When the Cranes Fly South

At 3:30 AM, the night shift finds Bo by the mailboxes. He wanted to send a letter to Fredrika but seems unaware of the time. Bo is taken back to his bed.

Later in the morning, Bo lies on the daybed with one of Fredrika’s old blankets. He recalls being stopped by the night patrol while he was outside sending a letter to her. They scolded him because it was late. Bo felt that he had done nothing wrong but still feels “bad” (93). He wanted to protest but stayed quiet after seeing the stress in the woman’s eyes. 

Back inside, he alternates between regret and anger. It is not fully dark, and he thinks there is no harm in stepping out at night, especially with Sixten beside him. The door closes, and he sighs. Sixten moves to his basket on the floor, preferring to sleep alone because of the warmth. Bo pulls the blanket up over his stomach and bids goodnight to the dog.

At 8:10 AM, Eva-Lena wakes Bo and notes that he is “a little whiny” (94).

Bo oversleeps; he usually has tea around 5:30 am but only gets up when a carer arrives. The temp makes him blow into the bottle. In the bathroom, he notes puffy eyes and phlegm. He recalls why he wrote and sent a nighttime letter to Fredrika: A dream of their midsummer in Hissmofors when she picked flowers and asked, “What could be more beautiful than this?” (95). He had hoped that his handwriting might help her remember, but in daylight, he thinks it was pointless. He wants to stay home and avoid people, but Johanna calls in. 

She suggests a shower, joking that he will “smell like a stinky old man” otherwise (96). Bo does not feel like a shower—he and Ture never showered when they were at his cabin—so Johanna drops it. She says that he can be a stinky old man if he wants, so she offers coffee and chocolate. She polishes his glasses, opens the local paper to the crossword she started at breakfast, and slides it to him with a wink, challenging him to finish it before she does. Sixten jumps up beside Bo on the daybed as they settle in.

At 12:30 PM, Johnna writes that Bo has a good appetite. She will try to convince him to shower. Sixten seems “happy and alert” (97).

In a flashback, Bo recalls a shift at the mill stacking fresh boards with Arvid. The work was heavy, and his oversized glove kept slipping. As another load was placed on his shoulder, his hand slid free, the boards dropped, and they slammed into Arvid, who fell across a pallet. The frame saw stopped, and everyone looked on. Bo’s father strode over, called him a “useless fucking oaf” (99), and slapped him. No one intervened. Arvid was helped to a bench and seemed hurt but not furious; Bo was stunned and ashamed. 

When the shift ended, Bo avoided walking home with his father. He followed the lakeshore and then cut through Ranbyn toward the wooded meadow, not wanting to face another tense dinner. He thought about a notice that he saw that morning advertising jobs in Hissmofors, with accommodation included. 

Sitting by Renäsbäcken, he picked a few coltsfoot and then stood and decided out loud that he would “damn well apply to Hissmofors” (100). Energized, he started back along the meadow’s edge, planning to leave home as soon as he could. Two cranes flew low overhead as he resolved to be gone before they migrated south again.

At 5:15 PM, Johanna talks to Bo about the sawmill, after which he showers “without a fuss” (101).

At 8:15 AM, Kalle mentions Bo’s issues with mucus and coughing; he records that Hans is visiting.

Hans is already at Bo’s house in the morning, having canceled a meeting after being told that Bo was out at night. He prepares porridge and tea and says that Ingrid and Olof, Bo’s caseworker, are coming over. Hans then moves to the living room for an online meeting. Bo eats, turns on the radio, and listens to a debate about parental leave, remembering when Hans and Sonja “did the whole alternating parental leave thing” with Ellinor (105). He dozes on the daybed.

Bo dreams that he’s sharpening a scythe. Hans reenters and wakes him, telling him that “there are no scythes here” (106). Hans gives Bo a glass of milk and proposes redoing the bathroom, mentioning the dripping shower and suggesting underfloor heating. Bo replies that the drip is because “they don’t turn the tap far enough” (106). Hans says that everything is old and needs replacing and sits to sort the mail, noting the electricity bill. Bo grows tired, closes his eyes, and imagines Hans in the house after he is gone.

At 11:10 AM, Ingrid writes that she is meeting with Hans and Olof about “the Sixten situation” (108). The carers agree to walk the dog when needed, with Ingrid taking primary responsibility.

