Set Me as a Seal upon Your Heart Part 4

Submitted by dongregg on Fri, 02/05/2016 - 06:41

PART FOUR

Chapter 6: A Normal Life

The Storm

Mr. Ávila pads into the kitchen in his pajamas and slippers. He starts coffee and turns on the radio. The weather forecast is for rain and high winds in the afternoon, followed by strong thunderstorms in the evening. While the coffee brews, he goes into the big front room and stands looking at the dark clouds over the Öresund, the strait between Malmö and Copenhagen.

Mr. Ávila returns to the kitchen, pours himself a cup, and thinks about Oskar and Eli asleep in their attic darkroom. The children will be disappointed about the rain. I know they want to get in more photo shoots in Malmö, but with the summer solstice only two weeks off

Before he takes his coffee into the dining room, he studies the astronomical calendar taped to the refrigerator. The calendar shows that the sun is already setting after 9:45.

Since they start their shoots so late, they are just about the only children on the street at that time of night. I'm sure lugging their cameras and equipment around Malmö draws attention. I should ask them to hang it up until the sun begins to set earlier again. But they're so excited about photography.

He thinks about his day and decides to ring his friend. "Good morning, Professor Grigor, how are you?"

"I am well, Señor Ávila. I was just about to ring you."

"About the weather? It looks as though we are in for an unusually strong summer storm. Should we skip coffee? I'd like to run two or three errands before it starts."

"Good, then, Señor Ávila. I have similar misgivings. I do not like dealing with Malmö traffic in the rain, either. I shall just curl up here with a few good books."

"A few good books! You are rather playful today.”

Professor Grigor chuckles, and Mr. Ávila says, “If I can negotiate a fair price, I want to sell three or four of Miss Eli's old banknotes to the hobby shop. I imagine I'll be back here by noon."

"Ring me if you want to have a phone chat in lieu of our usual tête-à-tête," Professor Grigor says, and he rings off.

Mr. Ávila finishes his coffee, dresses, and drives into Malmö to the hobby shop to negotiate a price for the banknotes. It's enough to permit him to make the first payment on the loan he took out to buy the children's cameras and darkroom equipment.

He drives from the hobby shop to his bank, where he spends a few minutes chatting with Edina, the bank manager who arranged the loan.

He's ready to start playing racquetball again and considers making a third stop to take out membership at a 24-hour fitness center, but the wind has picked up and the sky has darkened. He points his old Fiat toward the neighborhood. As he turns onto Järavallsgatan, a few large drops splatter against his windshield.

The rain beating on the big house sounds like massed snare drums, and the din accompanies him as he tidies up and starts a load of wash. Laundry piles up quickly because he encourages his two wards to shower daily and to wear fresh clothes so their peculiar odor will be less noticeable. After he vacuums, he goes to the easy chair in his room and reads.

The downpour becomes heavier and louder as evening approaches. He takes out leftovers from the fridge, including the last of the paella he had prepared earlier in the week. Putting the paella and garlic bread in the oven to warm, he smiles as he remembers an awkward scene during his first week with the children, when he shyly asked them if, you know, it was okay to cook with garlic. They laughed at him and Oskar ribbed him mercilessly about all the nonsense in his head about their condition—mirrors, crucifixes, and other lore.

While Mr. Ávila is eating dinner, the storm grows from insistent to alarming. Bands of rain slap the old house like wet sheets, and the wind has begun to howl like a living beast. The first rumble of thunder competes with the kettle-drum roar of the downpour.

As he's putting his dishes in the sink, Eli wanders into the kitchen half-dressed. That startles him because he didn't know she could be awake during daylight hours, but he’s more alarmed at the frightened look that makes her appear even younger than her 12 years.

A loud rumble of thunder sends Eli running to him. She wraps her arms around his waist and looks up at him. "I'm scared, Mr. Ávila."

"You're afraid of thunder?"

"No, Mr. Ávila. The storm.”

“I’m sorry, little one. Do storms always scare you?”

“I don’t remember. I don’t think so. Not till I started living in the forest.”

Which was more than 200 years ago. I'll have to be more careful about using the word "always."

Mr. Ávila sits down at the dining room table to be more at Eli's level. Rain lashes the house, a nearby strike lights up the front room, and a close peal of thunder follows. Eli scrambles onto his lap and puts her arms around his neck.

“In the forest, storms made me feel little. Lightning can break big trees in pieces like they are nothing. I figure getting hit by lightning would be like if I was in sunlight—I would burn up. Whenever a storm started, I ran to my hideout and stayed underground till it was over. That's where I feel safe."

"You're safe here, little one."

"I know, Mr. Ávila, and I..."

But a lightning strike hits so close that the crash of thunder answers immediately, rattling windows and cupboards and sending Eli running like a startled cat. Mr. Ávila follows and finds her curled up and trembling on the floor of a closet. He lifts her up and carries her to his room, where he sits in his easy chair, holding her close and gently rocking her.

Oskar finds them a minute later. Unlike Eli, the storm excites him, but he kneels beside the chair and puts a protective arm around her. "Eli knows how scary storms are in the forest. Nature is right in your face."

Mr. Ávila hugs Eli a little tighter. "We can get through this together, right Miss Eli?"

He looks at Oskar. “How is it you're awake before sunset? I thought you had a switch that turns on at dusk."

"We sort of do, but we can handle indirect sunlight as long as we stay away from windows.”

The conversation helps to calm Eli, but a renewed assault of wind and rain shakes the house, blinding flashes light up the neighborhood, and the power shuts off as thunder rolls all around them.

“Oskar, would you please get the candles and matches from the utility drawer in the kitchen?”

Oskar hops to it. In the gloom, the howling wind and the rain beating against the house are oppressive, but Oskar lights the candles, and they bathe the room in a reassuring glow.

Mr. Ávila carries Eli in his arms to his bookcase and takes down a volume of Winnie the Pooh stories. Seated again, he reads as Eli relaxes and snuggles against his chest. Oskar sits on the rug at Mr. Ávila's feet.

Enthralled by the story, Eli forgets to be afraid. She sits up and looks at Mr. Ávila. “You mean like a bear can talk?” she asks, encountering a children's tale for the first time since the infection cut her own childhood short.

Oskar has the presence of mind to keep his thoughts to himself. Although they are both 12, he thinks he's too old for children's stories.

Eli's demeanor is solemn, but her voice has a hopeful note. “Are there more stories like that one, Mr. Ávila?”

“Indeed there are more stories, Miss Eli. Now that I know you can start your day before sunset, this could be your first English book when Professor Grigor and I start tutoring you and Oskar.”

"Really? I can have it?"

