The Birds

by Tarjei Vesaas

  Thank God, said a voice inside him.

  Bewildered as he was he knew that he wouldn’t have missed this for anything. They didn’t realize who he was, he could sit here and be someone else. On the strength of this he succumbed to the temptation and looked at them openly as they lay there dozing.

  What was it?

  Strange, that was all. Unbelievable.

  Can’t last, either.

  Smelling a sweet smell I’ve always known about.

  Actually seeing this.

  Soon afterward he gave a start: he saw Anna looking at him out of the corner of her eye – the eye nearest to him was peeping out through a crack. He turned away as if he’d been stung.

  I’ve never been tempted before. What’ll Hege say now?

  The storm raged in him unabated. No one moved. The naked bodies gave off their sweet smell.

  After a while Mattis spoke, and a shudder ran down his spine: “Per,” he said. It wasn’t directed to anyone in particular.

  Anna opened her eyes wide, and raised herself up a little, right next to him.

  “What did you say?”

  “Per.”

  It was awful, but he did it, couldn’t resist any longer

  Inger was quicker than Anna, it seemed. She sat up a little. Knew right away what Mattis was talking about.

  “So his name’s Per. He’s told us after all then, like we insisted.”

  A smile spread across Anna’s face.

  “Of course! Hello there Per. Nice of you to tell us finally.”

  Mattis nodded, horrified at himself.

  “Now we’ll row you ashore. A promise is a promise. But let’s stay here and enjoy ourselves a bit longer first, eh Per?” said Anna.

  “Yes, of course,” Inger answered for him. It was frightening the way Inger saw into his mind and could guess his wishes. Mattis felt as if he were walking on air.

  “Just think, if Hege—” he began, and stopped short. “Nothing!” he said.

  But they’d heard all right.

  “Who’s Hege? Your girlfriend?”

  “My girlfriend? No, my sister. But it’s not like—” and he stopped short again. “Nothing at all, do you hear! Things move along perfectly fine at home, as long as you’re really sharp-witted, and Hege is.”

  “I’m sure she is,” said Inger.

  “Heavens, yes! If only one was really sharp-witted the whole time,” said Anna, “things would be easy then.”

  “Yes, so you felt like a freshly sharpened knife,” said Mattis, playing with dangerous words.

  “Ugh yes!” they both replied together.

  Be careful now, Mattis, a warning voice in the background seemed to be murmuring. A rather insistent murmur too – but this would never happen again. I mustn’t behave like this, deceiving people. I know I mustn’t. But it’s only this once.

  “What’s done can’t be undone,” he said in a loud and serious voice. Continuing his train of thought.

  “Yes, that’s rather a sharp-witted remark, too,” said Inger patiently.

  Was this happiness? Happiness had come to him on a bare, rocky island, without any kind of warning. He hadn’t done anything to bring it about. He could even make sharp-witted remarks.

  There lay the two girls, who weren’t a bit afraid of him. They were so near, he could have put out his hand and touched them. The sun was turning them golden brown for him, had been shining on them for fourteen days.

  He had to do something. And it had to be something out of the ordinary.

  “Anna and Inger,” he said in a soft voice. Said both their names for the first time.

  They raised themselves up on their elbows, compelled by the earnestness of his voice and the gleam in his eyes.

  “Yes? We’re listening,” they said, expectantly.

  If anyone had ever spoken their names with affection, it was now. They answered straight away, humbly: Yes, we’re listening. This was no ordinary moment.

  And Mattis was complete master of the situation. Sat looking at the two girls. He spoke gently, to avoid upsetting anything.

  “That was all.”

  With those words everything seemed to have been said. The girls, too, seemed to feel he’d said the thing they were longing most of all to hear. He’d put it in a form they accepted.

  “Per,” they said in return. Looked up into his helpless face, which had suddenly become transformed. Despite its miserable and awkward appearance there was something beautiful beyond all description. None of them stirred.

  It couldn’t last. Mattis knew it couldn’t. The storm that was threatening in the background began to catch up with him. He must be tough and tear himself away.

  “Anna and Inger,” he said in a new tone of voice that made them uneasy.

  “What is it?” Anna asked, a little frightened.

  “Just as we were lying here so comfortably,” said Inger, “can’t we carry on?”

  Anna looked around her: the lake, the shores, the blue haze, the ridges – her own fragrant body was no doubt included as well. Suddenly she turned to Mattis, full of it all: “If this isn’t paradise you’re living in, then I don’t know what is,” she said, nervous under his strong gaze.

  “It’s not so easy living here,” Mattis blurted out.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t know anything!” he said. “You’re sitting here thinking something different from what I’m thinking.”

  A frowning expression came over their faces.

  “About what?”

  “Do you notice anything peculiar about me?” he asked. He couldn’t leave the subject alone.

  Anna said firmly and decisively: “We don’t want to know anything more than what we know already, Per, so please stop it!”

  And Inger said: “Yes. Please stop it!”

  This shut him up, and not only him: it put an end to the murmuring in the background as well. He didn’t need to be tough on himself any longer. What wonderful girls there were.

