Susan in Sweden

Susan, come here!" Mum called. "What are your plans for today?"
"Nothing really," Susan answered truthfully. She had some vague ideas about drawing their cat, reading a bit maybe, studying some Icelandic and spells and NOT do her homework until tomorrow, Sunday.
  "I have some complimentary tickets for the ferries, they expire Monday. Would you mind taking a trip to Sweden and back? You can have all the tickets validated on the way there, and then buy cigarettes for me with all of them*. They are all return tickets, but you only need to show one of them when getting on board in Sweden."
  "How can I have all the tickets validated? I'm only me ... one person?"
  "Today miss Hansen is at work. If you greet her from Dad when showing the tickets, she'll do this as a service for us."
  "Do I have to go back with the next boat, or can I go for a walk in Helsingborg before I return?"
  "If you have time, there's no reason why not. These tickets are good for all day once validated. I even have some Swedish coins. You can go and buy an ice cream or something."
  After Mum told her this, there was no doubt in Susan's mind. She loved soft ice, and in Sweden you could have her favourite variety. Pear flavoured soft-ice. "Oh yes," she said. Let me get dressed and get my book and a basket while you get the tickets and the money.
  Susan returned, fully dressed even to shoes carrying her favourite basket with the contents covered up by an old scarf. "That way no one can see all your cigarettes and be tempted to steal them," Susan told Mum, who smiled and handed Susan a wad of tickets and a big bank note, "This is enough for cigarettes both ways. Don't lose it!" Susan shook her head. Mum the gave her a small handful of coins, silver and bronze together: "And these are for ice cream and what else you can get." It was mostly small coins, bronze 1, 2, and 5 öre, and worn silver 10öre, but also some of the bigger iron 25 or 50 örer and even some large, silver 1 kronor coins. "Thank you Mum," Susan said, "I'll take good care of them." She took her small red purse from the zippered pocket in her skirt, put coins and tickets in one compartment, and the banknote in the other before putting the purse back and zipper the pocket again. "Good Susan," Mum said. "I'm sure you'll do fine. Remember that the tickets are only valid for the big ferries, no idea in you trying to go by the small boats."
  Susan smiled. "Won't do." she agreed.
_________________________________________________
* The ferries between Elsinore (Helsingør) and Helsingborg sailed international waters. Hence the shops on board could sell tax free tobacco, liquor and candy. In order to limit the tobacco to 1 packet per person per trip (one way = one packet) you had to show your ticket and have it stamped. (The one-way tickets were simply taken by the salesperson). Cheating with this system was a sport among the inhabitants of Elsinore. To buy liquor you had to stay in another country for over 24 hours - thus irrelevant for us - and the duty free candy mostly was not really cheaper.

***

Susan decided to take the shuttle bus to the ferries and walked down to the small, cosy square from where it departed. It was only a short trip to the other side of the harbour, but she would catch an earlier ferry. As instructed, she greeted the lady from her dad and had all 10 tickets validated. This meant she could get a whole carton of cigarettes each way. But first she had to get aboard. As Denmark and Sweden were part of a union, she did not have to bring her passport - she did not even own one - or any other personal papers. But she had to go through the customs. and as usual the customs officer looked at her and decided that she was suspicious.
  "What do you have in that basket, young lady?" he asked,
  "Oh nothing special," Susan answered. "My book, some 'godis' (Swedish for candy) and a couple of pencils." She folded back the scarf and let him have a look.
  "Aren't those extra salty liquorice?" he asked suspiciously.
  "Why, yes, of course," Susan said. "I like it. Do you want some?"
  "Oh, no thanks. I was just asking. You can board"
  Susan wondered why she was almost always controlled, and what they were searching for. The Danish customs were looking for coffee and for fireworks - but not in the summer - what the Swedish ones were looking for, Susan did not know. She was not afraid for the return journey. the Danish ones were always very lax when it was not the season for fireworks at least.

