They had reached a crossroads when Father saw a wagon approaching. He raised his hat and yelled. The man sitting at the reins stopped the horses. Big sacks of flour lay on the bed of the wagon.
‘My son has had an accident,’ Father said. ‘He has terrible burns on his face. We’re on our way to the city to see the doctors.’
The man holding the reins stared aghast at Daniel.
‘Whine,’ Father whispered. ‘Whimper and moan.’
Daniel whined. The man shook his head.
‘So the boy has burned his face, eh? Then he won’t have long to live.’
Father lifted Daniel up onto the sacks and climbed up after him. The man clucked at the horses and urged them into a trot.
‘Of course I can pay you for your trouble,’ Father said. ‘If possible we’d like to go down to the Stadsgård Harbour.’
The man turned round in surprise. ‘Are there doctors there? Are there hospitals among the dockers?’
Father didn’t reply. Instead he took out a banknote and stuffed it into the man’s coat pocket.
When they entered the town Father told Daniel to lie down and pull his coat up around his head. He did as he was told. The man with the reins looked at him.
‘Is he dead?’ he asked.
‘He’ll be all right,’ replied Father. ‘But I’m too tired to answer any more questions.’
‘My name is Eriksson,’ said the man. ‘My horses are called Stork and Giant. Not very good names, but I’ve never been good with names, even though I’ve had a lot of horses.’
‘My name is Hult,’ said Father. ‘I come from Västerås, where I sell hardware. My son, my only son who’s lying here, is called Olle.’
Daniel listened, but nothing Father said surprised him any more. After he had left the desert and travelled across the sea he had become part of a story: the story that Father had in his head, in which nothing was really true. Daniel wondered what would happen if he stood up in the wagon and tore off all the strips of cloth. Then there wouldn’t be any more story. Then he would be himself again.
But who would Father be?
He lay there looking up at the sky. Kiko had taught him that a hunter always had to have patience, always had to be prepared to wait until the right moment. Daniel imagined that he was a hunter who was waiting. Some day the moment would come when he could finally teach himself to walk on water.
It was already evening by the time they arrived. When the horses stopped, Daniel could smell the water, but when he tried to sit up, Father pushed him back down.
‘It’s best that you lie down,’ he said softly. ‘At least for a while longer, until it gets really dark.’
The man with the reins gave him a worried look.
‘I think he’s paler now,’ he said. ‘Is he dying?’
‘How can you see that he’s paler?’ asked Father. ‘His face is covered with bandages.’
‘It’s just a feeling,’ said Eriksson. ‘But I won’t ask any more. I have to get going now. The flour has to be unloaded. And I have a way to go yet.’
Father took a few more banknotes out of his pocket. Daniel had a feeling that the money he had received from Wickberg would soon be gone. He wondered how these pieces of paper could have such great value.
‘I need help,’ said Father. ‘In a few hours there’s a passenger ferry leaving for Kalmar. We need a cabin.’
‘Kalmar?’
‘There’s an excellent skin doctor there,’ said Father. ‘The best in the country. He’s often called to the royal residences all over Europe.’
The man shook his head doubtfully. ‘Will the boy be able to manage the trip?’
‘He has to. I’ll watch the horses and the flour if you would be so kind as to procure a cabin and tickets.’
Eriksson vanished into the darkness.
‘Soon it will be over,’ Father said. ‘Just as long as we get out of here.’
‘It itches,’ said Daniel.
‘I understand. But soon. Just as soon as we get on board and close the door to our cabin. Then I’ll take off the bandages and explain what has happened. Everything will be all right. We have started a new life.’
When Eriksson returned he had the tickets in his hand. Father gave him another banknote and asked him to drive them to the gangway. The boat was illuminated by paraffin lamps.
‘I said they were for Herr Hult and his son,’ said Eriksson.
‘Excellent,’ replied Father. ‘You’re a clever man. And your horses have lovely names. Unusual, but lovely.’
When they reached the boat Father told Daniel to wait by the wagon. A man in uniform was standing by the gangway and checking the passengers’ tickets. On the foredeck they were busy stowing baggage. Father went up and spoke to the man in uniform. Eriksson stood stroking one of his horses on the back while he looked at Daniel.
‘It can’t be easy,’ he said. ‘It must hurt a lot. But you’re very patient.’
‘My name is Olle,’ said Daniel. ‘I believe in God.’
Eriksson nodded slowly. ‘That’s probably for the best,’ he said, ‘even though it doesn’t help. But in the end it’s all you’ve got. Hope. And someone called God.’
Father came back. ‘Keep your hands inside,’ he whispered.
Eriksson lifted Daniel down from the wagon.
‘I hope all goes well,’ said Eriksson.
Father nodded and gave him one of his last banknotes.
The man by the gangway shook his head in alarm when he saw Daniel’s bandaged face.
‘There might be rough weather south of Landsort,’ he said. ‘Can the boy stand the rough seas?’
‘I’ve given him some medicine,’ said Father. ‘He’ll be asleep.’
They went down to their cabin and Father locked the door and sank exhausted onto the bunk. The cabin was cramped. Daniel remembered how it had been on the ship during the long journey from the desert.
Suddenly his heart began beating very fast. Could it be possible that they were on their way back to the desert and he wouldn’t have to learn how to walk on water?
‘You’ve been good,’ said Father as he loosened the cloth stuck to Daniel’s sweaty face. ‘You’ve been very good, and I’ll never forget it.’
Daniel waited. But Father still didn’t say anything about where they were going.
The boat gave a lurch. There was a snap of mooring lines and the sound of commands. Then the boat began to vibrate.
Daniel sat down next to Father.
Now he’ll tell me, he thought.
But Father just put his hands to his face and began to weep without a sound.
Chapter 19
They had tickets to Kalmar, but they got off the evening before in Västervik when the boat landed at Slottsholmen. Because it was dark, Daniel didn’t have to put the bandages over his face. While Father ventured into the night to find someone with a horse and wagon, Daniel sat and watched the baggage. A lone dog wandered about by his legs but then vanished into the darkness. A light misty rain was falling but there was no wind at all. Only a few people were boarding or leaving the boat. An argument arose by the gangway when a drunken man was refused passage even though he had a ticket. Finally he left, cursing, and he too disappeared into the darkness that seemed to swallow up everyone.
Daniel felt a cold breeze from the sea. It brought with it the same smell he remembered from the evening he had walked into the water and hoped he would die. It was only a few days ago, but it felt as though he had dreamed it.
During the boat trip Father didn’t say a word. His silence finally hardened into a mask over his face. It was a silence that Daniel could not penetrate. He had no idea what Father was thinking. Now and then he would burst into tears but only for brief spells. Daniel merely waited. He still didn’t know where they were or where they were headed. During the journey he was not allowed to leave the cabin and no one but Father came in. He brought Daniel food and then took away the empty plates.