The Circle (Hammer) - By Elfgren, Sara B.,Strandberg, Mats Page 0,36

sounds vaguely familiar. Where is it?’

‘Here, in Engelsfors.’

Her mother used to go to Kärrgruvan a lot when she was young for concerts and dancing. She’s spoken about it nostalgically. Now she just laughs. ‘You must have had some really strange dreams last night,’ she says.

‘I suppose I must,’ Rebecka mumbles.

It feels strange to be sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast as if nothing’s happened, Vanessa thinks. Chewing, swallowing, chewing, swallowing, drinking some juice, then starting again. As if it was just another day.

Her mother emerges from the bedroom and puts an arm around her. Vanessa closes her eyes. It feels nice. But her mother lets go almost immediately. Their hugs are so brief, these days. It’s mostly Vanessa’s fault. She’s sighed too often over her mother’s attempts at closeness. How’s she supposed to know that Vanessa would like nothing more just now than a hug?

‘A new shop’s opened up at the mall, the Crystal Cave,’ her mother says.

‘And they sell, let me guess … crystals?’

Her mother doesn’t pick up on the sarcasm. ‘Yes, and essential oils, all sorts of stuff. Apparently you can have your palm read, too. The owner is called Mona Moonbeam.’

‘Mona Moonbeam? Well, that doesn’t sound made up, does it?’

Her mother laughs and pours water into the coffee-maker. As it starts to sputter she stretches and yawns. ‘Nicke rang while you were in the shower. Apparently things got pretty lively in town last night,’ she says, and starts slicing a loaf of bread.

‘Define lively in Engelsfors.’

‘There was a big bust-up over at Götvändaren, and several drunken brawls across the town. Nicke said he’d never seen anything like it. He was just about to head home after work when they had a call about a woman who had hanged herself from the roof of a house in Riddarhyttan, on the road to the primary school. He was on his way there when he called and thought he wouldn’t be home for another few hours.’

‘Oh, God, how awful to be deprived of Nicke’s presence. That’s going to ruin my whole day,’ Vanessa says. She instantly regrets her comment when she sees her mother’s hurt expression.

‘For God’s sake, Vanessa, how long are you going to keep this up? Nicke is Melvin’s father. You have to accept him.’

‘I’ll accept him when he accepts me.’

‘Why can’t you just grow up?’

Vanessa’s bout of conscience evaporates. She has to bite her lip to stop herself screaming.

Her mother had only been dating Nicke for a few months when she’d got pregnant and cheerfully announced that Vanessa was going to have a sibling. Secretly Vanessa had hoped that Nicke would shirk his responsibilities but, no, he wanted to be a father, and they’d moved in together in time for the birth.

She can’t help but love Melvin, even if it was tiresome at the beginning to be woken all the time by a crying baby, but she’s hated Nicke from the start. He doesn’t make any effort to be nice to her – she’s the one who has to adapt. And her mother doesn’t see that. She’s blind to Nicke’s faults and lets him make the rules.

‘Grow up yourself,’ Vanessa snaps, and storms out into the hall.

‘Don’t speak to me like that!’ Her mother follows her.

Vanessa slams the front door in her face.

‘Did you hear the cows last night?’ Grandpa asks, when he and Anna-Karin’s mother enter the kitchen after the morning milking.

‘What do you mean?’ Anna-Karin asks, through a mouthful of cheese sandwich.

‘They were bellowing in the barn as if they’d all gone mad,’ her mother croaks. Her voice has returned but it’s not quite back to normal yet. ‘Thanks to them, I didn’t sleep a wink. Not that I ever get any sleep with my back.’

‘I must have been out for the count,’ Anna-Karin mumbles.

‘Really?’ Grandpa says. ‘You still look tired.’

‘I hope you’re not coming down with the cold I’ve had,’ her mother says, as she lights a cigarette.

Grandpa comes up to the table and lays a hand on Anna-Karin’s forehead. ‘You don’t have a fever anyway.’

The old Anna-Karin would have been happy to feign illness and stay in the security of her room. That’s changed. For the first time in her life she’s longing to go to school.

‘I’m fine,’ she says.

Grandpa gives her a hard pat on her shoulder; his version of a hug. ‘It was that blood moon, it kept the cows awake. Maybe it disturbed you, too, in your dreams.’

‘Blood moon?’ Her mother snorts. ‘You and your nonsense. I didn’t see