  “Well, that’s alright then,” he answered. “If you don’t say anything, nothing’s said.”

  He thought that must have been a rather sharp-witted remark.

  They nodded, too.

  Then they started laughing – freed from something that had been awkward and embarrassing, yet moving as well. They dabbled their toes in the water.

  “We’re very glad you were here on the island today,” said Inger.

  Mattis looked at Anna, expectantly.

  “Me too,” said Anna quickly.

  “Me too,” said Mattis, quite unconcernedly.

  “And now we’ll row you home, like the kind girls we are,” they said to him, and got up almost blinding him again.

  22

  ANNA AND INGER pushed their boat into the water. It lay there bobbing up and down, strong and sturdy, only just touching the surface, it was so light when it was empty.

  “Come on, Per.”

  “But what about this?” said Mattis, pointing to his own waterlogged wreck. “I must take it with me, or I’ll never get out on the lake again.”

  “But how can we manage?”

  Mattis knew how. On this occasion he was quite confident.

  “I’ll take command,” he said. “But you must do exactly what I tell you.”

  He stood full of gratitude for what had happened. He told the girls to get into the water and then they’d all rock the boat backward and forward so that the water would splash over the side. They managed to do it just the way he wanted, got some of the water out so the little boat began to float. Then he got them to rock the boat by themselves while he tugged at the mooring rope.

  They struggled and rocked and pulled – and eventually they got the boat halfway out of the water.

  The girls liked this heavy work, they laughed and laughed, went and fetched a decent scoop and bailed the boat properly. There was a hole a little way up on one side, but Mattis thought of something at once, pulled off one of his socks and stood poking bits of it
into the hole with his knife.

  “That’ll do as long as there’s nobody in it,” he said, “this place’ll be above the water then.”

  He felt quite dizzy busying himself with all this right under their eyes, and succeeding as well.

  And Anna said too: “We can see you know all about boats.”

  Mattis laughed proudly.

  “Just wait a bit,” he said.

  He had a great secret he was soon going to tell them: he was an expert rower, too. And he was going to insist on having the oars.

  His own boat was tied to the girls’ by the mooring rope. Inger was already sitting down and taking hold of the oars in her accustomed way.

  “Oh no you don’t!” said Mattis. “It’s me who’s going to do the rowing of course.”

  “Is it?”

  What a moment this was.

  “Yes, maybe I know even more about rowing!”

  “Well, of course, then, you’d obviously better row. And besides you’re a man.”

  “That’s true,” he said.

  “And I know a lot about stopping up holes,” he added.

  “Yes, there’s no doubt you’ll have to give way, Inger,” said Anna.

  Inger sat down beside Anna in the back of the boat. Mattis, as the master, took up the oars.

  “I didn’t want to tell you about this really,” he said to the girls. He felt so sure of himself at the moment a fresh fib didn’t really matter.

  “About what?”

  “The rowing, of course.”

  Mattis was bubbling over with confidence. He’d never been so glad about being able to row before. He even felt he could match himself against the clever ones, if need be. He set off with long, steady strokes.

  “Nice piece of work,” he said.

  “Our boat?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “What else?” he asked when he’d had time to think it over.

  They laughed, relieved and happy.

  “Oh, nothing else.”

  “Well, you can land wherever you like,” said Inger. “We’re in no particular hurry, all we’ve got to do is get back home in time for supper, and we’re only lazing about here anyway.”

  “I’ve set my course,” Mattis replied curtly.

  This was how it should be. This was what he ought to have been able to say about so many things: I know all about this. And: I’ve set my course. And much more. His strokes slackened and became uneven.

  “Hey, wake up!” they shouted at him.

  He gave a start. The girls looked inclined to tease him.

  “You almost fell asleep, Per.”

  “Oh shoot!” he said, stifling his dream.

  The boat in the tow came bobbing and bouncing behind them, got along quite well as long as there was nobody in it.

  Mattis looked at the girls. They could have little idea of what they’d done for him today.

  “Anna and Inger,” he said, from the bottom of his heart.

  They looked at him expectantly. It was the tone of his voice. But he said no more.

  “Now make sure you row in a dead straight line after all that boasting,” they said, playing with their toes in the bottom of the boat. They somehow felt that this strange person had managed to thank them for something, and their sense of joy went right down to their toes.

  “I always row dead straight, it’s the only thing I can do,” Mattis blurted out, and gave a start – but fortunately they didn’t seem to have heard this last careless remark.

  “Bah,” they said.

  At first Mattis steered straight for home. Then he thought of a better plan: he’d row where there were people. He wanted to be seen with the girls, this was an opportunity not to be missed. He’d put in at the old pier by the store, where there were lots of houses all around. There was bound to be someone walking past who’d see this unusual landing.

  I’ll arrive like a prince, he thought. All who wish may come and watch.

  “We’ll row up to the pier by the store where I do my shopping first,” he announced, “there are bound to be people there who’ll see us.”

