The Shapeshifters by Stefan Spjut Page A

Carina’s stopping him or if he just doesn’t dare. He was really frightened. But I’ll phone and talk to Per-Erik.’
    â€˜Well, you needn’t say anything about the camera. If that’s their attitude, I mean.’
    Edit snorted.
    â€˜Oh, no. That’s our little secret.’
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    Seved had driven the tractor into the barn and switched off the engine, but he had no desire to climb down from the cab. He sat there, holding the headphones. The snow streamed down outside the door. The Volvo was a black mass in the pool of lamplight outside. It had dragged along after the tractor, just like Ejvor said it would, so he had decided to wait until Börje came home. If it turned out the car had been damaged, then he was likely to get the blame.
    Why didn’t they keep the cars in the barn, as a precaution? There was certainly room. But who knows what that might lead to. If the cars were missing, they might get anxious and agitated. They never liked being left alone, especially during the winter months. And what if they got into the barn and discovered the cars? That would confuse them, of course, and if the worst came to the worst they would also work out that the cars were being kept in the barn out of their reach. Then anything could happen.
    He hung the chain on the wall and barred the doors again. Then he trudged back over the yard, stopping beside the car.
    He tugged off the broken wing mirror and inspected it. He would probably be able to stick it back on with gaffer tape. Then he realised how stupid that was. It would just come loose again when they put the car upright.
    As he stood there with the mirror in his hands, he stiffened.
    He had heard something.
    Bellowing.
    He stood completely still for a moment or two before shaking his arm to reveal his watch. It was only three. Surely he wasn’t hearing right. Thinking about the noise they had made the past few nights, and how badly he had been sleeping, it was not impossible that the noise was inside his head.
    It came again.
    First a muffled groaning.
    Then a whimpering that gradually increased until it culminated in a melancholy, drawn-out howl.
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    Ejvor had also heard it. She was standing in the hall, putting on her jacket, her head bowed. She was fiddling with the zip, trying to fasten it at the bottom. Seved noticed that her red, roughened hands were shaking. In his hurry he had brought the mirror in with him, so he laid it on the hat rack.
    â€˜Are you sure you ought to go in?’
    â€˜It’s not dangerous,’ she said, pulling up the zipper. ‘But if I get thrown up onto the barn I would appreciate it if you came and got me down.’
    From one of the pegs on the hat rack she took down the head torch. She checked that it was working and fitted it so that the elastic strap lay under her knot of hair at the back.
    â€˜I’ll think about it,’ said Seved. He had walked into the kitchen and opened the larder door, scanning the shelves, where everything stood tightly packed. ‘It might do you good to sit up there for a while.’
    â€˜Then you’ll have to make your own food.’
    â€˜I thought I’d heat up some beef soup. Do you want beef soup?’
    â€˜Beef soup?’ she said, taking the tin out of his hands and turning it round and round. ‘The use-by date was last century.’
    She slipped it into her pocket and said:
    â€˜But the trolls won’t know that.’
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    It was time to set off for home. If Susso did not get the car home in time, there would be hell to pay from Cecilia, although that would probably happen anyway. She had not told her she would be taking the car all the way to Jokkmokk. She stood the cups and saucers in the sink, put in the plug and turned on the hot-water tap.
    â€˜Leave that,’ Edit said, with a wave of her hand.
    â€˜As I already explained,’ Susso said, as she put on her boots and hat, ‘if it gets cold the