Before the ferry left the docks Susan was already in place on the smallest, topmost passenger deck. She loved to stand there, in the prow of the ferry, with the wind blowing in her hair and the sound of the big engines in her back. Smoke billowed from the smoke stacks, and a lout HOOT sounded from the whistle. The ferry slowly left the pier. Susan stood rooted in place, watching the hustle and bustle in the narrow strait. 11 ferries in each direction every hour, plus fishing boats, big and small vessels passing through and the even smaller sailing boats also passing, or turning into marinas on either side of the Sound made for a very crowded waterway. It was like a ballet, nobody was ever close enough together that they looked like crashing, every boat, ship and ferry seemed to know exactly when and where to sail. The blue sea and the blue skies above and the tiny white clouds and white sails gave a festive, dreamish look to the whole scenery. The Swedish coast quickly grew closer, she saw the roofs and greenhouses of Sofiero Castle glittered in the sun before they were hidden behind green trees. She remembered that she had to buy cigarettes for Mum and hurried down the narrow staircase to the shop.
  "A carton of cigarettes, King's, please." Susan said and gave the tickets to the shop lady who stamped all the tickets without batting an eye, took the bank note, and gave Susan the carton of cigarettes and her money back
  "And nothing for yourself?" she asked.
  "No thanks," Susan said, "I'll save my money for a soft ice in Helsingborg."
  "Enjoy!" the lady said, and Susan hurried out into the fresh air once again to watch the ferry docking.
  Soon the ferry glided between the stony arms of the breakwaters outside the harbour and slowed further down to glide into its place. Not quite 4 kilometres in 20 minutes was not an awesome speed, Susan could have done faster by bike if she could have biked over the waves.
  Susan did not hurry down to stand and wait with the others to get off the ferry in a hurry, all that crowding was not necessary The voice in the loudspeakers announced that the ship had arrived, and everybody was kindly asked to disembark using the doors in the right hand side of the ferry. She reached the door as the first passengers were already getting back onboard. A lot of people only took the trip to be able to buy duty free tobacco, and took the same ferry back again. Susan debarked, went down the stairs and stood on Swedish ground. She turned left and followed the fence to the big road.
  It was really big, three lanes in each direction and a train track. And of course the traffic lights were red. Finally they turned green and Susan crossed the large street very quickly. If you were slow, the lights changed again and you were caught in the middle. Susan stopped outside the town hall. It looked as if it was built from giant LEGOs, but in a pretty way. As always she patted the big, black naval mine outside the town hall. Its many horns gave it a look not unlike some strange udder. Her granny had told her that it was placed there as a memorial for WWII together with a relief depicting some men and a boat. For Susan this was something that had happened long, long ago, but it had become almost a ritual for her to pat the mine whenever she passed it. Having done that she sauntered up towards the loomig tower at the end of the street. The tower stood on its hill; a heavy, squat figure contrasting with the elegant towers, bows, buttresses and fountains supporting and flanking the staircase leading up to it.
  Today Susan did not climb the staircase to the medieval tower, instead she turned left into the central shopping street of the town. Her target was the ice shop a few houses down the street. She studied the price list and counted the coins in her purse. Yes, she had enough for a big soft ice, and even more left over. Mum had been in her generous corner. She ordered a big vanilla-and-pear ice cream in a cone and admired the way the soft green and white waves of icecream crossed and doubled back before finally taking the first delicious bite. While licking and biting the ice cream, she continued down the pedestrian street. Many different shops tried to tempt her into using her money, but most sold either clothes or groceries or jewellery. Not really tempting. When she reached the small square, she turned back, ice almost eaten. She considered going into the big shop just to ride the escalator up and down again and buy some candy, but then again. This was a special trip. She wanted to buy something lasting, not only Swedish candy - even if it was tastier and cheaper than its Danish counterpart. 

