Sommarlek Page #2

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It would sing outside my window

the first morning of

the summer holidays.

It would wake me up.

- Do you live with your parents?

- No, they're divorced.

I've never seen my mum,

and my dad's with another woman.

He gives me money to stay out of the

way. I'd like to do the same to him.

- Where do you and Gruffman live?

- With an old hag... lady.

She's got a moustache.

I love blind kittens. Don't you?

And babies, and people

who other people think are ugly.

And mice, of course. And poodles.

It's not as bad as that.

It's just that

people don't take me seriously.

Oh dear, oh dear, is it that sad?

No one cares about me,

no one but Gruffman.

- Really, no one?

- No, only Gruffman.

- What about me?

- Do you care about me?

Would I have brought you here

otherwise?

I need to think about that.

I'm never going to die.

I'll get really,

really old, but I'm not going to die.

I'm scared. Scared that I, Henrik...

will tip over the edge into something

black, something unknown.

- Why do you talk about that?

- I don't know.

It's something I'm struck by

now and again.

But it's interesting,

don't you think?

And you started it.

Hey... the wild strawberries!

Oh yes, them...

Hey, Henrik...

- I think we'll become friends.

- I think so, too.

Hey... Marie.

Uncle Erland came for a visit.

He gave me a bracelet,

and kissed my hand.

He was very courteous

and charming.

We had wine with dinner.

Aunt Elisabeth drank a lot.

She went on about how things were

when my mother was alive.

But no one paid any attention.

I'll get the coffee.

Don't call me "uncle".

At my age it's less agreeable to be

"uncle" to a beautiful young woman.

So you think

I'm a beautiful young woman?

- You're very like your mother.

- Did you bring her gifts, too?

Everyone did, as a token

of admiration for her art.

- I think you were in love with her.

- She was an outstanding actress.

And this bracelet,

is it a token

of admiration for my art?

Marie...

if you weren't

my old friend's daughter,

I'd tell you something.

But I won't. I can't,

and I daren't, my dear little girl.

Pretend I'm someone else,

like my mother.

- We'd run away, you and I.

- Run away?

Go far, far away

and live life to the full.

Live life to the full...

Seize the moment and hold it.

- I do seize the moment.

- You think so, poor girl?

Lucky is he... lucky is the man

who will teach you.

- Life... is so much.

- But Uncle Erland, my dancing...

If you stop calling me "uncle",

I'll stop calling you...

"My little girl."

There's a time for dancing.

Surely you have a little dancer boy

with downy cheeks

with whom you dream and argue,

plan the future with?

We in the ballet haven't

the time for it, nor the inclination.

Is that the truth?

Don't be too sure, dear Erland.

I'm not sure about you at all,

dear Marie.

One day you may get to take care

of me, and marry me.

Dare I hope?

You talk like an old book.

Of course you can hope!

One day you may take me.

- I have to dash!

- But we're having such a nice time.

- I really have to dash.

- Can't I come with you?

- No, you can't, Uncle Erland.

- But Marie...

Bye!

She's run off, and you can't

catch up with her.

- Are you sulking?

- No, I'm not.

- Gruffman, why is he sulking?

- I told you, I'm not.

If you say so... But we can both see

that the master's sulking.

Don't be silly.

- Is it because I'm late?

- Not in the least.

So it's something

we don't know about.

Who's Uncle Erland?

Why do you two have so much fun?

Do you fancy him?

Uncle Erland, that old codger!

Not that old. And he fancies you,

any fool could see that.

- So you can see that.

- So I'm a fool now?

If he fancies me,

that's his business.

He's always running after you.

I saw him at the show.

Is it that bad?

Come on now, tell me all

about your jealousy.

Dear, oh dear...

Is it that bad?

Serves you right!

One night,

following a scorching summer's day

of blazing sunlight...

The silence was vast,

reaching all the way

to the vault of heaven.

The silence between us

was also vast.

The rocks are still warm.

Everything seems unreal tonight.

- Don't you think?

- It's beautiful.

We're inside the same bubble.

It's so beautiful I could burst.

Break into pieces, disappear, perish.

- Kissing must be fun.

- Must be, since everyone's doing it.

I've never been kissed, except by the

ballet-master, but he doesn't count.

- What about your Uncle Erland?

- Oh, him!

Have you ever kissed a girl?

Everything's so difficult,

and all linked somehow.

Marie...

I like you, I'm in love with you,

and all that...

You know...

You must think me silly...

I'm just a damned fool, really.

A damned wimp!

- How does it feel?

- What?

You said you're in love with me.

You feel it in the chest and stomach.

Your knees are like crushed apples,

and your toes crumple up.

- But mostly it's in the chest.

- In the heart?

I don't know... How about you?

- Who says I'm in love with you?

- Oh, right...

I think it's in your skin.

I want you to touch me,

caress my skin with your hands.

It's in my shoulders and elbows.

In the palms of my hands.

It tickles all over.

Uncle Erland is probably a bit drunk,

but don't worry about it.

So there you are, children.

Milk and sandwiches are in the

kitchen. You get hungry at night.

When you go canoeing

in the moonlight.

Don't listen to him when he's tipsy.

Your mother, Marie,

used to dance for me

on evenings like these...

...when it was quiet and still

and the room was moonlit.

We were alone...

Forgive me for taking the liberty

of saying we were alone.

Your father...

Forgive me, dear Elisabeth.

She sat over there.

I played...

...and looked at her face.

I wondered whether I was

in reality, or outside it.

Was what surrounded me,

the piano and the floor, unreal?

Were the moonlight and the music

all that was real and substantial?

Now, all the clocks in the house

have stopped.

The flowers in the windows

have wilted and died.

We were alive in those days.

There were red geraniums

and the clocks were ticking away.

Outside, the gulls were screeching.

You two go, I'll stay

and keep him company.

The ship's horn hooting

in the distance...

This, and other things, the music

and the moonlight...

the silence

and the anticipation,

the blood whispering

in our ears...

A strange mood developed,

almost like a melody.

A new room was opened up

in our minds.

Well, this is where I work

during the summer. Welcome!

The morning sun shines through here.

Every morning,

two crows sit outside talking.

They're quite sweet.

Then your summer holiday bird

appears.

You talk like a museum guide.

I think we could kiss now.

- Don't you think so?

- Yes, I do.

Don't worry, I've locked the door.

It's only Uncle Erland.

Of course I should go to bed.

Of course, damn it!

Come on now, or you'll be

embarrassed in the morning.

Poor Aunt Elisabeth!

Now you have a lover!

How does it feel, is it exciting?

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