Yrsa Sigurðardóttir: The Silence of the Sea

They both yawned and smiled at each other. ‘Let’s go,’ said Arna.

They tried their best to move quietly after leaving the cabin but their constant shushing of each other made more noise than their light footsteps along the corridor and up the stairs, or the sound of their opening and closing the doors. They were completely unprepared for the blast of wind that struck them as they emerged into the open air; Arna dropped the book and it fluttered along the deck, driven by the gale, until it halted by the rail. Arna ran after it, but the book lifted into the air and vanished into the darkness. There was a faint splash.

Arna ran up and peered over the rail. As Bylgja followed, it dawned on her that the yacht was stationary. It was wallowing in the waves but not making any progress. She slowed down as she considered this, so arrived after Arna at the rail. ‘Can you see the book?’ She squinted into the night but could see nothing. The boat’s lights did not reach far enough. Arna did not reply. She was standing rigidly, pointing at something that Bylgja couldn’t make out. ‘What? What is it?’

‘Daddy!’ Arna’s voice was filled with utter despair but the wind whipped her shriek out to sea.

Bylgja spotted a long, black shadow floating close to the side of the ship. Grateful that she wasn’t wearing her glasses, she recoiled from the rail before she could distinguish any details. ‘I don’t want to see him,’ she said, turning away. Arna copied her example and they stood side by side, their backs to the horrific sight floating on the surface of the sea below. Their world had fallen apart and there was nothing left. No one would miss the book and there was no one left to take care of them now. They had no father or mother and nothing would ever be good again. Neither of them were aware of how long they stood there contemplating their wretched fate. They no longer felt the cold, and the wind that tore at their hair did not bother them.

When Arna eventually spoke, Bylgja wished more than anything to be left in peace. It would be best if they could stand there until they caught their death of cold.

‘Bylgja, do you remember Tom and Jerry?’ Arna’s voice sounded normal, although tears were pouring down her cheeks.

‘Yes.’ Bylgja couldn’t move, couldn’t weep, couldn’t scream or do anything but answer mechanically. It was as if she were no longer herself but a different person.

‘They fell in the sea, then went up to heaven. Perhaps we should do that too. Become angels in white dresses with wings, and see Mummy and Daddy again.’

‘I don’t care.’

‘I don’t want that bad man to kill us, Bylgja. If we jump in the sea we’ll escape and be with them. Mummy must be there too somewhere.’

‘Yes.’ Bylgja felt Arna take her hand and lead her to the rail. She was still carrying her father’s briefcase but now she raised it aloft and threw it over the side. The case opened on the way down and countless pieces of green paper flew up in the air over their heads like a flock of birds.

They clambered onto the rail and perched there briefly. ‘Are you cold?’ Arna took her sister’s hand again.

‘No. You?’

‘No. Just tired. I want to be with Mummy and Daddy.’

‘Me too. I don’t want to stay here any longer.’

Their eyes met and they smiled.

Last Rituals

My Soul to Take

Ashes to Dust

The Day is Dark

I Remember You

Someone to Watch Over Me

Yrsa Sigurdardóttir works as a civil engineer in Reykjavik. The Silence of the Sea is her seventh adult novel.

First published in Great Britain in 2014 by Hodder & Stoughton

An Hachette UK company

Copyright © Yrsa Sigurdardóttir 2014

English translation © Victoria Cribb 2014

The right of Yrsa Sigurdardóttir to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library

eBook ISBN 978 1 444 73447 8

Trade paperback ISBN 978 1 444 73446 1

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