Free My Soul to Take: A Novel of Iceland by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

of junk?" she asked. "I don't remember any mention of that when the sale was going through."
    "Oh, it was verbal," Jonas said. "They discussed it with me and I told them just to pick it up whenever they wanted." Then he added self-importantly, "I told them they ought to get a move on, in case I either wanted to use the house or demolish it."
    Thora nodded. "I might take a look over there while I'm here. Who knows, I might even bump into Elin or her brother." She glanced at her watch. "I think I'll wait until morning before I go through the boxes. It's far too late now."
    Jonas agreed. "It's not the sort of stuff you want to look at before bedtime, I can tell you." He grinned mischievously. "Whether you believe in ghosts or not."
    The bed was the comfiest Thora had ever slept in. She yawned and stretched, determined to enjoy her sleep to the utmost. The thick feather pillow supported her neck perfectly, and she made a mental note to ask Jonas where he bought his bedding. Reaching over for the remote on her bedside table, she switched off the television. She felt sleep descending upon her the moment she closed her eyes, and soon her breathing had become regular as she drifted into a dream. She did not even stir when an infant's soft crying wafted in through the open window.
    Chapter 6
    Saturday 10 June 2006
    DA D'S No fun. He's asleep. So's Gylfi. I want to be with you."
    Thora rubbed the sleep from her eyes and propped herself up in bed. She had grabbed her mobile from the bedside table and answered it before actually managing to wake up, then cleared her throat and spoke to her daughter. She had a vague recollection of a dream about ghosts and crying babies, but it slipped away before she could remember it fully. "Hello, Soley. Are you awake already?" Looking at the clock, she saw that it was a few minutes to eight. "Oof, it's so early. It's Saturday today. Your dad and Gylfi just want to sleep a bit longer so they can be more fun later."
    "Huh." Her little girl's high, clear voice was full of reproach. "They won't be any fun. I only like being with you. You're fun." The reception was terrible and Soley sounded as though she were talking from the bottom of a barrel.
    Enjoy it while it lasts, thought Thora, who had learned from raising Gylfi that this unconditional adoration would not go on forever. Soley was only six, and although she would soon be seven, there were still a few years left in which Thora would play the lead role in her life.
    "I'll be back home tomorrow evening. Then we'll do something fun. I'll bring you some shells from the beach, if you want."
    "Beach! Is there a beach out there?" Soley sighed. "Why can't I be with you? I really want to go to the beach."
    Thora kicked herself for mentioning the beach. Since they lived on the coast, it had simply not occurred to her that a beach would arouse the girl's interest. "Oh, sweetie, you know you're supposed to spend the weekend with your dad. Maybe we can come back here later in the summer."
    "And take the trailer?" Soley asked excitedly.
    Thora stifled a groan. "Maybe. We'll see." If there was one thing she could not stand it was driving with that contraption behind her, and she had still not learned to reverse with it. The few trips they had made with the trailer had been carefully planned so that Thora hadn't needed to reverse once. "Go and turn on the television—the cartoons have started. Dad and Gylfi will be up soon. Okay?"
    "Okay," muttered Soley crossly. "Bye," she added.
    "Bye-bye. I miss you," said Thora, and hung up.
    She stared at the telephone for a while, wondering how things had ended up like this. Her marriage had fallen apart pretty quickly, and she had never given herself the time to deal with it. For eleven years they had got on fine; then things went rapidly downhill. She and Hannes were divorced a year and a half later. Her conscience nagged her a little about shuttling the children back and forth between their two homes, but there was not