Lars Kepler - The Hypnotist

Benjamin peers down at his body. A large bruise has appeared on his knee. If his mother saw that, she’d go crazy, he thinks.

Marek is staring out the window as usual. He inhales deeply through his nose and spits on the window in the direction of Jussi’s body, out in the snow. Annbritt is slumped at the table. She is trying to stop crying; she swallows, clears her throat, and makes a hiccuping sound. When she came out and saw Lydia kill Jussi, she screamed and screamed until Marek pointed the gun at her and said he would kill her if she made one more sound.

There is no sign of Lydia. Benjamin thinks hard for a moment, then painfully raises himself into a sitting position. He says hoarsely, “Marek, I need to tell you something.”

Marek looks over at Benjamin with eyes as black as peppercorns; then he gets down on the floor and starts doing push-ups. “What do you want, you little shit?”

Benjamin swallows, his throat agonizingly sore. “Jussi told me Lydia’s going to kill you,” he says. “She was going to take him first, then Annbritt, then you.”

Marek continues with his push-ups, counting under his breath, and gets up with a sigh. “You’re a funny little shit, aren’t you.”

“He said she only wants me. She wants to be alone with me. It’s true.”

“Oh, is it really?”

“Yes. Jussi said she told him what she was going to do. She was going to start by killing him, and now he’s- ”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“Are you just going to sit here waiting until it’s your turn?” Benjamin asks. “She doesn’t care about you. She thinks this would be a better family if it was just me and her.”

“Did Jussi really say she was going to kill me?” Marek asks.

“I promise, she’s going to- ”

Marek laughs loudly. “I’ve already heard everything anyone can say to avoid pain,” he says with a grin. “All the promises, all the tricks, all the deals, and all the ruses.” He turns indifferently to face the window.

Benjamin sighs. He’s trying to come up with something else to say when Lydia walks in. Her mouth is a thin, strained line and her face is pale. She is holding something behind her back.

“So a week has passed and it’s Sunday again,” she states ceremoniously, closing her eyes.

“The fourth Sunday in Advent,” Annbritt whispers.

“I would like us to relax and reflect upon the past week,” Lydia says slowly. “Jussi left us three days ago. He is no longer among the living; his soul is travelling on one of the seven wheels of heaven. He will be torn to pieces for his treachery, through thousands of incarnations as a beast of slaughter and an insect.” She pauses. “Have you reflected?” she asks, after a while. They nod, and Lydia smiles contentedly. “Kasper, come here,” she says quietly.

Benjamin tries to get to his feet, making a real effort not to grimace with the pain, but still Lydia asks, “Are you making faces at me?”

“No,” he whispers.

“We are a family, and we respect one another.”

“Yes,” he replies, his voice full of tears.

Lydia smiles and produces the object she has been hiding behind her back.

With no sign of emotion, Lydia holds up a pair of scissors in front of Benjamin. They are tailoring scissors, sharp, with broad blades.

“In that case,” she says calmly, “it will be no problem for you to accept your punishment.” With an expression of utter serenity she places the scissors on the table.

“I’m only a kid,” says Benjamin, swaying.

“Stand still,” she snaps at him. “It’s never enough, is it? You never, ever understand. I struggle and try my hardest, I wear myself out so this family will work, will be whole and pure. I just want it to work .”

Benjamin is looking at the floor and crying: rough, heavy sobs.

“Aren’t we a family? Aren’t we?”

“Yes,” he says. “Yes. We are.”

“So why do you behave like this? Sneaking around behind our backs, betraying us, deceiving us, stealing from us, giving us lip. Why do you behave like this toward me? Poking your nose into everything, talking behind my back.”

“I don’t know,” Benjamin whispers. “I’m sorry.”

Lydia picks up the scissors. She is breathing heavily now, and her face is sweaty. Red blotches have appeared on her cheeks and throat. “You will receive a punishment so that we can put all this behind us,” she says. She looks from Annbritt to Marek and back again. “Annbritt, come here.”

Annbritt, who has been staring at the wall, moves forward hesitantly. Her expression is strained, her eyes shift around the room, her narrow chin trembles.

“Cut off his nose,” says Lydia.

Annbritt looks at Lydia and then at Benjamin. She shakes her head.

Lydia slaps her hard across the face. She grabs hold of Annbritt’s stout upper arm and shoves her closer to Benjamin.

“Kasper has been poking his nose into everything, and now he’s going to lose it.”

Annbritt picks up the scissors. Marek seizes Benjamin’s head in a firm grip, angling his face toward her. The blades of the scissors glint before Benjamin’s eyes, and he sees the terrified look in the woman’s eye.

“Get on with it!” Lydia yells.

Annbritt tentatively extends the hand holding the scissors towards Benjamin. Her face contorts and she begins to weep openly.

“I have a blood disorder,” Benjamin whimpers. “My blood doesn’t coagulate! Please. I’ll die if you do that!”

Annbritt brings the blades together in the air in front of him and drops the scissors on the floor. “I can’t,” she sobs. “I just can’t. It hurts my hand to hold the scissors.”

“This is a family,” says Lydia with weary inflexibility, as she laboriously bends down and picks up the scissors. “You will obey and respect me- do you hear me?”

“They hurt my hand, I told you! Those scissors are too big for- ”

“Shut up!” Lydia snaps, striking her hard across the mouth with the handle of the scissors. Annbritt gasps with pain and staggers to one side. Leaning against the wall, she puts a hand to her bleeding lips.

“Sundays are for discipline,” Lydia says.

“I don’t want to.” She cowers. “Please. I don’t want to.”

“Get on with it,” Lydia says impatiently. She cocks her head suddenly. “What did you say? Did you say cunt to me?” She lifts the scissors menacingly.

“No, no.” Annbritt sobs, holding out her hand. “I’ll do it. I’ll cut off his nose. I’ll help you. It won’t hurt; it’ll soon be over.”

Lydia looks satisfied and hands her the scissors. Annbritt goes over to Benjamin, pats him on the head, and whispers quickly, “Don’t be scared. Just get out, get out as fast as you can.”

Benjamin looks at her with a puzzled expression, trying to read her frightened eyes and trembling mouth. Annbritt raises the scissors but turns and stabs weakly at Lydia instead. Benjamin sees Lydia defend herself against Annbritt’s attack, sees Marek grasp her wrist, yank at her arm, and dislocate her shoulder. Annbritt screams with pain. Benjamin is already out of the room by the time Lydia picks up the scissors and sits down astride Annbritt’s chest. Annbritt shakes her head from side to side, trying to escape.

As Benjamin passes through the chilly porch and emerges into the burning cold out on the steps, he hears Annbritt screaming and coughing.

Lydia wipes the blood from her cheek and looks around for the boy; Benjamin is moving quickly along the cleared path. Marek takes the elk gun down from the wall, but Lydia stops him. “It’ll do him good,” she says. “Kasper has no shoes, and he’s wearing nothing but his pyjamas. He’ll come back to Mummy when he gets cold.”