Sven Hansen-Löve Harmless Words (Translated by Simon Rogghe)
We
were both barely ten
years old when I first heard him pronounce those words. The summer was nearing its end. I was playing chess in the large living room with my brother Alcibiade. One single year separated us – he was the eldest and had been able to use this in order to wield his authority over me. I was battling the sticky situation in which he had entangled me in a fierce game of chess. I had made the mistake of accepting his cunning present, and now my king was trapped (Timeo Danaos et donna ferantes... I fear the Greeks even when they bear gifts – now this might have been useful!). We were all startled by a rumbling noise. The windows trembled under the effect of a
violent gust. The air got colder, causing a general stupor among the company, accentuated by a concert of clanking windows. The whole dynasty on the distaff side of the family was present: numerous uncles, aunts and cousins. The scene played itself out during the course of the family reunion which my mother organized every year. Only my father remained undisturbed, rooted in his armchair from which he hadn’t separated in several months. My grandmother, haggard from her recent nap, had joined us. It was obvious that a sizable storm was incipient, a surprising fact – during this time of the year the climate in the pampas was mild and not prone to storms. One of my aunts exclaimed: “Little Elsie has disappeared!”. We all became aware that we could no
longer hear my little cousin who usually produced the effect of a verbal waterfall. Everyone, except for my dad, began to search for her around the villa. He, on the other hand, didn’t blink, taking satisfaction in expediting his orders like a colonel from his headquarters: “Have you thought about looking under the beds? ”, or “Who has been to look in the attic? ”. A most absurd idea since Elsie could never have gotten up there by herself. We came back to the evidence: she had to be outside. In no way was this reassuring: the storm was on it’s way. This analysis wreaked loose fearful tears from the ones helping to look for her. My first cousin had fainted, but she passed out all the time. I also noticed that Alcibiade was nowhere to be seen. The rain began to fall, heavy and menacing. My uncles had already begun to arm themselves with rifles, flashlights and even machetes, which seemed like a rather exaggerated or at least