25
“I’ll think of something! I’ll think of something…!”
And he did think of something, yes, and he called, persuading N. to go with him. Or rather, travel with him – first by local electric train, then by tram.
“Bookworms gather at the third tram stop after the station. You can buy a book…”
Yes, that’s what Poro said: a book. Curious, did he mean one book in particular?
They miscounted the tram stops and got off not at the third but at the second. There was forest here, ancient, reddish pines. They walked on, following the sleepers. No-one to be seen except some startled squirrels. A woman with an empty zinc bucket appeared from the bushes.
“There’s no point in going any further,” N. said. “Did you see the bucket? It’s a bad omen.”
“Yes, I did. We can go back if you like, but we’ve