It's well past sunset and the candles have burned down a third of the way by the time Mr. Ávila finishes reading the last story. The power comes on and the storm moves off to the northeast. They still hear distant rumbles, so Eli is reluctant to go out with Oskar to ramble through the neighborhoods and nearby parts of the city.

Oskar suggests they hang out downstairs. He runs up to the attic and returns with games, puzzles, and a top for Eli to put on.

They take their stuff down the hallway to her bedroom where they can play until Eli says she's okay again and they can go out into the night. It's still a long time until dawn, when they will return home to the attic, safe from the sun.

Safe from everything.

Aftermath

When Mr. Ávila wakes, he starts coffee and goes into the soggy backyard to survey the aftermath of the storm. The new day is bright and the air is clear. He spends a few minutes making piles of downed branches and partially filling a trash bag with wet scraps of paper and other debris.

When he's done, he goes back in and rings his friend. "Hello, Professor Grigor. Are you up for coffee this morning?"

"That would be lovely, Señor Ávila. How did you and the children fare during the storm?"

"Well, thank you, and thereby hangs a tale."

"I look forward to hearing it! Ten?"

"Yes. I'll have a pot of coffee ready for us."

Mr. Ávila collects writing tablets, pens, and, from his utility drawer, a tape measure. He arranges the items on the dining room table.

When Professor Grigor arrives and lets himself in, they exchange their usual old world courtesies and Mr. Ávila pours coffee.

The professor gestures toward the writing materials. “I trust this will be a working session.”

“Yes, but you'll want to hear about the storm first. Miss Eli was so frightened that she came downstairs from the attic around six last night.”

“Six! How is that possible?”

“And not just Miss Eli. Oskar came down a little later. It turns out the infection wants them to sleep during the day, but the children can override it.”

“Then we can start the tutoring sessions earlier than we had planned.”

“You are quick, Professor Grigor. I told the children last night that we’ll start right away. I have yet to work out how long before sunset I can wake them, but you and I can get busy in the meantime.”

“I am relieved, Señor Ávila. I am concerned at how Eli's long sojourn in forests and on the periphery of towns puts her at a disadvantage in an urban setting.”

“Yes, Miss Eli is a challenge. Her greatest strengths lie in her intelligence and quick wit, and she has another strength—She reads well. She was born at a time when learning to read was prescribed by the church. However, writing wasn't."

"How curious."

"The disconnect between reading and writing was common in northern Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. As I understand it, church elders encouraged everyone to read scripture or religious literature daily, so Miss Eli reads well."

"That could account for why she still writes by printing the characters in a style long out of fashion, Señor Ávila."

"Yes. As for her weaknesses, I would say they are lack of fluency in English and lack of general knowledge. She has arithmetic, but I believe that Oskar had already started algebra.

"To take Eli's mind off the storm, I read Winnie the Pooh stories to her, and she was captivated by them.”

"It sounds, Señor Ávila, as though we have a good start on her curriculum—Swedish and English literature and conversational English.”

Mr. Ávila gets up, goes to his room, and brings back the volume of Winnie the Pooh stories.

"What do you think of this as Miss Eli's first English reader?"

Professor Grigor takes the book from him and smiles warmly.

"I think it is a great text for her."

"Good then. This will be her own book. Her first book, I guess. Oskar has a couple of volumes he's been carrying around in his backpack. Some Shakespeare plays and Sherlock Holmes in Swedish. As for Oskar's curriculum, he was performing well at his grade level in Blackeberg, and I believe he was doing well in math and English.”

“I imagine we shall include history and geography in their curriculum."

"I agree, Professor Grigor. Both subjects are a way to increase their store of general knowledge."

"Which is not an obvious deficit in Oskar's case."

"Not as long as the children have us as their guardians. But barring death by misadventure, they are immortal. To thrive beyond whatever years are left to you and me, the children will have to become as cosmopolitan as we are."

"Which implies that you are not drawn to the mystery of immortality. That is deep, Señor Ávila."

"The children accepted my offer to serve as their agent in the world. That requires me to move freely during daylight to take care of their needs."

"You are of course right about the children becoming sophisticated enough to move freely in society without having you or me in their lives..."

"Yes, but I've got a feeling there is more on your mind."

"There is. As a teacher, you are aware that home schooling is not permitted in Sweden."

"Yes, and I'm exploring ways of dealing with that in case the children were to come to the attention of Child Protection Services."

"And you have found…"

"Nothing definite yet, but I'm hoping to work something out—under the table of course—with one of the private schools in Malmö. The Lilja School for International Students seems promising."

"And yet, Señor Ávila, that is undoubtedly a day school."

"Yes, but I hope to make an offer to the director to put their names on the books and maybe have two or three of their teachers come here in the evening."

"What would induce the school to accept such an offer?"

"One of the other private schools gave me the dirt on Lilja. They are not required by law to disclose details of what they do with the tuition."

"Thus…"

"I think the school might look favorably upon an arrangement whereby I pay the full tuition plus extra for the tutors' time. If that works, the children would have perfect attendance on paper without ever going to classes."

"I admire your bold thinking, Señor Ávila, but there are matters other than Child Protection Services that we need to discuss. May I ask you to put the Lilja School on hold? Let us attend to our plan for getting the children into classrooms here. I shall bring up the question again after our tutoring is underway."

"You've got a revelation in store for me, haven't you?"

"Several, Señor Ávila!"

"Oh my. Then let's turn our attention to configuring the classrooms." They each take a pen and a writing pad. "They will need desks and blackboards, won't they? And I imagine each classroom will need a TV and a VHS player so they can pursue their studies separately.”

"And independently," Professor Grigor says, "since their 'day' extends well past our bedtimes."

They stand and walk down the hallway to a shorter hall that runs behind the kitchen pantry. It leads to the big house's inner rooms, where they go about measuring the first room and configuring the best arrangement for the desks and other gear. Professor Grigor adds a large globe and low bookcases to the list. The second room is of similar dimensions, so they make short work of it.

After they return to the dining room table, Mr. Ávila refills their cups and sits down.

"Señor Ávila, about furnishing the classrooms—I am reluctant to make assumptions, but will you permit me to share these expenses?"

"Gladly. And Professor Grigor, we need to acknowledge the obvious—You became a member of the family the night we disclosed to the children that you know about their condition. If Miss Eli had not accepted you, she and Oskar would have left that night."

"Being part of this family is a high adventure, Señor Ávila."

"A high adventure indeed, Professor Grigor."

They smile at how fate has led two old bachelors to follow such a challenging path.

They work on lesson plans until mid-afternoon. "Professor Grigor, I would like this to be the last night of their photographic excursions into Malmö. I'll work out a way of waking them early for when their classes can begin."

"Good. Until we are ready to start tutoring them, they can catch up on their backlog of undeveloped film. Plus I have more to teach them about darkroom work."

