Fair Play by Tove Jansson Read Free Book Online

They might just as well dibble for cod if the day was ruined anyway. But somehow they didn’t feel like dibbling.
    They just waited.
    â€œFunny,” Mari said. “Sitting here this way, you start thinking about all sorts of things. What time is it?”
    â€œWe don’t have a watch. Or a compass.”
    â€œThat stuff about our mothers,” Mari went on. “There’s something I’ve never dared ask. Jonna, what did you two fight about, really? Mother might say the wind was blowing from the northwest, and right away you’d say it was straight from the north. Or north-northwest, or south-northeast, you’d go on like that. And I knew that deep down you were fighting about completely different things. Important, dangerous things!”
    â€œOf course we were,” Jonna said.
    Mari stopped rowing. Very slowly she said, “Really? Don’t you think it’s finally time to let me in on what it was you were fighting about? Be honest. We need to talk about it.”
    â€œFine,” Jonna said. “Terrific. Then what you need to know is that your mother, the whole time, year after year, was secretly swiping my tools. She ruined one knife after another—she didn’t know how to sharpen them. And let’s not even talk about chisels! Don’t even talk to me about all the precision tools that you carry with you half your life, tools you get to know and love—and then someone comes along who doesn’t get it, doesn’t respect them, someone who handles your delicate instruments like they were can openers! Yes, yes, I know what you’re going to say. Her little ships were wonderful, and beautifully made, but why couldn’t she have bought her own tools? She could have wrecked those to her heart’s content!”
    Mari said, “Yes. That was bad. Very bad.” She started rowing again, and after a while she raised the oars out of the water to say, “It was your fault she stopped making ships.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œShe saw that yours were better.”
    â€œAnd now you’re angry?”
    â€œDon’t be an ass,” Mari said and started to row again. “Sometimes you make me crazy.”
    They hadn’t noticed the fog moving off. The heavy summer fog had rolled on north to annoy people on the inner islands, and suddenly the sea was open and blue and they found themselves a long way out toward Estonia. Jonna started the motor. They came back to the island from a totally new direction, and it didn’t look the same.

KILLING GEORGE
    W HEN MARI came into the front hall, she heard the printing press working.
    â€œAre you here again?” Jonna said from inside her studio.
    â€œI just came for those pens ...”
    Jonna lifted her print and studied it severely. “No,” she said. “I know you’ve brought your George. You’ve changed him.”
    â€œYes. The whole ending. The whole idea! I’ve got rid of a lot of repetitions, and Stefan isn’t called Sveffe anymore. His name is Kalle.”
    â€œGood heavens,” Jonna said.
    â€œMaybe I should come back a little later?”
    â€œNo, no, sit down somewhere. I’ll finish this tomorrow.”
    They sat across from each other at the window table. Jonna lit a cigarette and said, “You don’t need to take it from the beginning. I know that part. ‘Miss, another round,’ and so on. Anton went out to use the phone. Take it from the turtle.”
    â€œBut you know I have to take it from the beginning or it won’t be whole! Could I read it fast up to where it’s new? That part when they go to the restaurant is out, and no pointless explanations about Anton, he’s just there. By the way, do you really believe in this idea?”
    â€œAbsolutely. But maybe it’s not enough, not really. It may be difficult to finish.”
    â€œBut I’ve come to the end!”
    Jonna said,