Bo listens through the open kitchen window as Hans, Ingrid, and caseworker Olof meet outside. Hans insists that “this can’t go on” since Ingrid is not employed to walk dogs (109). He warns that Bo could fall in the woods with Sixten. Ingrid answers calmly that it is part of her job and states that they have agreed that Sixten will stay with Bo for now and that she will handle the walks. Olof concludes that they can “introduce night patrol and leave Sixten here for now” (109). 

Relieved, Bo loosens his hold on Sixten’s collar but doubts that Hans will drop the issue. He decides that he needs another plan to keep the dog. Remembering Ellinor, he checks the calendar and sees that she is due to visit in 11 days. He writes a reminder note to call her; he has the sense that there was something about Ellinor that he meant to tell Hans, but he cannot recall what it was.

After Hans and Olof leave, Ingrid washes the dishes and sits with Bo. She asks what he wrote in the letter he sent at night. Bo explains that “it was a dream, or a memory” about the midsummer before their wedding when Fredrika picked seven flowers to make sure that they were destined to be together (111). Ingrid jokes that she did not want to buy a pig in a poke, and Bo laughs, agreeing with Ingrid that he was “pretty bloody lucky” to have found Fredrika (112).

Bo drifts into a recollection of Ture’s mountain cabin in September. Ture climbed to the top bunk and then helped prepare dinner. Bo gutted char in the stream and salted the fish while Ture scrubbed potatoes that Fredrika sent. They talked about their recent retirement, Ture’s years in Gothenburg, and how good it felt for Bo to leave Renäs and his controlling father. Ture’s own father “was a difficult bastard” as well (114), and they agreed that many fathers of that generation were the same. Bo believed that his own father would have thrown him out of the house if he had “been like [Ture]” (115). Ture said that he was somewhat relieved that his family was now dead. They fried the fish, ate it with mashed potatoes and flatbread, and noted lemmings on the trail. 

The present returns. Bo rubs his eyes, sees Johanna moving at the counter, and feels Sixten press against his leg. He pets the dog and yawns.

At 6:25 PM, Johanna cooks dinner for Bo and then walks Sixten.

At 8:15 AM, Johanna notes Bo’s good mood; Ellinor is scheduled to visit.

Bo wakes thinking of Ellinor’s visit. Johanna brings porridge, adds milk, and chats about her grandfather, who carved the coat hooks by the door. Bo’s fingers are stiff, but he finishes eating. Johanna asks if Sixten has been out; Bo is unsure. She offers to take the dog out before Bo’s shower. Although it is not a scheduled shower day, Johanna suggests an extra wash since Ellinor is coming. Bo agrees, not wanting to be a “stinky old man” (119). Sixten returns and curls on the daybed with his head on Bo’s pillow. Bo stacks the newspapers as Johanna returns.

They go to the bathroom. Johanna lays a towel on the toilet lid and gets an apron and gloves. She begins with his shirt. Sixten watches from the doorway. Johanna jokes that they should “get him into the shower too” (120), and Bo laughs. Bo notes that the bathroom is warm and figures that Hans must have turned on the radiator. Johanna checks the water, rinses the shower seat, and helps Bo sit. She sprays his feet and asks whether the temperature is suitable, to which he nods. She hands him the showerhead and then lathers him carefully, cleaning between each toe. The warm water makes him relax. Bo suggests that they do this more often. Johanna smiles; Bo says “the same thing every time” (121), she notes.

At 1:10 PM, Kalle jokes with Bo, who is in a good mood ahead of Ellinor’s visit.

Hungry after his shower despite already having had lunch, Bo goes to make a sandwich. He notices Hans’s curled reminder note and feels comforted by the familiar foods in the fridge. The front door opens. Ellinor arrives, hugs him hard, and jokes about growing her hair. Like with Ture, Bo has always been at ease when talking to Ellinor. Sixten nudges her hand and plays with a toy. Bo seizes the moment to raise the dog issue, mentioning that “they still want to take him away” (123). Ellinor says that Hans mentioned this. Bo coughs; she hands him the spit jar. Drained, he lies on the daybed while she sits, with Sixten’s head in her lap.

Ellinor then tells him that she thinks Hans is “right, actually” (124), adding that it is hard for Bo to take Sixten out for suitably long walks. Bo closes his eyes, fighting nausea and anger, but remains silent. She pleads with Bo and puts a hand on his leg, saying that she thinks Sixten would be happier living with a family. Shocked and hurt, Bo does not answer. He stares at the ceiling knot, feeling that Ellinor has taken Hans’s side and that he does not want any of this to continue. He does not “want to go on” (125).