Professor Grigor gathers the sketches and measurements and leaves for the first of several shopping trips.

Last Malmö Photo Shoot

Oskar and Eli wake at sundown to shower and dress for their photo excursion. They find Mr. Ávila waiting for them at the dining room table.

"When are our classes going to start?"

"In two days, Miss Eli, maybe three. It will take that long to get your classrooms ready.

"About your shoot tonight, you usually take the No. 4 and get off at the City Library, don't you?"

Oskar inclines his head toward Eli.

"Lately we've been taking it to Gustav Adolf's Torg, but Oskar wants to shoot the façade of Victoria Teatern tonight, so we'll take the 33 and transfer to the 1."

Oskar smiles. Because of Eli's challenging experience in getting from Örebro to Stockholm by train, she insists on taking charge of their bus schedules, quickly learning the times and routes. It also registers with Oskar that she has picked up a new word—façade.

"Would it be okay if I drive you? I can drop you and bring you home when you're done."

"Sure," Oskar says. "That would save us having to wait at two bus stops."

"And a few minutes of walking to the first bus stop," Eli adds. "If you drive us to the stop at Davidshallsgatan, we can walk to the theater from there."

"Okay then, as we drive, I want to work out how early I can wake you for your classes."

Eli says, "You're going to tell us you want this to be our last shoot, aren't you?"

"Well, Miss Eli, I want to see if you and Oskar are okay with that. Professor Grigor wants to do more darkroom work with you until we get your classrooms set up."

"Works for me. Anyway, Eli and I talked about how it's pretty late for a couple of kids to be walking around."

They take their camera bags and tripods and pile into the old Fiat, Eli in the front seat so she can give directions. "Is it okay if we go the way the bus goes?"

On the way into Malmö, Eli asks, "Mr. Ávila, how are we going to be safe from the sun when we start waking up early?"

"The two classrooms are inner rooms. No windows. The short hall behind the pantry leads to them. The sun will be shining through the windows of the big front room, so I'll close the door to the long hallway before you get up."

"What about the bathroom so we can shower?"

"Yeah," Oskar says, "And our bedrooms so we can dress."

"Well, those windows have blinds, and the rooms don't get direct light. We can also put up shades. You can check out how that works."

Eli asks, "How early are we supposed to get up?"

"What if I knock on your door at 6:00? Could you be ready for class as soon as you shower and dress? Professor Grigor and I roughed out your lesson plans this afternoon. I think we need four nights a week. You'll have homework, which you can do after Professor Grigor leaves. He isn't a night owl, and neither am I, really. We're thinking two hours for classes, then maybe two more for your homework."

"Wow, that sounds like a lot," Oskar says, "but it's still way less time than regular school."

Eli smiles to herself. I'll be in school. I'll really be going to school. I'll be just like Oskar, and her eyes glisten.

As Mr. Ávila drives, Eli points out the turns. "Here's the bus stop."

"I'll park nearby and walk back here to wait for you. How will that be?"

Oskar and Eli take their camera equipment and walk the short distance to Södra Förstadsgatan. They set up their tripods across the brick street from the theater and choose lenses that will let them fill the frame with the theater's Art Nouveau façade. The lights of the theater and Sweden's bright summer twilight ensure reasonably good depth of field, which their light meters confirm.

They hear comments that couples make as they stroll by.

"How cute. Those children are so serious looking you'd think they were on a movie set."

"Yeah, they only need berets, like Ingmar Bergman."

The children get a few shots before the play ends and people begin pouring out of the theater. "Durn. Keep shooting, Eli. It might be a good effect to have people's blurred images as they leave."

"Okay, Oskar, I'll stop down and use a longer exposure."

"Good, then we can bracket by just changing the shutter speeds."

One couple comes out of the theater and stops. Although the man whispers, the children hear him clearly. "Hey, it's the spooky Limhamn shutterbugs. Here's a chance to find out who they are."

The couple takes a step toward them but they halt when Oskar yells, "Stop! Hold still while I change lenses!"

He selects a longer lens and starts snapping pictures of them.

"Move back all the way...almost to the doors...okay freeze! One more! Got it. Thanks!" He turns to Eli. "I think we got a few good shots. Let's blow."

But as they stow their cameras and light meters in their bags and collapse the legs of their tripods, the couple crosses the street to say hello. "Hi, kids," the young man says. "We've seen you shooting in Limhamn. Is that where you live?"

Oskar comes back with, "Yeah, but we thought we'd come to Malmö tonight to try out our Halloween costumes."

"Oops! You heard us," the young woman says and looks embarrassed. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Eli says. "We're just self-conscious about how we look."

The young man quickly changes the subject. "Are you shooting the Victoria because of the architecture, or are you interested in theater?"

Oskar answers, "Um, the architecture, I guess, but really just because it looks cool."

"I asked because Denise and I are members of an amateur theater group, the Limhamn Players. I'm John. You're welcome to come by."

"We're out of action with schoolwork until the end of August," which is a misdirection—They're out of action because of the short summer nights, not their schoolwork. "But give us the address and we'll come by then. Is that okay, Eli?" She smiles and nods her assent.

"Okay," John says, "but I should add that our theater isn't the Victoria. It's a converted store front with a low stage and 150 folding chairs."

"That's cool."

"We only do Shakespeare," Denise says. "We alternate productions in English and Swedish."

"Oh that's way cool," Oskar says and declaims, "Att fly är livet, att dröja döden."

They laugh and honor Oskar with a theatrical bow.

The children get the address—an Old Limhamn location. They say goodnight to the couple and walk back to the bus stop where Mr. Ávila is waiting to walk them to the car. On the way home, he says, "Since you have more film to process, tomorrow might be a good time for Professor Grigor to work with you in the darkroom."

"Okay," the children say together.

"We may not have the shades up yet, so I'll knock and he can come up to the attic."

"We won't be able to shower and change clothes, Mr. Ávila."

"I know, Miss Eli. It may take another day for the downstairs to be safe for you. Let's wing it until then. Will that be okay?"

"Sure, that will be okay," she answers, and Oskar adds, "Okay by me. Anyway, Professor Grigor is family, right?"

"Yes, he's family, Oskar. Right, Miss Eli?"

Eli beams at being asked. "He's family and we really, really like him."

Mr. Ávila notices how happy his question makes her. Since we had our father-daughter talk, she knows she's a member of a family now. Bless her heart—How long before she gets comfortable with it? She lived alone for so long.

After they get back to the house and put their equipment in their downstairs bedrooms, they join Mr. Ávila at the dining room table. He shows them their course outlines and lesson plans.

