Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen

Author:Jenny Lund Madsen [Madsen, Jenny Lund]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

Ella contemplates her with an unreadable gaze, Hannah becoming more uncomfortable by the second. She rubs the palms of her still-cold hands over the fabric-clad armrests of the chair. Sitting right on the edge of the seat, half excited for Ella’s answer, half regretting having asked the question. Seconds pass in silence, Hannah’s gaze flickers up to the new window, which almost makes the living room look like it has never been subjected to a drive-by shooting. Only the elephants testify to any visible disorder; they are now scattered about the various surfaces of the living room like a random invasion, finding a home wherever there is space. Hannah clears her throat. Maybe Ella didn’t understand the question? She considers repeating it, or perhaps it would be in her best interests to pretend she never asked it. But then Ella leans forward, finds a scrap of paper, and writes. Hannah waits, tense.

Ægir is definite father til Thor. It was Vigdis, who could not. It was happy, when she endelig got pregnant, after many years.

Hannah reads, half disappointed, half distrusting of the note. Ousts the desire to correct Ella’s English-peppered Danish. Weighs up whether she should dig deeper. How cheeky can she afford to be?

‘But isn’t it usually the case that the woman says she can’t, when in reality, it’s actually the quality of the man’s sperm making it impossible? And I’d have thought a man like Ægir wouldn’t voluntarily book in with a doctor and admit to doubts about his ability to reproduce. Even though he’s much older than Vigdis, and—’

A sinewy arm flies out and grabs hold of Hannah’s, stopping her flow of speech. Ella looks at Hannah; there is a visible ferocity in her eyes.

‘Ægir er pabbi Þórs. Ég er alveg viss. Ég veit ekki hvert þú ætlar en þú verður að stoppa. Spurningar þínar leiða bara til vandræða.’

Hannah stares at Ella, one big question mark. It seems as if Ella has forgotten that Hannah doesn’t understand Icelandic. Ella quickly jots something down on a piece of paper. Hannah assumes it is a repetition of what she just said:

Stopp the questions. You’ll get yourself in trouble. And me.

Hannah examines the note. Ella’s piercing eyes force her to nod. But the warning has only fed her need to find out more. Silently, she rises from her seat and returns to her room.

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