‘And what do I think it is?’
‘That this is an essentially peaceful and harmonious country.’
‘Of course I don’t think that.’
‘Well, your poetry certainly doesn’t betray any knowledge of reality.’
Humlin got up at once at this insult.
‘Sit, sit,’ Törnblom said. ‘You’re overreacting again. None of these girls have had an easy time of it. It’s still not easy for them.’
Törnblom was right, Humlin thought. He sat down again with the feeling that he should try to get out of this whole thing as fast as he could. Maybe it would even be better to capitulate and write that thriller that Lundin and the oil executives wanted.
A noise at the door made him jump. Haiman was in the doorway.
‘I just want to say that the girl called Tea-Bag isn’t writing anything. If you like I can have a word with her so she’ll do as she’s told.’
Humlin could easily imagine Tea-Bag’s reaction to such a thing.
‘It’s probably best to let her be,’ he said.
‘Then I think we should tell her to leave.’
‘We can’t force anyone to write against their will.’
‘She will have a bad influence on the other two. They’re writing. I’ve walked around and checked them.’
Humlin was glad he wasn’t alone with Haiman.
‘We don’t need a writing police in this seminar.’
‘I want order in the classroom.’
‘If we leave them in peace I’m sure they’ll do just fine.’
Haiman left the room, but more because of Törnblom’s look than Humlin’s words.
‘I don’t want him here,’ Humlin hissed when Haiman had left. ‘I don’t want anyone walking around checking up on them.’
‘Haiman is a good sort. He just wants to maintain order in there.’
‘Is he one of Leila’s relatives?’
‘No, he’s just a person with a strong sense of responsibility.’
After exactly twenty minutes Humlin went back into the room. Tea-Bag was still hunched up in her coat just as she had been when he left. Tanya and Leyla got up from their respective corners and returned to the table.
‘Let’s see what you’ve written,’ Humlin said. ‘Who wants to start?’
He turned to Tanya.
‘Did you write anything?’
She looked at him angrily.
‘Why do you ask that? Why wouldn’t I have written anything?’
‘You didn’t write anything last time, that’s all.’
Tanya waved her crumpled paper in front of him.
‘Read it,’ Humlin said.
Tanya took a breath. Tea-Bag was still enveloped by her voluminous coat and her thoughts. Leyla looked worried. Humlin sensed that she was nervous that Tanya might have written something better than her.
Tanya started reading.
Humlin waited but there was nothing else.
‘That was it?’ he asked carefully.
Tanya turned on him furiously.
‘You didn’t say it had to be long. Did you? No, you didn’t. This is — a poem.’
Humlin backtracked to the best of his ability.
‘I was just checking,’ he said. ‘That was wonderful, Tanya.
‘I would have been dead.’
Humlin realised he was not going to be able to get her to develop her insight any further. He turned to Tea-Bag.
‘I haven’t written anything.’
‘Why not?’
‘Nothing important happened today.’
‘Nothing at all?’
‘No.’
‘Even when something doesn’t feel profoundly important it can sometimes be worth writing down. Don’t you think?’
Leyla suddenly jumped in as if to defend Tea-Bag.
‘Did anything important happen to
Humlin gave up and was about to ask Leyla to read what she had written when Tea-Bag grabbed Tanya’s pad of paper and ripped out a blank page. Then she stood up and spoke, as if reading from the blank page.