"Professor Grigor and I have the idea that you can concentrate on these subjects first. I know we're leaving out math and science for now. I hope you're okay with that, Oskar. We want Miss Eli to bring her arithmetic up to speed so you can work on algebra problems together, maybe by this fall."

"That makes sense," Oskar says as he and Eli look over the lesson plans. "Mr. Ávila, it looks like we're going to concentrate on language and reading, with a big dose of history and geography."

"Yes, but even the history and geography lessons will include language. In a few weeks, we want to switch to English for all of your classes."

Eli struggles to keep her confidence up as she reads the lesson plans, but she lights up when she sees her Winnie the Pooh book listed with the other textbooks.

After the children say goodnight to Mr. Ávila, they go upstairs to the attic and take off their clothes. Oskar starts to pull on his dark sweats, but he stops when Eli says, "Oskar, I'm too excited to roam around tonight. Can we just cuddle and talk?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty wired, too. We didn't burn through a lot of film, but I bet we got some really good shots."

"I bet, too. Isn't it funny how that couple didn't know we could hear them? I wish we could go see their theater now. They seem really nice. But Oskar, those classes—I don't know anything about history and geography."

"Don't worry, Eli—I've got your back. I'll make sure you understand everything."

"Really? That's great."

They continue to cuddle and talk until dreamless sleep overtakes them at dawn.

A Memory

Mr. Ávila knocks on the darkroom door at 6:00 on the first evening of Oskar and Eli’s new schedule. Sunset at close to 10:00 pm has shut down their photo excursions into Malmö, leaving the children to focus on darkroom work, classes, and midnight rambles. They pull on their tops and bottoms, and Professor Grigor soon joins them in the attic. They greet him with hugs, eager to develop their last rolls of film, eager to see the results.

In the red glow of the darkroom light, Professor Grigor watches the children develop the rolls and hang up the strips of negatives to dry.

"I am glad you have been keeping the darkroom clean. Dust does not make negatives better."

Eli says, "That's what you taught us, Professor Grigor. We vacuum every week."

"Good that you are willing to drag that heavy vacuum cleaner up here so often."

Eli giggles.

"Oh. I guess it is not that heavy for someone who is strong like an elephant."

Oskar laughs. "Eli, that's how you said it to Mr. Ávila!"

"So?"

"So you talk like it's 200 years ago."

Eli shoves Oskar's chest with one hand. He flies backward and smacks hard against the wall. His backside hits the floor with a thump and he jumps up laughing. "Case in point—You're as strong as an elephant.

“Hey, it's okay," he adds as Eli's anger looks as though it might turn into tears. He moves fast and wraps his arms around her so she can't shove him again. "I'm sorry I teased you." He holds her until she relaxes and hugs him back.

"As, like..." Professor Grigor says. "I am not going to argue with a kid who could throw a ponderous body like mine across a room."

The image of the large man flying through the air gets the children laughing.

"While those strips dry, you have other negatives you have not printed."

"Yeah, Eli went wild and took pictures of a whole lot of old buildings."

"It's true, but it's because looking at them gives me a funny feeling." She pulls out a drawer, selects several photo sleeves, and arranges the negatives on the light box.

"Specially this shot."

Professor Grigor picks up a loupe and examines the negative. "City Hall with the spire of Sankt Petri Kyrka behind it."

"Yes, and I'm...I'm remembering it, but it was different. The façade of the City Hall didn’t have red bricks, and the spire of the church is different. But I know I've been here before."

"What else do you remember?"

"More like what I don't remember. When we're walking around the harbor area, I don't see anything that's familiar at all. I'm starting to picture bars, and I remember hearing sailors talking loud and laughing. But Malmö's harbor isn't like that. There aren't any big boats with sails, and no smoky, stinky boats that smell like burning coal."

"Malmö Harbor must have been like that a long time ago."

"I guess so."

But just chatting about it stirs the long-buried memory that has been eluding her.

She takes Oskar's arm and turns him to face her.

"Oskar! Malmö is where that woman tried to grab me! Remember when Mr. Ávila asked me if there were others like us?"

"I remember. We were in his apartment in Vällingby."

"Right! The woman was in an alley near the harbor! She had a man pushed against a wall, holding him up while she fed."

Oskar and Professor Grigor listen wide-eyed.

"She started talking to me. I could see the way her body was tensed she was going to grab me when she got close enough. When she tried, I was already leaning away from her, ready to move. I didn't hang around after that, and I never saw her again. I guess I never saw Malmö much after that, either."

Professor Grigor is quiet for a moment. "And I do not suppose you will ever see her again," but he crosses his fingers behind his back. He wonders, Is she the vampire I was after near Lund? A vampire who could overpower Eli, even though Eli is "strong like an elephant?" Lucky for me I did not find her.

Oskar has been holding his breath. "Eli, you said it was a hundred years ago, right?"

Professor Grigor answers, "Maybe longer, Oskar. The key may be the coal-burning ships. We can check with Señor Ávila, since he will be teaching you Swedish and European history.”

That doesn't sound interesting to Eli. "Professor Grigor, are the negatives dry enough to look at?"

"Let us give them a while longer. I am dying to see them, too, but there are good reasons to focus on technical matters in darkroom work. The artistry follows. Speaking of that, pick out a few older negatives you wish had come out better than they did. I have tricks to show you."

Because they always shoot in low light, they bracket shots just as Professor Grigor taught them to do on their first night, so there are plenty of over- and underexposed negatives. He selects a few of those and one negative that's ruined because it has high contrast areas—some areas too dark and some too light. With the red light on again, he demonstrates how to use a dodging tool during printing to lighten the overexposed areas and to bring out more detail in underexposed areas.

"These are simple techniques, are they not? But we learn by doing."

The children take turns at the enlarger using the techniques. After they develop the prints, they turn on the overhead light to examine and discuss the results.

"Okay kids, last night's shots are dry but they will still scratch, so handle the strips carefully."

On the light box, Professor Grigor notes the effects they were going for. "I can see by the depth of field that you used long exposures. And I like the motion effects of people coming out of the theater. How did you get that couple to stand still? Oh, nice close ups of them in these shots."

"I just yelled at them. Turns out they're actors in a group called the Limhamn Players. They invited us to visit their theater, and we said we'd come by later this summer."

They select a few of the new negatives to print. The sun sets, and it's soon time for Professor Grigor to go back to his place. They tidy up the darkroom and go downstairs, where the professor and Mr. Ávila show them how their classrooms are starting to take shape.

After the professor leaves, Oskar tells Mr. Ávila about how Eli remembered the vampire that tried to grab her. "But that was a hundred years ago, right?"

Mr. Ávila thinks for a moment. He remembers what Professor Grigor said about his first case assisting the police.