***

She crossed the long, narrow square leading down to the city hall and was on her way to the book-store. On the way, she passed a fruit seller with his cart. He looked tired and hungry, Susan thought. He shouted hoarsely "2 bananas for 50 øre, Two apples here 25 øre". It was actually cheap, and Susan would like something more in her stomach than an ice cream. "Two bananas, thank you." she said to the man by the fruit cart. He put them in a brown paper bag, and was about to hand them to her, when a boy came out of the alley opposite, grabbed a bunch of bananas and ran down towards the town hall. Susan looked amazed. But it was Helge! What the beep was he doing in Helsingborg, and why was he stealing bananas? She had to find out. She placed a big coin on the fruit cart, rudely snatched the bag out of the hand of the angry fruit seller and ran down the street shouting: "Helge, Helge! What are you doing here!" The fruit-seller shouted, "Well, you're in league with that thief. I'll get you both!" He ran after them while shouting: "Police! Thieves, Robbers! Help me!" Susan rushed after Helge, and managed to see him turning left at the bottom of the square. She reached him seconds later, and there he stood, gasping and red in the face. The light were red, of course. They heard a police whistle and two seconds later Susan heard the bell telling that a a train was coming. Susan grabbed Helge's bananas and put them in the basket with her own. Then she took his hand. "Come on!" she said, pulling him toward the pedestrian crossing. "But, but we can't cross, the lights are red," Helge protested.
  "Yes. They are red for everyone right now. There's a train coming. Come on! "She pulled Helge with her, and when he realized what she was up to, he ran with him.
  Helge and Susan crossed the track seconds before the train arrived. It was a freight train with many, many carriages, slow-moving too. Now the police officer would have to go all the way around the train. "Come on, the ferry is about to leave. We're going home to my place." Susan and Helge darted up the stairs and were the last ones to board the ferry before the landing was taken. "Phew, we made it. Now mom's not going to give us a scolding." Susan said aloud. "Let's go upstairs and get some fresh air."
  When they stood on the deck, and had caught their breath, Susan asked: "What are you doing in Helsingborg? I thought you lived in Stockholm. And why are you stealing bananas?"
  "I ran away from home," Helge said weakly. "My father became ill, and my mother said we could not afford me going to the wizarding school any more ..." Helge wiped his nose. "Only my father is magical. My mother has never really liked it. I do not know if she's just thinking it's nonsense or if she's afraid of magic. When I protested, she grounded me. I tried to sneak out to go over to Harald and the others, but you know how clumsy I am. I overturned a glass and she discovered me." Helge wiped his eyes on his shirt sleeve and sniffed again. "She locked me in. And then ... then she broke my wand." Helge struggled not to cry. Susan almost trembled with anger. "What a beast she is! What do we do now?"
  "The police are probably alerting colleagues in Elsinore," Helge said. "We have to disguise ourselves. "
  "My basket," Susan said, "it's all too easily recognizable. I'll probably have to leave it here on the ferry."
  "Throw it overboard?" suggested Helge.
  "No, it's too dangerous. What if someone sees it and thinks it's a man overboard. I'll hide it in one of the toilets. Those down on the car deck are rarely used. Now you go into the men's toilet up here and wash up as best you can, then I go down and buy cigarettes for my mother - and a carrier bag. Stay up here until I return. We'll probably find out something. I do not think they'll stop all the ferry traffic for a bunch of bananas." Helge smiled a crooked smile, snatched a few bananas and slipped into the men's toilet. Susan went down to the kiosk and bought a new carton r of cigarettes with her mother's money, and a bag of 'Black Boats' and a carrier bag for her own.
  "Well you didn't get enough with one ice cream," the lady smiled at her.
  "No," Susan said, "I want something to take home and share with my sister, I still have money left over."
  "Have a nice trip," the friendly kiosk lady said, and hurriedly turned to the next in the long queue.
  Susan went down the steep stairs down to the car deck. She was about to go to the toilet when she saw that one of the doors of a freight train carriage was ajar. "Fine," she thought, "this is a perfect diversionary manoeuvre." Quickly, she placed the contents of the basket in the carrier bag, tied the scarf around her neck, and peeled one of the bananas. Then she put the banana peel in the basket and slipped it in through the door, pushing it in as far as she could reach. 'Århus East' was written on the large boxes inside the wagon. At the bottom of the basket she also found one of her hair bands. "Fine, then I can make a ponytail," Susan thought. Then she went to the toilet while gnawing the banana. Inside the toilet, she thought it over. Her skirt had a very distinctive green colour. She had agonized a lot over that colour-changing spell. But now it could do some good. Blue. She was quite sure of what was called in Icelandic. She took off her skirt and spread it out over the toilet. The wand almost by itself performed the right movement and the words flowed out of her mouth. The skirt had a nice, inconspicuous blue colour. Perfect.
  Then she washed her hands and face in the cold water and put the skirt back on. Without a basket, with a ponytail and a different coloured skirt, she was probably a little harder to recognize. Now it was Helge's turn. She meandered up the stairs to the sun deck. The wind had begun blowing some more. Helge sat on a bench and looked longingly back at Sweden. "Hello again." Susan said. "Now we have to do something about your clothes too!" Due to the rising wind, they were alone on the sun deck and Helge took off his trousers and shirt and spread them on the floor in front of Susan. One, two, three, the shirt had become a darker green and the trousers were grey instead of white. Helge dressed again. "How good that you have made your homework. I did not get that far," he said sadly.
  "Listen," Susan said. "Now you get a ticket from me, and then we go ashore separately. They are probably looking for two children together. And then we quickly get into the first shuttle bus. And a little later out again through the back door. There is always so many who want to go with the first one, that the driver will not wonder. He'll just think we wee about to get squished. Then we go over to Kronborg. It is not very far." Susan and Helge fought bravely not to look at each other in the crowd at the gangway, There were no officers standing there, and they were about to breathe a sigh of relief. Then Helge looked through the windows of the building and saw the three officers outside.
  The officers looked at the disembarking passengers, but just cast a cursory glance at the two children. Once they got on the bus, they found one another, and quickly agreed to stay on the bus. It filled up and drove off. Susan could see through the door of the bus, and saw the officers standing and talking to an elderly couple who had also been on board.
  "When we get dropped off, you just follow me," Susan said. "We have to get up to the portal as fast as possible. But I have to go home and hand over the cigarettes first."

