a waiting room further down the corridor where he sat down and stared at a Mira poster until the figures in the artwork started to crawl, move along the edges of the frame. At that point he approached a doctor who knew nothing, could give no news but the word itself: no. No visitors allowed.
He walked back to Mira. The longer he stared at the figures, the more evil they looked. He stared at the wall instead.
Taby Municipality 00.52
When Flora got off the telephone she looked, for the second time this night, as if she had seen a ghost. She walked over to the bedroom door, listening for something from inside.
'How did it go?' Elvy asked. 'Did they believe you?'
'Yes,' Flora said. 'They did.' .1
'Are they sending an ambulance?'
'Yes, but ... ' Flora sat down next to Elvy on the couch, knocking her teaspoon against her cup, 'it may take a while. They have a lot to do ... right now.'
Elvy gently took hold of her hand to make her stop clinking.
'Why is that? What did they say?'
Flora shook her head, turning the spoon in her fingers.
'It's happening all over. There's several hundred that have woken up. Maybe thousands.'
'No.'
'Yes. She said that every ambulance is out at the moment ... picking them up. And that we shouldn't try to do anything, that we shouldn't ... touch him or anything.'
'Why not?'
'Because there could be a danger of contagion or something. They don't know.'
'What kind of contagion?'
'I haven't the faintest. That's just what she said.'
Elvy sank back on the couch, staring at the crystal vase on the coffee table that she and Tore had been given by Margareta and Goran on their fortieth wedding anniversary. Orrefors, Heinous; probably very expensive. A couple of withered condolence-roses hanging from it doubled-over.
It started with a twitch at the corners of her mouth, a trembling in the lips. Then she felt her mouth tugged back, irresistibly back and up, until a grin wide enough to strain her cheeks covered Elvy's face.
'Nana? What is it?'
Elvy wanted to laugh. No. More than that. She wanted to jump out of her seat, do a few dance steps and laugh. But Flora's head drew back ten centimetres, as you might draw away from an uncertain phenomenon, and Elvy used her right hand to wipe the smile mechanically from her face. The corners of her mouth wanted to turn up again, but she kept them in place by sheer force of will. She didn't want to cause alarm.
'It's the Resurrection,' she said with suppressed glee. 'Don't you see? It is the Resurrection. The raising of the dead. What else could it be?'
Flora tilted her head. 'You think?'
There weren't words for it. Elvy could not explain. Her joy and anticipation were too great to be contained in mere language, so she said, 'Flora, 1 don't want to talk about this right now. 1 don't want to discuss it. I just want to sit undisturbed for a little while.'
'Why? What for?'
'I just want to be alone. A little while. Can you do that for me?'
'Yes. Sure.'
Flora walked to the window, stood looking out either at the faint outline of the fruit trees outside, or at Elvy's reflection in the glass.
Elvy savoured her bliss in silence. After a while Flora smacked the metal wind chimes hanging in the window, opened the french doors and walked out. The sound of her steps mingled with the clanging of the chimes, but after several seconds both had died away.
The heavenly kingdom. And on the last day ye shall all ...
Euphoria. There was no other word to describe what was bubbling in Elvy's breast.
As if it were the last evening before a long, long trip. You've got a ticket in your pocket and at last everything is packed. And you can simply sit and feel the nearness of distant lands ...
Yes. Like that. Elvy tried to visualise the distant land she would soon be travelling to, that everyone would soon be travelling to, but here there were no travel brochures to pore over, everything was up to her and she couldn't see. It slipped
He walked back to Mira. The longer he stared at the figures, the more evil they looked. He stared at the wall instead.
Taby Municipality 00.52
When Flora got off the telephone she looked, for the second time this night, as if she had seen a ghost. She walked over to the bedroom door, listening for something from inside.
'How did it go?' Elvy asked. 'Did they believe you?'
'Yes,' Flora said. 'They did.' .1
'Are they sending an ambulance?'
'Yes, but ... ' Flora sat down next to Elvy on the couch, knocking her teaspoon against her cup, 'it may take a while. They have a lot to do ... right now.'
Elvy gently took hold of her hand to make her stop clinking.
'Why is that? What did they say?'
Flora shook her head, turning the spoon in her fingers.
'It's happening all over. There's several hundred that have woken up. Maybe thousands.'
'No.'
'Yes. She said that every ambulance is out at the moment ... picking them up. And that we shouldn't try to do anything, that we shouldn't ... touch him or anything.'
'Why not?'
'Because there could be a danger of contagion or something. They don't know.'
'What kind of contagion?'
'I haven't the faintest. That's just what she said.'
Elvy sank back on the couch, staring at the crystal vase on the coffee table that she and Tore had been given by Margareta and Goran on their fortieth wedding anniversary. Orrefors, Heinous; probably very expensive. A couple of withered condolence-roses hanging from it doubled-over.
It started with a twitch at the corners of her mouth, a trembling in the lips. Then she felt her mouth tugged back, irresistibly back and up, until a grin wide enough to strain her cheeks covered Elvy's face.
'Nana? What is it?'
Elvy wanted to laugh. No. More than that. She wanted to jump out of her seat, do a few dance steps and laugh. But Flora's head drew back ten centimetres, as you might draw away from an uncertain phenomenon, and Elvy used her right hand to wipe the smile mechanically from her face. The corners of her mouth wanted to turn up again, but she kept them in place by sheer force of will. She didn't want to cause alarm.
'It's the Resurrection,' she said with suppressed glee. 'Don't you see? It is the Resurrection. The raising of the dead. What else could it be?'
Flora tilted her head. 'You think?'
There weren't words for it. Elvy could not explain. Her joy and anticipation were too great to be contained in mere language, so she said, 'Flora, 1 don't want to talk about this right now. 1 don't want to discuss it. I just want to sit undisturbed for a little while.'
'Why? What for?'
'I just want to be alone. A little while. Can you do that for me?'
'Yes. Sure.'
Flora walked to the window, stood looking out either at the faint outline of the fruit trees outside, or at Elvy's reflection in the glass.
Elvy savoured her bliss in silence. After a while Flora smacked the metal wind chimes hanging in the window, opened the french doors and walked out. The sound of her steps mingled with the clanging of the chimes, but after several seconds both had died away.
The heavenly kingdom. And on the last day ye shall all ...
Euphoria. There was no other word to describe what was bubbling in Elvy's breast.
As if it were the last evening before a long, long trip. You've got a ticket in your pocket and at last everything is packed. And you can simply sit and feel the nearness of distant lands ...
Yes. Like that. Elvy tried to visualise the distant land she would soon be travelling to, that everyone would soon be travelling to, but here there were no travel brochures to pore over, everything was up to her and she couldn't see. It slipped
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