Read Online My Soul to Take: A Novel of Iceland by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
Tags: Mystery
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has become more intense recently."
"And where have you seen this ghost?" Thora asked skeptically.
"Outdoors mainly. Outside here." Jonas gestured toward the window behind him without looking around. "I can't describe exactly where the ghost was; I've only seen it in the fog. Some ghosts appear in certain weather conditions and this one comes when it's foggy."
"So presumably you can't describe it in detail?" Thora asked.
"No, not really. Except that I know it's a girl or a woman. The being was far too slight to be a male." Jonas leaned back in his seat. "I also saw it appear in my mirror. There was no question that it was a girl. It happened quite quickly, but all the same . . ."
"You said you recognized the girl from a photograph you found. Surely it didn't happen so quickly that you couldn't manage to commit her features to memory?"
"Well, I don't know how to describe it. I was brushing my teeth and I heard a rustling noise. I stood upright and watched in the mirror as the being darted past the door. My subconscious obviously managed to capture the features although I can hardly describe them, but I recognized the face from one of the photos." Jonas opened a drawer in his desk and started rummaging while he continued his account. "I couldn't even hold the photo after that. I threw it back in the box and closed it. You wouldn't have any trouble examining it, but I simply can't."
"I doubt it would have much effect on me," Thora said, smiling reassuringly. "I'd like to discuss this with some of your staff. This aura reader, Eirikur, for example."
"No problem. He's not here at the moment, but he'll be back tomorrow, I think." At last Jonas found what he was looking for in the drawer. He handed Thora a heavy key on a large steel ring. "This is the key to the old basement. The boxes I told you about are down there. Take a look—there are some interesting things that might explain the hauntings."
Thora took the key. "If memory serves, the old farm was called Kreppa, wasn't it?" she asked innocently.
Jonas looked surprised. "Yes, that's right. Originally there were two farms that were merged. One was called Kreppa, the other Kirkjustett." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Birna spent a long time there on the planned development."
"Really? Why?" Thora asked, even more curious. "Is the old farmhouse still intact?"
"Yes, it's still there. Originally we planned to renovate there the same as we did here, but Birna was against it. She thought the two buildings were too far apart. The walk between the two properties is not all that long, but they're not connected by a direct road so the drive between them would hamper joint operation of various services, such as housekeeping. In addition she found the farmhouse at Kreppa to be too dilapidated to make rehabilitation cost effective. You can look at it tomorrow if you want. The keys are under a stone by the entrance. It's quite interesting inside, because it's still fully furnished in the old style."
"How come?" asked Thora. "There were no tenants on the land when the sale was agreed."
"I have no idea," Jonas replied. "Some of that old stuff might have been removed now, as it happens, because the sister ... um ... " Jonas racked his brains for the woman's name. He twirled one index finger in the air as he thought about it.
"You mean Elin Thordardottir? The one who sold you the land?" suggested Thora.
"Yes, that's her," Jonas said. His finger stopped midtwirl. "Elin, the sister! She phoned me a couple of months ago and told me they were finally going to do something about taking that stuff away. I was in the city, so I didn't talk to her myself; I just got a message through Vigdis at reception. Her daughter came a while later and was told where to find the key. It was probably a good thing that neither of them met me, because I would probably have fired off a comment or two about that ghost."
Thora was sick of talking about ghosts. "When did it turn out that they wanted those boxes
"And where have you seen this ghost?" Thora asked skeptically.
"Outdoors mainly. Outside here." Jonas gestured toward the window behind him without looking around. "I can't describe exactly where the ghost was; I've only seen it in the fog. Some ghosts appear in certain weather conditions and this one comes when it's foggy."
"So presumably you can't describe it in detail?" Thora asked.
"No, not really. Except that I know it's a girl or a woman. The being was far too slight to be a male." Jonas leaned back in his seat. "I also saw it appear in my mirror. There was no question that it was a girl. It happened quite quickly, but all the same . . ."
"You said you recognized the girl from a photograph you found. Surely it didn't happen so quickly that you couldn't manage to commit her features to memory?"
"Well, I don't know how to describe it. I was brushing my teeth and I heard a rustling noise. I stood upright and watched in the mirror as the being darted past the door. My subconscious obviously managed to capture the features although I can hardly describe them, but I recognized the face from one of the photos." Jonas opened a drawer in his desk and started rummaging while he continued his account. "I couldn't even hold the photo after that. I threw it back in the box and closed it. You wouldn't have any trouble examining it, but I simply can't."
"I doubt it would have much effect on me," Thora said, smiling reassuringly. "I'd like to discuss this with some of your staff. This aura reader, Eirikur, for example."
"No problem. He's not here at the moment, but he'll be back tomorrow, I think." At last Jonas found what he was looking for in the drawer. He handed Thora a heavy key on a large steel ring. "This is the key to the old basement. The boxes I told you about are down there. Take a look—there are some interesting things that might explain the hauntings."
Thora took the key. "If memory serves, the old farm was called Kreppa, wasn't it?" she asked innocently.
Jonas looked surprised. "Yes, that's right. Originally there were two farms that were merged. One was called Kreppa, the other Kirkjustett." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Birna spent a long time there on the planned development."
"Really? Why?" Thora asked, even more curious. "Is the old farmhouse still intact?"
"Yes, it's still there. Originally we planned to renovate there the same as we did here, but Birna was against it. She thought the two buildings were too far apart. The walk between the two properties is not all that long, but they're not connected by a direct road so the drive between them would hamper joint operation of various services, such as housekeeping. In addition she found the farmhouse at Kreppa to be too dilapidated to make rehabilitation cost effective. You can look at it tomorrow if you want. The keys are under a stone by the entrance. It's quite interesting inside, because it's still fully furnished in the old style."
"How come?" asked Thora. "There were no tenants on the land when the sale was agreed."
"I have no idea," Jonas replied. "Some of that old stuff might have been removed now, as it happens, because the sister ... um ... " Jonas racked his brains for the woman's name. He twirled one index finger in the air as he thought about it.
"You mean Elin Thordardottir? The one who sold you the land?" suggested Thora.
"Yes, that's her," Jonas said. His finger stopped midtwirl. "Elin, the sister! She phoned me a couple of months ago and told me they were finally going to do something about taking that stuff away. I was in the city, so I didn't talk to her myself; I just got a message through Vigdis at reception. Her daughter came a while later and was told where to find the key. It was probably a good thing that neither of them met me, because I would probably have fired off a comment or two about that ghost."
Thora was sick of talking about ghosts. "When did it turn out that they wanted those boxes
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