***

They got off the shuttle bus and walked through the city's bustling streets towards Susan's home without any further incidents. As they walked, Susan asked Helge  more about details from his escape from home.
  "In books, it's always so easy," Helge said regretfully. "The one who has run away from home, finds some nice people who take care of them, or help them on. And all problems are solved in the end. In reality, it's just cold and lonely. I took the train to Helsingborg, so that my mother should not be able to find me. I gave up getting help from Harald and his siblings, because that was probably the first place mother would look for me. I had some plans about finding Kalle and Anna here in Helsingborg, but I did not know where they lived, it was as hopeless as finding a needle in a haystack. Do you know how many are named Berggren in Helsingborg? I ran out of money, so I slept in the parks or up there by Kärnan, where I also found money in the gravel outside the cafe before I was thrown away by the waiters. I did not even have enough money to go home again, and I do not know how my father is doing ... and without my wand I could not do anything. " Helge looked so very sad.
  "We'll have to go down to Unicorn Farm," Susan said. The teachers can definitely help. That kind of thing doesn't just happen in books."
  "No, it also occurred to me. But then it was too late. I was already in Helsingborg. And as I said, my search for Kalle and Anna did not lead to any result."

They turned the corner to Susan's road. Then Helge asked: "But what do your parents say to you taking me home?"
  "Nothing," Susan replied. "We are welcome to take friends home. If you are lucky, we can have dinner before we go to Unicorn Farm."
  "We ... are you telling me that you will come along?" Helge said, a disbelieving smile spreading across his face.
  "Yes I will. Firstly, it's not nice to be alone doing that kind of thing, secondly, I've become curious about what it all ends up with," Susan replied.
  Helge smiled gratefully at Susan and they turned into the driveway to Susan's home. Inside the driveway, between Susan's house and the fence, Helge thought of their clothes. "Hey, Susan, what do you think your mother is going to say when she sees your fine new skirt?"
  "Oh my God," said Susan, "you remembered just in time. It would have been very hard to explain. How is it? How do I cancel it?"
  "I do not know," replied Helge, "maybe you just conjure the right colour back again."
  "It's probably the easiest way, yes. Thank you. I can always look in my book later." Susan thought intensely about the right green colour, swung the stick over the skirt and said, "Grænn!" The skirt looked normal again. "Phew! That was hard," Susan sighed. "Couldn't we just leave your clothes as they are?"
  "Yeah, there's no one to know that it's not their right colour. And it's fine as they are, more practical too."
  Susan opened the front door and shouted: "I'm home again!" The house was two stories, with attic and a basement too, so she had to yell to be heard.
  Mum stuck out her head from the kitchen door and said, "Welcome back, did you have a nice trip? Well, who is that?"
  "Yes, it went well," Susan replied. "This is Helge, one of my friends from the Unicorn Farm, I met him in Helsingborg. Can he eat with us?"
  "Yes, OK. We're going to eat have 'Half Reds'," Mum replied. "Does his parents know where he is?"
  "Yes," Susan replied with her fingers crossed behind her back. "He's on his way to visit an aunt here in town. I'll follow him there when we've eaten." She gave Mum the cigarettes and dragged Helge out of the kitchen again. "Pull off your shoes and wash your hands before eating." Susan showed Helge into their nice bathroom and slipped into the old one behind mom and dad's bedroom.
  "What was it your mother said we were having for dinner?" Helge asked with a puzzled expression.
  "Half Reds," Susan replied. It's a family name for macaroni with sliced red sausages. "

