s in this blessed condition. I can see that she’s a splendid housekeeper. You must be very proud of her.’

At first Karl didn’t answer. Then he said, ‘Yes, Emelie is very efficient.’

‘All right. Come and sit down now,’ said the pastor to Emelie, patting the seat next to him.

Emelie did as he said, but she couldn’t help staring at his black coat and white collar. She had never been so close to a preacher before. It would have been unthinkable to sit down with old Berg and converse over a cup of coffee. Her hands shook as she poured the coffee, filling her own cup last.

‘It’s quite a surprise that you’ve come out here to see us,’ said Karl. He was clearly wondering what the purpose of the pastor’s visit could be.

‘Yes, well, you haven’t exactly been regular church-goers,’ said the pastor, sipping his coffee. He’d put three lumps of sugar in his cup, and Emelie thought his coffee must taste awfully sweet.

Karl suddenly looked small and awkward, and at that moment Emelie couldn’t understand why she was so afraid of him. Then she remembered that evening and placed her hand over her stomach.

‘It’s true that we haven’t been to church as often as we should,’ said Julian, bowing his head. He still hadn’t looked the pastor in the eye. ‘But Emelie reads the Bible to us every night, so this is not an un-Christian home.’

Emelie looked at him in alarm. Was he actually going to sit here and lie to the pastor? It was true that passages from the Bible were read in this house, but she was the only one who did that, whenever she had a spare moment. Neither Julian nor Karl had ever shown any interest in the Holy Scriptures. In fact, on several occasions they had scoffed at her for reading the Bible.

The pastor nodded. ‘That’s good to hear. Especially in a place like this, so barren and inaccessible and far from the house of the Lord. Here one has to seek solace and guidance in the Bible on one’s own. So I’m happy to hear that you do. It would please me even more to see you in church. Especially you, my dear Emelie.’ He patted her knee, making Emelie jump. It was nerve-wracking enough to be sitting so close to a preacher. The fact that he had also touched her was almost more than she could bear. She had to restrain herself from leaping to her feet out of sheer fright.

‘I’ve had a talk with your aunt. She was a bit worried since she hasn’t heard from you. And now that Emelie is with child, it would be good if the doctor had a look at her to make sure that everything is progressing as it should.’ He cast a stern glance at Karl, who also avoided meeting his gaze.

‘Of course,’ he muttered, staring down at the table.

‘Good. Then that’s settled. The next time you come to Fjällbacka, you’ll bring Emelie along and let the doctor examine her. Your dear aunt would also appreciate a visit from you, Karl.’ He winked and then reached for a rusk. ‘Very tasty,’ he said as the crumbs spilled from his lips.

‘Thank you.’ Emelie was not just thanking him for the compliment. Thanks to him, she was going to have a chance to go into town and see other people. Maybe Karl would also let her go to church once in a while. That would make it so much easier to tolerate her life on the island.

‘Well, I think Karlsson is probably getting tired of waiting for me. He was kind enough to bring me over here in his boat, but I’m sure he’s eager to get back home. I want to thank you for the coffee and the delicious rusks.’ The pastor stood up, and Emelie quickly got up to allow him to slip past.

‘How about that? Our stomachs are almost the same size,’ said the pastor.

Emelie felt herself turning bright red with embarrassment. Then she couldn’t help smiling. She liked this preacher, and she could have fallen to her knees and kissed his feet out of gratitude because he realized that she needed to go to Fjällbacka.

‘I suppose you’ve heard what people say about this island, haven’t you?’ said the pastor with a laugh as Karl and Emelie accompanied him down to the dock. Julian had mumbled a hasty goodbye and returned to the lighthouse.

‘What do you mean?’ asked Karl, helping the pastor into the boat.

‘It’s said that there are ghosts out here. But it’s just talk, of course. Or maybe you’ve actually seen something?’ He laughed again, making his fat cheeks quiver.

‘We don’t believe in such things,’ said Karl, tossing in the mooring line that he’d just untied.

Emelie didn’t say a word. But as she waved goodbye, she thought about those who were her only real companions on the island. It wouldn’t do to discuss them with the pastor. And besides, no one would ever believe her.

As she walked back to the house, she saw them out of the corner of her eye. She wasn’t afraid of them. Not even after they had started showing themselves to her. She knew they wished her no harm.