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“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light.” LUKE THE EVANGELIST
“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light.” LUKE THE EVANGELIST
But a promise was a promise. And promises to the dead have a habit of becoming obsessions.
But a promise was a promise. And promises to the dead have a habit of becoming obsessions.
He felt anxious that time was running out, a feeling that was out of place in a cemetery, the ultimate viewing point of eternity.
Easier to picture what his life might have been like, if she and his brother had survived the birth. They would almost certainly have lived at Hekne, so that Hekne itself would have been entirely different.
“One has much time to think when one walks here alone.”
He would never have thought of the dark as dark had it not been possible to desire the light.
And this much was clear. Great deeds were never accomplished by folk who asked others for advice.
pillow is the object that is closest to a lonely being’s dreams.
hereafter: A friend in need, a friend in death.
“The first thing, Victor my dear, is that you must never be late. Never! Not only do you keep the company waiting, but you give them a chance to gossip about you.”
“D’you really believe such things, Herr Schweigaard?” “I . . . I try to let reason be my guide. But the older I get the more I doubt everything. When I first arrived here, folklore was omnipresent. Now we have a railway, regular post deliveries, more insightful newspapers, a school system and machines that could eventually eliminate the more gruelling elements of farm labour. And with each progressive step, I see the old beliefs disappear.” “That’s a good thing, surely?” said Victor. “Hmm, I always thought so. I wanted to be rid of all the old ways, preferably overnight. But I’m not as
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When an ox loses its foothold, it stumbles then rises again. But when a bird loses its footing, it takes off and flies.”
the idea that inexplicable events are not contrary to the laws of nature, but merely contrary to the laws of nature as we presently know them.
knew that from now on the night would be different, that the certainty of light would make the darkness a better darkness.
Womenfolk wi’ time on their hands start to whinge and talk back, and soon naebody’ll get a thing done.”
There be more left in the stabbur if folk learn to die on an empty stomach.”
Did he see what he saw? Or just what he hoped to see? Were these not just cryptic depictions of events that were bound to happen sooner or later? You only had to wait long enough, and a war, a forest fire, a flood, a plague would come.
“Nothing brings one luck in itself. What brings us luck is our belief that something brings us luck.”
All ye do, Jehans, ye do for yer mother. For the dead need not be asked what they think. Because the dead can never be owt but pleased and amazed. And I canna’ bear to be the one who blames a man for being as he be cos his mother be dead.”
that’s how we survive, thought Schweigaard. By not comprehending something in its entirety and adapting to it, however wrong that might be.
Beautiful are the things we see. More beautiful still the things we understand. But the best of all are the things we do not comprehend.
Belief. That was all. The one thing you had left when nothing else helped.