While they ate, Susan recounted a slightly revised version of the day's events. Dad said an alcohol smuggling ring had been busted down at the harbour that afternoon.
  "Aha!" exclaimed Susan. "That explains the many police officers we saw down by the buildings there. They were busy investigating an elderly couple. I always have a bad conscience when I see police officers,"
  "You do not have to," said mother. "Police officers are there to help us. You can always ask any police officer for help."
  After dinner, Helge helped Susan do the dishes, while Linda put them away and told about the horses at the riding school where she had spent the day.
  "Funny," Helge said, "at home I hated doing the dishes, but it's really nice to do it here, with you."
  "Other peoples' food is always tasty," said Mum, who passed by.
  "Huh?" said Helge, looking up at her. "Yes, your food was very tasty, but what has that got to do with doing the dishes?"
  "It's something we say," Mum explained. It means something like it is always more fun, better or more interesting to eat completely ordinary food or do even the most boring things somewhere other than at home. "
  "Well, like that," said Helge. "Yes, it seems to fit very well."
  "You'd better run now," Mum said. "It'll soon get dark. Susan, you take good care of yourself on the way home. You do not have to hurry, but on the other hand, I'm not happy that you're out all night. "
  "I'll bring my bike," Susan said. "I can push it there. It's downhill almost all the way home."
  "Remember the lights," Mom said, giving her a hug.
  Helge shook her hand and politely thanked her for the stay and for good food.

They went up to the portal through the darkening streets, it was still hot, their lack of extra clothes was not a problem. Strangely shy, they walked side by side along the road. Susan pushed her bike and Helge tagged along, kicking a small rock he had found. Then they turned left and up the hill towards the lumber yard. "How long has there been a portal here?" asked Helge. "Since Lis and Tage helped Heidi and me make one last fall. Jon came and cast the final spell one of the last days of October. Why do you ask?"
  "Probably mostly because I've always wanted to come to Elsinore. I've heard so much about the city. You know, Hamlet's castle ... all that. But we always had to go and visit my mother's family up north during the holidays. And my father said it was too bad there was no portal here."
  "It's not very big either ... not that I know if it matters. But we had to hide it well." The street lights came on and Susan said, "We're going in here," and went through the hedge to the old lumber yard.
It was almost empty, only a couple was hurrying home in the farthest end of the yard. The old lumber yard was a wonderful place to play for the children of that area, but only in daylight. There were holes and old, rotten planks here and there, and large puddles under a thin cover of grass even in the driest season. The paths that went through were used as shortcuts by those who lived in the large multi-storey building up on the other side of the yard, but they were all at home at that time of the evening. They passed the red, wooden barracks.
  "There's never anyone here," Susan assured. "It housed the accounting department in the old days. Now I do not really know what's in there. Now and then, mostly in Summer, there's a flea market or book sale just outside the barracks, so maybe all the things are stored in there." When they had almost passed the barracks, they turned right, along a slightly worn, winding path.
   "What a huge tree!" Helge said. "Is that your walnut tree?"
  "Yep. It's mega-hard to climb." Susan replied. "As you can see, the lower branches are all high up. We usually shoot the walnuts down with stones. We're going in there." Helge followed Susan down the winding path and around to the backside of the barracks. Susan parked her bike up against the back wall, locked it, and cast a "Do-not-disturb" spell on it.
  "You first!" they said simultaneously.
  "Okay, let's do it together," Helge said.
  "Yes," Susan replied. I do not feel like being alone either here or in the spooky storage room at Unicorn Farm tonight."
  "One, two, three!" Helge counted, and they jumped together through the portal. The familiar dizziness enveloped Susan, shorter this time, and then she could see the old furniture in the storage room at Unicorn Farm. Helge sat on the floor next to her. "Man, that's disgusting!"
  "How many times have you been through a strange portal?" Susan asked interested.
  "I think this was the third time."
  "It gets better with pracrise," Susan reassured him.
  "Thank you for the heads up," Helge said, shaking his head tentatively. "I'm ready now, I think," he said, getting up. "Let's just hope someone is here on the Farm."
  "Oh, I did not think of this," Susan said anxiously. "There is no teaching going on at the moment. What do we do if there is no one here?"
  "Then we must take another portal ... just not back to Stockholm. Do you know where the Icelandic portal is? I honestly would rather talk to Gilvi or Thora," Helge said anxiously.
  "The Icelandic portal ..." Susan mused. "I remember the portals were moved pretty soon after we started. At first, most of them were out in the yard, but people kept on running through them all the time. It was pretty inconvenient. Yes except yours. It was not moved, right?" Helge shook his head. "The Icelanders .. their portal ... Yes, now I know. It was moved to the big rowan tree at the end of the treeline, closest to the water. But for now let's go out and see if anyone is around. Quietly."

