Fog Island. Mariette Lindstein
the sea. She could see the lookout point in the distance. The office was otherwise full of electronics: computers, printers, screens, and gadgets she didn’t even know the names of. It occurred to her that this was odd, given that computers were forbidden at ViaTerra, but perhaps computers were indispensable when you were the boss.
Oswald himself was sitting at a large desk, absorbed in reading something on a computer. He didn’t look up when she came in. Madeleine, who was sitting at a much smaller desk in the far corner of the office, put a finger to her lips and gave Sofia a sharp look. Don’t disturb him, the look plainly said. Sofia cautiously took a seat in the visitor’s chair before Oswald.
He was wearing a T-shirt again. She noticed that the muscles of his back were taut and wondered if he was tensing them on purpose. There was a strange gleam in his eyes when he swung around in his chair, as if he expected her to say something. But she didn’t know what. His presence was so strong that she lost her composure and couldn’t speak.
‘Sofia, congratulations! I heard you finished the program. I hope it all went well.’
‘It was fantastic. Better than I expected.’
He drummed his fingers on the desk good-naturedly.
‘So, can I have your answer about the library now?’
‘Well, hmm, I’m interested, I just have to talk to everyone at home first.’
He leaned forward, placing his hand over hers on the desk. It was dry and warm. Hers jumped at his touch, but she didn’t pull it away.
‘No, you don’t get time to think it over, Sofia.’
‘Why not?’
‘The thing is, I think you’ve already made up your mind,’ he said, pressing her hand ever so slightly.
It was as if someone else were speaking through her. The words just fell from her mouth. She could see herself in profile, from outside her body as her mouth opened and the words slipped from her tongue.
‘Then I guess my answer is yes.’
Her voice echoed back at her as if from a void.
Oh my god. What have I gotten myself into?
‘You won’t regret it,’ he said, letting go of her hand and leaning back in his chair. ‘I’m sure you have things to take care of before you return, so just call Madeleine and let her know when you’ll be back.’
Then he spun around in his chair and went back to reading.
Madeleine shooed her from the office.
She stood outside his door for a long time, at a loss, shaken over what had just happened.
*
There would be innumerable times, later in life, when she would search her mind. Why on earth? What got into me? How could I? She always came to the same conclusion: it was a combination of factors. A seductive, irresistible blend. The beautiful island, the breadth of luxury, the food, the sleep, the feelings left behind after the theses; but above all, and she would be ashamed of this and have trouble admitting it to herself, it was Oswald and his power of attraction. This wasn’t a sect or a cult; it was something completely different. Almost like a new world — a microscopic vision of the future, brought to life.
ViaTerra was different.
But hindsight is twenty-twenty.
At the time, despite being disconcerted and sweaty all over, she still knew she had to come back to the island. Otherwise she would continue to be drawn there, like a moth to a flame.
And as she stood there in the corridor, alternately kicking herself and feeling bursts of dizzying euphoria, she found that she had a ridiculous smile on her lips.
We return to the cave several times.
We watch the rain move in over the bay and whip at the sea.
At night, we see the moon make a glittering path across the surface.
The cave is my special place. I can think clearly here. I think about my plan almost constantly. I examine it from every angle, picking at its seams; it’s as if I’m spinning a net that will one day cover the whole island.
Sometimes I’m so deep in thought that she shakes me for answers to her meaningless chatter. Then I wrestled her to the floor and grab her by the throat until her legs kick like crazy. A sign of her submission.
I know now that I can’t take her with me. She’s too flighty, and besides I’ve already explored every corner of her body and she’s starting to feel like a milk carton, once the milk is gone.
Although I will miss the cave.
The power in its hard walls.
You can see the whole universe from here.
You can even see the future, like a mirage on the horizon.
Her light-heartedness remained.
The constant worry in the back of her head was gone. She’d heard of people who didn’t even know they had a headache until it went away, and that was exactly what this felt like. This is my real self, she thought. A week on this program and I feel like a new person.
What’s more, she had become aware of an exciting mystique that affected the whole island but especially the manor. When she gazed up at the main building, she felt a jolt of excitement in her belly. She was already looking forward to her return.
On her last day, she rented a bicycle and pedalled around the island. She had gotten a ride to the village and left her luggage in a locker near the ferry. She spent the morning sunning herself on the beach and enjoying the scents brought out by the sun: the smell of tar from the fishing shacks and the pungent odour of the seaweed bobbing at the shore. She ate lunch at an outdoor café on a pier. The restaurant was packed with tourists. It really was high summer now.
There were so many people in the village that the narrow cobblestone streets were crowded. Most of the buildings were clustered around the square, where the ferry docked, but the village had climbed up the cliffs and some cottages rested high above the sea. She wondered what it would be like to live up there in the fall, when the storms drew in over the island.
There was a small souvenir shop on the square, and she went in to look for something for Wilma and her parents. Suddenly, Ellen Vingås appeared, tan and wearing a colourful summer dress that showed off the better part of her large bust.
‘Sofia, it’s so nice to run into you!’
‘Same to you. It’s my last day here.’
‘Mine too. So how did it go?’
‘Oh, it was great. I’m coming back. I’m going to help out with the library.’
She didn’t want to say that she would be joining the staff. That would seem too hasty, and she didn’t want the famous singer to think she was so easily taken in.
‘How did the theses go?’ she asked Vingås.
‘Well, I liked number one and number three. I didn’t get four; nothing much happened when I did it. But overall I think it went well.’
‘Funny. It was the other way around for me. I liked number four best.’
‘Imagine that. But now I’m headed home, back to the daily grind. We’ll see if this good feeling lasts. It sure as hell did make a dent in the old finances!’ she said with a shrill laugh.
A couple of women who were inspecting some porcelain shot her a look of alarm.
She dug through her large handbag and pulled out a small card, which she handed to Sofia. ‘My card — let