"Yes, but a hundred years later, Eli's still here. I'm not saying that the woman is, but I hope you will be extra alert while you're out."

The children say goodnight, and when the house grows quiet, they change into their black sweats and go out to ramble.

The sky is clear. They sit at the end of an old dock in Limhamn and watch the stars blazing above the Öresund.

"I'm sorry I got mad at you."

"Nah, I asked for it. I shouldn't have teased you like that in front of Professor Grigor."

"Oskar, do I talk funny?"

"No, it just sounds cute."

"Think that will change when our classes start?"

"Not the cute part, but I think we'll both change a lot."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but probably not real fast. Every teacher wants kids to talk like they do."

As they do?”

“Right. As.”

Eli lays her head on Oskar's shoulder. I was alone for so long. I don't want to wake up and this just be a dream.

She snuggles closer to Oskar. But Mr. Ávila won't ever let that happen. He just won't.


Chapter 7: Passports, Documents

As he enjoys coffee at the dining room table on a morning in July, Professor Grigor asks, "How is racquetball coming?"

"Not bad. I'm getting my chops back. In fact, I think it may be time to introduce the children to the game."

"Why not? Our little scholars have three nights with no classes. When do you think you might do it?”

“Even though it’s a 24-hour fitness center, I want to wait until dusk occurs a little earlier to accommodate my racquetball partner. Maybe at the start of August when the sun will set at 9:15.”

"Speaking of classes, Señor Ávila, Oskar is a big help in geography. He uses what he taught Eli about map reading to give her a way of grasping distances on a globe."

"As for me," Mr. Ávila says, "using her old banknotes gives us markers to hang events on. But like many students, she has doubts about the value of studying history."

"I should imagine so!" The teachers share a laugh.

Mr. Ávila asks, "How is she doing in your English literature class?"

"Very well! Your idea of using the Winnie the Pooh volume works like a charm. She, Oskar, and I voice the different characters, and Eli has a knack for mimicry. Her writing is improving, too, as I introduce her to more complex texts.”

“Yes, I see the improvement in her writing in the Swedish lit class,” Mr. Ávila says.

Professor Grigor adds, “As for her conversational English, I like the idea of our weekly roundtable. It is a good way for the children to polish their English and for us to review their progress in each class."

Mr. Ávila gets up to refill their cups. When he returns from the kitchen, Professor Grigor asks, "Señor Ávila, is this a good time to revisit your plan of enrolling the children in the Lilja International School?"

"Of course, Professor Grigor. You said that you would bring up the subject again."

"Good. Here are my objections—First, it would satisfy a single agency in one out-of-the-way country. Second, it would leave a paper footprint. A Javert could use such records to track the movements of the children. Have you contacted anyone at the school?”

"No, I put that on hold at your request."

"Good, then. Recall what I said to you earlier. You are set up in Malmö for a long stay, which is at odds with the option of leaving quickly if the need were to arise."

"Yes, that has come to mind more than once since that afternoon. I replied then that I know little about police matters."

"Then consider, Señor Ávila—Since Malmö works well for us, only the children would need to disappear should a contingency arise. What would it take for them to seem to be out of the country? They could be anywhere but here."

"You’re implying that we present the children as temporary visitors to Sweden, not as residents.”

“Yes, which would make it irrelevant for most state agencies to be concerned about why Oskar and Eli are not enrolled in school. I favor that kind of smoke-and-mirrors solution—Now you see them, now you don’t."

"Do you have a place in mind?"

"Yes and no. There is my darkroom, and it would be easy to bundle the children into my apartment building without other residents seeing them. However, they would not have the ease of access for their late night rambles that they have here. But there is an option relatively nearby that would be less confining."

"In Malmö?"

"In Copenhagen. I am thinking specifically of a safe room in Freetown. I have a couple who would do that for me and ask no questions. Their names emerged during an investigation I was conducting for the police. One trail led to Copenhagen. Like many residents of Freetown, they are small-time marijuana dealers, but they also dabble in moving stolen goods between Malmö and Copenhagen. Since those activities had no bearing on the case I was pursuing, I promised to keep their names out of my report in exchange for information. They are good people, and they continue to be helpful."

"Well, you said you have surprises for me!"

"I have a few more. Your long-term goal of changing countries periodically is solid, Señor Ávila, inasmuch as the children do not age. So let us talk about additional mobility and flexibility."

"You’re going to pull more rabbits out of the hat, aren’t you?"

Professor Grigor smiles. "As a forensics expert and sometime criminal investigator, I have cultivated contacts with individuals whose activities are outside the law, like the Danish couple."

"Is there no end to your perfidy?"

Professor Grigor smiles modestly. "Nor to your puckish wit. The children will need passports, and we must choose a nationality for them. You have maintained your Spanish citizenship."

"Yes. Following the 1978 vote on the constitution that established Spain as a democracy, I went back in 1979 and applied for a new passport."

"Excellent. Except for the children's lack of Spanish, it would be convenient if they could present as Spanish citizens."

“Then I don't see why our move next year couldn't be to Barcelona. I am still close to my family there. You know the children would learn Spanish quickly.”

“That would be the easiest course. They will also need new names."

"Which I have for them—the names I was going to enroll them under at the Lilja School—Óscar McKay and Elena Ruiz."

"Why these names?"

"Óscar and Elena are so they will know they are being addressed. McKay and Ruiz because these are names of family members who sought asylum outside of Spain at the end of the Civil War—an aunt in Ireland and an uncle in Argentina."

"Señor Ávila, you are starting to show a good instinct for subterfuge. Now, my favorite forger is Zaki. He fled from Cairo to Genoa a number of years ago to avoid war and the burgeoning ill will in Egypt toward non-Muslims. I suspect he may have been fleeing for other reasons as well. I shall contact him, and he will tell us what he needs. Oh, and when I pick up the passports, I shall ask him to make a package for us of the corned beef he prepares.”

“You are like a pearl of great price, Professor Grigor."

“Thank you, Señor Ávila. In that we agree on a nationality for the children, I can work on other documents that will help us—for example, legal documents establishing you as their guardian, and a clinical diagnosis of their skin condition.”

“Their skin condition! You said there is no medically described condition to account for their pallor.”

“There is not. However, a rare but well-understood illness would account for their extreme reaction to sunlight, for why they appear as though their skin is never touched by the sun—pale, although not alabaster.”

“Close enough. What is the condition?”

“Porphyria cutanea tarda. Sunlight causes the skin to blister severely and instantly. Although we know the genetic flaw that causes the condition, there is no cure. Treatment involves ways of reducing excess iron, such as through blood replacement. And this could be of interest, although I do not think knowing it would help the children.”

Mr. Ávila raises a questioning eyebrow.

