138 / 208
138
Johan has caught sight of the glass behind the lamp. He
wrinkles up his nose, examines the contents with obvious
confusion.
‘What the hell is all this muck, Ragna?’
Ragna turns round quickly, stares angrily at the glass Johan
is holding.
‘It looks like some coal-black filth,’ she states.
He raises the glass up to the light in the ceiling, turns it
round and round; the light can’t filter through the thick
black ooze, but some flakes of ash sticking up betray its
contents.
‘What’s the old cow been burning? And what did she put it
out with?’
Johan sticks his nose into the glass. He grimaces and pulls
away quickly again.
‘What have you been burning?’ Ragna asks.
‘I don’t know,’ I say, swallowing.
‘There are the remains of some writing here!’