  “People who see us? What’s the point of that?” they asked together.

  He didn’t understand.

  “Don’t tell me you’re conceited, Per?” asked Inger, letting her forefinger trail lazily in the water as they rowed along.

  “Conceited?” he said, mystified.

  He saw Anna make a sign to Inger. Inger said quickly:

  “Of course we’ll land wherever it suits you best, not another word about it.”

  Behind Mattis the wake of the boat lay as straight as a die. Now it swung round abruptly as he changed course for the pier and people. Above him the day towered like a great arch.

  Hege won’t believe a word of this when I get home. I ought to have rowed them there as well. But arriving at the pier like this is top of the list, all the same.

  “The very top of the list,” he said in a loud voice, deliberately making it sound meaningless.

  “What do you mean, Per?”

  “Today, of course! Day of all days.”

  Things were working properly inside his head.

  “Very nicely put,” they said. They kept on praising him for the things he said.

  Inger said: “We will remember today, too, Per.”

  But her words cast a shadow over Mattis. Remember. They were going to go away, were going to remember this meeting somewhere else, in a strange place, without him. That must never be!

  The girls had begun to pay close attention to him by now, and Anna asked at once: “Anything wrong?”

  He gave a might pull at the oars, and then another. Inger realized at once what she ought to say.

  “Surely you can see there’s nothing the matter with him, Anna.”

  She’s the really clever one, Mattis thought, and gazed enraptured at Inger.

  Yes, he was looking straight at them now – even though they were almost naked. The shyness he had felt on the island had vanished, they were like old friends now.

  “Anna and Inger,” he said from where he sat.

  They waited.

  Nothing more. It was enough.

  The pier and the houses were rapidly drawing nearer. Mattis increased the speed still more. It was a difficult choice: if he rowed slowly, this wonderful moment would last even longer – if he rowed at top speed, the girls would be gone sooner, but they’d remember what a great rower he was. He chose the latter, all things considered.

  “Gosh! are we going to go even faster, Per?” the girls asked, delighted.

  He’d made the right choice.

  “We can never go too fast,” said Mattis, “but you wouldn’t understand that. Now have a look, as you’re facing that way, and see if you can spot anyone on the pier, or on the road near by.”

  “Don’t see anybody, but then we’re too far away.”

  Anna saw something: “There goes a car.”

  “Cars don’t count,” said Mattis, “they just rush past without seeing anything.”

  After a little while Anna said, from her lookout post:

  “There’s a man standing on the pier now – but I can’t see which way he’s facing.”

  Inger added: “Someone’s just come out of the store, Per. It looks as though there’s going to be a reception.”

  “Now they’ve gone, Per, both of them.”

  Mattis was being peppered with information. He heaved and strained at the oars, more than was good for him. But he had to make this landing look impressive, whatever the cost. Never again in his whole life would he have the chance of arriving in such style, with two radiant girls sitting in the boat.

  “People have seen us now,” said Anna. “There are a couple of boys standing staring at us. We can see things better now, how big they are, and which way people are facing and everything.”

  “Oh, boys,” sad Mattis coldly, “we don’t want too many of them.”

  “Someone on a bike has just stopped.”

/>   “No, he’s going into the store.”

  “Oh, well. Still, things have started happening,” said Mattis earnestly. He was beginning to feel very tired, and his arms were numb. Fast rowing like this was not his forte, but he wasn’t going to give in now. He gave a quick glance over his shoulder, saw a number of people on the pier. And then he directed all his attention to keeping the wake dead straight to the very last.

  More people had stopped and were beginning to congregate on the pier now – when they saw it was Simple Simon, but a Simple Simon quite unlike the one they knew. And it was a landing worth stopping for: like some triumphant victor from distant shores the shining boat came gliding in in the glittering sun, and in the back sat two golden girls, waving with lazy, friendly gestures in the direction of the pier. And Mattis was in command, knew everything about rowing, steered safely and securely, anything but a simpleton.

  Everything was going off perfectly, down to the very last detail.

  Mattis’s own boat was still in tow, but it had taken in some water, which made the going heavier. All the same, Mattis managed to keep his speed up until he was forced to turn to avoid the supports under the pier. No one watching realized how close he had come to exhaustion – but anyway, his strength was returning now, in the sheer excitement and joy of it all.

  There was quite a little crowd waiting on the pier to receive them. Five or six, at least. And how many those six could tell the story afterward! That was the point. Six times six times six. At least.

  Mattis had had time to consider how he was going to round the whole thing off, and now the moment had arrived. As the boat glided in toward the edge of the pier, the master rose with dignity from his seat and laid down the oars on either side of him.

  “Well, you’ll have to take over yourselves now, girls,” he said quietly, but loud enough for everybody to hear. “We’ve reached land.”

  “They can see that for themselves, I should think,” came the glib rejoinder from a boy. But he was silenced at once by a voice from the crowd.

  “Oh shut up!”

  “Now I just want my boat back,” Mattis continued, turning toward the girls.

  There was a radiant smile on the girls’ faces.