“PCT has been suggested as the origin of vampire myths. People with the condition avoid the sun and crave iron-rich foods, such as blood and red meat.”

“I see your point, Professor Grigor. The children don’t need to know about the vampire conjecture.”

“Just so. Now, as we build new identities for the children, we shall avoid creating any documents that a single phone call could expose. The medical documentation will bear the name of a Spanish physician I get from an obituary. Dead docs tell no tales.”

“Professor Grigor, in trying to protect the children, it is as though I’ve been feeling my way in the dark.”

“Such is the power of teamwork, Señor Ávila.”

"Yes, and I imagine the team will need to come up with new capital to make this happen."

"Yes. Specifically, cash, and I am reluctant to create bank transactions that coincide with trips out of the country. You did well to combine a loan with small cash repayments when you outfitted the children with photography equipment."

"Eli's old banknotes are a big part of that, but I've hit a snag."

"Oh?"

Mr. Ávila gets up from the table and returns with a collector's catalog and a thick display album filled with Eli's pre-1874 banknotes. He opens the album and turns to the corresponding pages in the catalog.

"Here are Miss Eli's oldest banknotes, and here are catalog photos of the same ones. Some photos show bills that are in good shape, others not so much."

"I see your point. If it were known that these exist in such quantity and in reasonably good condition, the currency museum in Stockholm might want them. And a museum would want proof of their provenance. There is a small fortune here, but I can see the collection will be difficult to move."

"Not impossible?"

"Just difficult. I have contacts who would buy the Mona Lisa if it were to come on the market. An acquaintance who now lives in Kuwait comes to mind."

"My word. One surprise after another."

Professor Grigor again smiles modestly. "It will take a little while, but it will be good to have a reserve. Zaki or any other artisan will want cash, and moving cash by hand will not attract attention. We are talking about relatively small amounts."

"Small?"

"Yes, Señor Ávila. To police investigators, the cash I take to Zaki is small beer. The trick is to make it hard to detect or to trace. Criminals believe that detection of clues is the issue, when in truth an investigator may stumble across a trail through routine police procedures. For that reason, Switzerland can serve as the nexus. Transactions are protected by privacy laws, and from Zürich it is a picturesque train ride to Genoa."

"Okay, Professor Grigor, then I have a surprise of my own. Miss Eli has left hoards of silver coins throughout southern Sweden, especially between here and the Norrköping area."

"Left them?"

"Yes. When they became too heavy to carry around, she just left them in dens she had dug to use as her hideouts. I hope to use the coins to set up a trust fund for the children."

"Switzerland could work for that, too. Do you have a plan for recovering them?"

"Miss Eli says she knows where they are."

"That implies a prodigious memory."

"Not really, Professor Grigor. Miss Eli has forgotten much of her past, but she says hideouts are so important to her survival that she can go back to any hideout she ever had. When the days grow short and the nights long, I'll drive the back roads of Scania and southern Sweden letting Miss Eli guide me. The sun sets so early in winter that we can start these treasure hunts in the afternoon."

"I see. It would be early enough that you would not have to explain why an old man is driving in the woods at night with a child. By then, however, we shall have completed the other transactions, so you will have a copy of their medical diagnosis as well as bona fides establishing you as the children's guardian."

Mr. Ávila bows his head in thought. At last he looks up. “Professor Grigor, when the children and I put this Malmö adventure together, it had more holes in it than cheese from La Mancha. So much could go wrong, exposing Oskar and Eli to danger and seriously inconveniencing me.”

“As in being in prison would be inconvenient.”

“Yes. But having you as part of the family makes it seem as though we can keep this going and keep the children reasonably safe while we’re doing it.”

“I agree, Señor Ávila. The four of us make a formidable team, do we not?”

Throughout the rest of July and into August, Professor Grigor works to establish the children’s new identities, but he will first need to move Eli’s oldest banknotes. He can use the proceeds from that to open accounts in the children’s new names in Zürich, with Señor Ávila and himself as trustees. The account balance will be substantial, and it will grow.

Professor Grigor phones Zaki to find out what information he needs for the passports and other documents. By the end of August, Mr. Ávila will have the documentation that shows he is the children’s guardian, and the children will have passports that will make travel easier when the need arises. Just as important, the passports will bear a visa stamp that shows the children entered Sweden, that they are visitors, not residents.

When Professor Grigor returns from Genoa with the documents, he and Mr. Ávila enjoy the corned beef Zaki prepared for them—simple fare that these two down-to-earth grownups appreciate.

Racquetball

While the professor was away taking care of business with Zaki, Mr. Ávila decided it was time to introduce the children to racquetball.

As soon as they enter the gym, Eli says, "Gyah, Oskar, it's shiny! I had the idea it would look like your school gym in Blackeberg!"

"Yeah, it's sparkly like the camera shop. Remember? So cool looking."

The expanse of chrome, glass, and stainless steel exaggerates sounds and lends a sharp quality to voices and to the slap of sharply hit leather or rubber. The center has its own smells—steam from the sauna, chlorine from the pool, wet towels, and damp sweatshirts. Mr. Ávila keeps quiet as Eli's eyes dart everywhere. Her demeanor is somber and focused.

It's the first week of August, so they can start playing early enough to accommodate his racquetball partner. As they approach the court, Mr. Ávila says, "Bengt agreed to stay late so you can watch us through the plate glass doors. Compare the rules we went over to what you see us do, okay?"

He introduces Oskar and Eli to Bengt Isaksson, a younger man with an easygoing demeanor that doesn't stop him from playing hard on the court. The two men play three furious games while the children watch, fascinated. They see the rules in action, and they see that they can only play if they dial back their strength and speed. After Bengt says goodnight, Mr. Ávila lets them onto the court so they can use his racket to get a feel for hitting the ball. He wants the kids to play at normal speeds before Bengt sees them in action.

The following week drags by until they can play again, and Eli says more than once, “I wish we could go to the gym every night.” But Mr. Ávila keeps them focused on their schoolwork. They manage to endure until it's time for their second visit.

When they get to the court area, Mr. Ávila opens his gym bag. “You did well last week. Here.” He presents them with eye protection and their own rackets.

With his guidance, Oscar and Eli practice the control it takes to keep from swinging the racket so hard it destroys the ball, and it isn't long before they move at normal human speeds instead of so quickly that their moves are a blur. He serves them easy shots until he is satisfied they don't move like spooky aliens. To the kids, it feels like slow motion.

When they have free time, the children take their cameras and resume their walking tours of Limhamn as a replacement for their photo trips into Malmö. Some nights their walks take them past the Limhamn Players Theater, but it’s late and the theater is dark.