***

They opened the low door to the outside and ducked to get through without banging their head on the top frame. Meticulously and silently Helge closed the door, and turned to face Susan again. They began walking. As they entered the yard of the Unicorn Farm, They looked up. Yes one of the windows at the top floor of the Farm was shining with a bright, welcoming light. Helge began moving faster, but Susan suddenly stopped. "Helge," she whispered urgently. "Stop! That light comes from Torben's room. We do not want to speak to him, do we?"
Helge stopped, but a crunching sound came from where he stood. It was loud in the dark quiet night. "Shells!" Helge whispered loudly. "Left overs from our transformation lessons I dare bet. And you're right, Susan. Let's get out of here. I don't want to talk to Torben. I do not trust him after that broom race."
Susan made a strangled sound. "Look! He's shining a searchlight at the buildings."
They turned and ran. Past the corner of the Barn, over the stubble field that made them stumble and almost fall, through and then along the small river, Susan once had discovered, and then forgotten all about. The searchlight twisted and turned from Torben's window, but was unable to get to them. Then they hear a sound they knew. The sound of a flying broomstick. They ran even faster if possible. Finally they were at the line of trees. and ran between it and the tiny river down towards the sea and the end of the line.
  "Which tree? Rowan?" Helge panted. "How does .. a rowan .. look?"
  "Berries," Susan answered. "Red berries"
  "Here!" Helge said hoarsely. "Red berries ... galore!" It was a rowan sure enough, An old, tall one with bark of shining silver, gracious leaves like a waterfall of fronds and berries almost as big as cherries. But the two children were not in the mood for appreciating of even the finest rowan in all Denmark. They could hear Torben coming nearer and nearer. On the brink of panic they circled the tree. First they ran clockwise, and when that did not work, they turned around and ran counter-clockwise around the tree. Torben landed on the field just a few metres away when Helge disappeared. Susan ran to the same spot and also entered the portal. The dizziness engulfed her, and as she opened her eyes, she was in a tiny, black cubicle, all alone.