By the fourth visit to the gym, Oskar and Eli play complete games with Mr. Ávila, and by the fifth week he allows them to play against each other under his watchful eye. Much of their energy goes into shrieking with excitement and yelling at each other. Oskar tries to distract Eli by teasing her—“Let’s go, shorty” and “Who knew shrimps could play racquetball?” He tones it down after Eli reaches her limit and drills him in the chest with a shot that achieves a significant fraction of Mach 1.

But Oskar heals fast.

The Theater

On the first of September, Oskar and Eli stand timidly in the doorway of the Limhamn Players Theater until an actor notices them and says in a clear but quiet voice, "John. Visitors."

John steps out of his tiny office and, walking toward the front of the hall, he calls out, "Hi! Come in! Looks like you have a night off from your studies."

They enter and Oskar says, "Hi, John, Cool place!" although he thinks that theater sounds a bit grand for a converted storefront.

Eli waves to Denise, who hurries to join them.

"John and I were wondering about you two. I remember you said you were tied up through August."

"Yeah, we knew our classes would take up a lot of time," Oskar says, "but our schedule has settled down now we’re into September. Anyway, we walked by here a few times..."

"...but it was kind of late and the lights were off," Eli finishes.

Denise asks, "Do you guys ever go anywhere without your cameras?" Or without each other, she thinks, noting how close they seem, even finishing each other's sentences, just as she and John often do.

Oskar and Eli look at each other and shrug. "I guess not," Oskar says, and Eli adds, "Our cameras are kind of who we are."

The hall is empty except for groups of two or three actors sitting on folding chairs and reading scripts or talking animatedly. Folding chairs also serve as makeshift tables for paper cups and sandwich wrappers.

John calls out, "Hey guys, come meet our neighbors." The nearest actors come over to introduce themselves, smile, and then return to what they were doing. Actors sitting farther away just wave.

John continues, "We're between productions, so most members of the troupe haven't started coming in yet."

Denise says, "Let us show you the theater!" She takes Eli's hand and the two of them stroll toward the back of the hall while Oskar and John continue to chat near the door.

Oskar glances at the folding chairs stacked against the walls. "I remember you said your theater seats a 150 people."

"Yes, and that works for us. The acoustics are poor, but at least there aren’t any good seats."

Oskar laughs.

"We make up for the limited seating by having a lot of shows. And it's cheap. The best seats are only a hundred kronor."

"How much are the cheap seats?"

"A hundred kronor."

Oskar laughs good-naturedly.

Meanwhile, as Eli and Denise walk hand in hand toward the low stage, Eli gestures to the posters running the length of the theater on both walls. "I love these, Denise."

"Artistic members silk-screened every production, right from the beginning."

"There are so many."

"Yes, and lots more are in storage in case we ever move to a bigger location. The Limhamn Players have performed here for a long time, but John and I only joined three years ago. It's where we met. The members asked us to run the theater right after that."

Denise notices Eli's puzzled look. "Oh, we didn't say. John directs the plays and I manage the business side."

They reach the back of the hall, which ends at a low stage. "What are the little rooms for?"

"Stage left is the dressing room, such as it is, and stage right is John's office until we need it for costumes or whatever."

"Where does the door go?"

"That opens to the alley. We put scenery in front of it and use the door for changing sets. We store scenery in the alley so we can make quick changes during the play."

"Is that safe?"

"We pay a young man from the neighborhood to stand guard. He's as big and strong as a Viking."

"What happens if it rains?"

"Which it does a lot in Malmö. Then we have to move the scenery inside. That makes the stage so crowded that the proscenium—the part of the stage on the audience side of the curtain—gets shrunk down, and the audience gets to watch while we change sets between acts."

Proscenium, Eli thinks, and adds another word to her vocabulary.

John and Oskar have drifted to the middle of the hall as they talk, and Denise and Eli join them.

Eli asks, "What is it the different members do?"

John answers, "Just about all of us have two or more jobs, like designing and making sets..."

Denise adds, "...and designing costumes."

"...and after the play opens, running the lights and the curtains..."

"...and most of the troupe play at least one character," Denise continues.

"Right. In a play with lots of parts, some play two characters,” John says.

“Pretty much every Shakespeare play has lots of parts.”

“You're right about that, Oskar. John often cuts out scenes so we can lose a few characters."

“Yes, and in plays where the characters wear masks, multiple roles are easier."

"Even with cutting out characters," Denise says, "our dressing room is bedlam during scene changes and between acts.”

John adds, "Our seamstress Sassa not only makes all the costumes, but we could never handle all the costume changes without her help..."

"...and without the help of Velcro," Denise says with a laugh. "It's good that Sassa came up with that idea. Other theaters aren't so squeezed for space."

Eli turns to Oskar. “This sounds like so much fun!” Turning back to Denise, she asks, “I don't guess there's stuff kids can do, is there?”

“Oh my yes. We never have enough bodies…”

“…which always makes opening night an adventure,” John adds.

Eli asks, “Do you need anybody to take pictures?”

Do we! We have to get by with Denise's old Instamatic for publicity shots.”

"Very old," Denise says in a stage whisper, and the children laugh.

“Hey, that reminds me.” Oskar opens his camera bag. “Here are the shots we took of you guys in front of the Victoria.”

They look closely at the 8x10s, and John says, “You kids are as serious about photography as you seem to be. These shots are terrific. Nobody could have done a better job—I mean nobody.”

Oskar and Eli look at each other and grin. They only have Professor Grigor’s word for it that they’re good photographers.

“What else could we do?” Eli asks. “We can run a vacuum cleaner.”

“And we could help move scenery and stuff. We’re strong like an elephant.”

Eli gets up in Oskar’s face. “Enough with the elephant jokes. I happen to know what the word facetious means now.”

Denise laughs. “You’re a lively pair! What do you think about playing a role? Oskar, your rendition of Romeo when we met you guys was, um, interesting.”

Oskar and Eli look at each other. Denise's question was unexpected, but, as usual, they are on the same page and both start to answer.

“We have to…”

“Our classes are…”

The kids laugh at their awkward response. “Let’s start over. My Romeo might work if Romeo were 12. But what nights are you guys here? Our class nights aren’t carved in stone.” Oskar doesn't know this, so he crosses his fingers behind his back when he says it.

Denise turns to John. “Do you think it’s too early to talk to them about our fall production?”

“Not at all. Everybody agreed on the play at our meeting...”

"...and you've already cast a few roles."

Denise turns to the children. “We’re doing A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and we're doing the production in English. And get this—It has fun roles that just have a few lines..."

"...like the fairies, and we don't have anyone to play them yet," John says.

Eli's eyes grow big. "You mean we could be in a play?"

"Sure! John, it looks as though we have two of our fairies. Welcome to the glamorous world of treading the boards!"