***

Susan got up and felt her way in the tiny room, it was not absolutely dark. As her eyes got used to the dark, she could see just a bit. It was a small room, with a floor space of maybe two by two metres and at least twice as tall. the light came from somewhere high above, behind an outcropping in the massive stone from which the room was hewn. She tried conjuring up her witch-light, but it did not work. She was neither cold, nor hot. And the stone was not cold to the touch either. It was a strange place. She sat down, stood again, even tried lying down. It was unpleasant either way. In the end she squatted in a corner beneath the source of light, figuring that the door had to be opposite the "window" or whatever was up there. During the wait only the presence of the light source above let her keep a hold on her sanity. No sounds reached her, the light did not change, there was only herself and the hard stone room. She was afraid of making loud noises, and small noises were swallowed by the stone walls. She recited the multiplication table, murmuring away, then the Lord's Prayer, then a lot of poetry, Icelandic vocabulary and more poetry. Until finally, after what felt like hours the wall next to her glided open and a big figure stood etched in black against the glaring light of the room outside.
  "What mischief have you been up to now?" a voice asked. Susan almost began crying. It was a voice she would have recognized everywhere. It was Thora.
  "Mischief." she answered. "I was only trying to help. But everything went awry. We should have come here in the first place. And apropos. Where is here?"
  "You came," Thora said, "and that is good. Helge is together with Gilvi. We'll see what will happen when have heard your story too. Now, Susan, you tell me the truth," Thora said. "Spill it!"
  "I was in Sweden," Susan began. And quickly, but unhurriedly she told the story of tickets for cigarettes, pear flavoured soft-ice, shopping, bananas, Helge's appearance, their escape from the Swedish police, the freight train, more police in Denmark, dinner at home, and their mishap at the Unicorn Farm. "Has Torben gone mad or something?" she ended her story. "We just did not want to talk with him."
  "Come with me, Gilvi and Helge are waiting for us now," Thora said, not answering even one of Susan's many questions. They walked through a long corridor of the same stone, lit with a soft light from lamps hidden above. Doors at regular intervals were all closed, but Susan imagined, that they all led to cubicles resembling the one she had sat in. Gilvi and Helge sat at a table in a bigger room, still lighted by that same, soft light, tea and cakes stood on the table, and Helge was talking and eating and drinking all at the same time. Susan could see that he had been crying.
  "Good evening, Susan," Gilvi said as he stood up from the table. Do have a seat and some cake, and some tea. It's still hot. And you as well, my dear sister," he said, bowing in Thora's direction.
  He sent a jabber of in ultra-fast words to Thora. It was, as far as Susan had been able to discern, some kind of twin language, or maybe a magically enhanced one. Thora sat, and Susan did the same. The cake was good, and so was the tea.
  Gilvi looked at Thora, who spoke: "You two have been more wronged against than doing wrong. You even paid that poor fruit seller more than the bananas were worth. And no harm came to him, as far as we have been able to discern. All that police was not there for you, that's true. I think this is a story with a happy ending." She smiled and arose. "And I think I've got to take hand of our third visitor. I'll be back soon."
  "My father is alive and well," Helge said with a happy smile. "Thora have been visiting him in the hospital. He'll be home soon, and so will I. But I've chosen to stay with Thora in Iceland until he returns home. She has also promised to sing me a new wand - and help me with my homework."
  "Oh, I'm so happy for you," Susan said with a mighty yawn. "You must come and visit me and my family in Elsinore when you're settled. I will gladly spend all day showing you Hamlet's castle and the gruesome cellars - even worse than the ones we were incarcerated in. What is this place?" she asked, turning to Gilvi.
  "It's a secret," Gilvi answered. "But our portals all are trap portals and lead to here - single cells only - and with an alarm going off so that the guardian of the day can go and have a look. It's a precaution we have had to take recently due to some unforeseen developments. I won't say any more, and guessing and asking will only make me shut up." Gilvi looked glum, even angry.
  A short while later, Thora returned. "Out third guest is sent back home again, no problems," she said. "And now it's time for us to leave here as well. Helge, you come with me, and Gilvi can you take Susan home?"
  "Of course, Gilvi said. "I'd be honoured to."
  Helge and Susan hugged one another, "See you in the autumn holidays," Susan said. "and remember to learn how to change your clothing back before you go home," she added in a teasing tone. Helge smiled and said: "You've better study that spell yourself. I might not be around to help you next time." They laughed, and Thora and Helge walked out through the door, showing a field of greens and lava blocks and a blue, blue sky.
   "Is it tomorrow already? My Mum will be worried sick," Susan said.
  "No, she won't," Gilvi said with a wink. "She 'remembers' you arriving home late, but not terribly so. It's bad enough we had to test you in the cubicles. We won't put you in bad standing with your parents as well."
  "Man am I grateful. 'Only' testing me in the cubicles. It was awful, you know dark, lonely and so quiet. The quiet was the worst. I felt like my ears were falling off."
  "Yes I know. I've spent some time there too. But we'll not use any more portals for now, I'll teleport you home."
   "Oh!" Susan exclaimed. "No, not home. My bike ... I left it by the portal. I've got to have it back for tomorrow ... today, I mean."
  "I'll get it," Gilvi said. " It's still very early morning, and you'll need some sleep."
  He took Susan's hands and when the darkness from the spell dissipated, it was replaced by a softer darkness. The sun had not risen yet in Elsinore. She thanked Gilvi, and shoved him where she normally placed her bike. Then she tiptoed upstairs to her room and slipped under the duvet. She was asleep even before Gilvi had left the garden.

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