John says, "Two fairies in addition to Ingrid, of course. She has two big scenes playing Fairy to Edvin's Puck."

“Who is Ingrid?” Denise notices the serious look on Eli's face.

“Oh—Ingrid. She's our seamstress’ niece," John says. "She’s 14 and pretty as a fairy.”

Eli says nothing, but she thinks, Pretty as a fairy is she? She remembers her flash of jealousy when Oskar teased her about "picking up a few babes" on his journey to Blackeberg, even though he was just making it up to bug her.

Oskar says, “Wow, I can see where star struck comes from. I’m way excited. But Eli and I have to talk. We're doing a lot of stuff right now. I mean not counting our classes. If it looks like a go, then we have to see what our teachers think about it.”

John and Denise walk the children to the door. John shakes hands with Oskar, and Denise gives Eli a warm hug.

As they begin their walk home from the theater, Eli says, "John and Denise are so nice. I want to spend time with them even if we aren’t in the play."

"But you want to be, don't you? I mean, if it's easy, like just a few lines?"

"I want to, Oskar, but isn't it scary? I mean, all those people looking at us?"

"Er, I didn't think about that. But, yeah, I want to anyway. They would let us practice on the stage before we had to do it for real."

“No, Oskar, I mean how pale we are. Won’t people make fun of us?”

“Hm. I think we need to be upfront about that with John and Denise.”

"Okay then, but how about this—Can we do it? How much time will it take?"

"Good question, Eli. More like how many nights will it take."

"Right, Oskar. We've got classes and homework four nights..."

"...and racquetball one night..."

"...and the sun sets early enough now so that we could start shooting again in Malmö..."

"...so we keep shooting in Limhamn instead. Like at the theater," Oskar counters.

"Okay. The photography part’s easy. Anyway, we don't have classes or racquetball tomorrow. We can go back and hang out."

"Yeah, Eli, we don't even know when they’re going to do the play. Looks like it will be a while since not many people were there."

"Now, what will Mr. Ávila think about us hanging out with normal people?"

"What do you mean?"

"I guess I'm thinking about how bent out of shape Håkan got when I started being friends with you."

"He did?"

"Oskar! Don't you remember how creepy he looked when he was watching us play in the courtyard?"

"But Eli, that's when I just thought he was your dad, like making sure you were okay or whatever."

"Nope. He didn't like it because, you know, if people found out I live off blood, we would have to move again. Oskar, after we left Blackeberg, we didn't talk about him."

"Because when I found out he wasn’t your dad, I kind of didn’t want to.”

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know...it just started to sound weird."

Eli doesn’t respond, but she thinks, I guess it's okay if Oskar doesn't know everything about the helpers I've had.

“But, Eli, you mean Mr. Ávila would worry about us being around normal people?”

“Yes. He set up this whole deal in Malmö so people wouldn’t wonder about us.”

“Eli, he knew we were going to check out the theater tonight. It can't be too big of a deal or he would have said something."

"Yeah. Håkan sure would have."

They reach home, let themselves in, and call out hi.

"Hang on, Eli. We need to look at something in the kitchen."

Oskar takes down the astronomical calendar and tapes it lower on the fridge to be at their eye level.

"Here’s where we are today. Sunset is about 8:00. In two weeks, it's 7:30. By October it sets at 5:45."

"I get that Oskar. I have a built-in clock so I don't have to think about it."

"Yeah but this is to help us plan. We'll soon be able to do racquetball or the theater really early. Or our classes could maybe start early. It gives us something to play with figuring out how we can do all three."

Oh yeah, planning. I have to work on that. “You're smart Oskar. Let's see what Mr. Ávila thinks!"

They go into his room to say hello, and Eli says, "Guess what, Mr. Ávila!"

"Let's see...something good happened at the theater, right?"

"We might be in a play!"

"My word, Miss Eli, that was quick."

"But small roles," Oskar says. "We might get to play fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream."

"And we might get to help keep the theater looking clean!" Eli says, with the same level of enthusiasm.

"I'd say somebody has got the theater bug. Tell me all about it."

They tell him how small the theater is and that it's been a theater for a long time. They say how nice John and Denise are, and Mr. Ávila says they looked like a nice couple in the photos.

"Okay, then, how will this work with your classes and racquetball?"

"We don't know, Mr. Ávila," Oskar says. "We want to go back tomorrow night and find out more. We talked about it on the way home. We decided we won't shoot in Malmö this fall, but we can take pictures for the theater. We can do racquetball one night and our classes four nights."

"Yeah," Eli says, "but we probably want to be at the theater more than just two nights."

Oskar continues, "We looked at the calendar on the fridge. Sunset is earlier and earlier. Couldn't we double up a couple of nights, like do our classes earlier?"

"We'll see. Professor Grigor and I agree that learning goes faster if the subjects are interesting."

"Does that mean we don't have to keep studying history?" Eli asks with a bright smile.

"Sorry, little one. What it means is you will learn more outside of class than in class because that's where your interests will lie. When you go back to the theater, try to find out how much time you'll need.

"So, you're willing to put off your photo excursions to Malmö. Let's see what Professor Grigor and I can work out."

Eli hugs Mr. Ávila and gives him a big kiss on the top of his bald head.

Their Game

Oskar and Eli's excitement about the theater rivals their love of racquetball, and Mr. Ávila and Professor Grigor wisely adjust class schedules to accommodate these two exciting interests.

Even before they achieve an acceptable level of control on the racquetball court, Bengt starts pestering Mr. Ávila to let the kids play him. Mr. Ávila knows their game would still be unfocused, and he doesn't want them to experience play that isn't focused and precise.

To that end, when he is confident that the kids have the control required to play full games at normal human strength and speed, Mr. Ávila takes them a step back and introduces them to finesse, the fine points of serves, returns, and volleys so the ball goes where the shot will be most effective. When the children combine strength, speed, focus, and accuracy—four areas of control—their games are thrilling to watch.

No one is more thrilled than Oscar and Eli. They love racquetball. It's their game.

When their skills are where Mr. Ávila thinks they should be, he agrees they can play Bengt. After all, he knows control alone is not enough—The children must polish their finesse techniques through play. The whole package will take them to a new level, but getting there requires practice and presence of mind.

At first, Mr. Ávila and Bengt use their experience and skill to beat the children, but that doesn't last. Once they put superb control together with playing experienced opponents, they are invincible, although Mr. Ávila and Bengt enjoy the challenge of trying. Playing doubles with the children on opposing sides adds interest to the games. When they play back for long returns and volleys, they have to use all of the presence of mind two 12-year-olds can muster to avoid putting the grownups at risk.

Because they play so late, few members of the center witness their awesome skills, and Mr. Ávila won't let any of those few sign up to challenge them.