Page 72 of Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt

‘This was back in Paris?’ Pip asked.

‘Er, yes, that’s right. In Paris. He served as a private tutor for... wealthy clients.’ The latter sentence was not a lie.

Pip gave a chuckle. ‘It explains your intelligence, Bo. I am not ashamed to admit that it is far greater than my own.’

I shook my head. ‘My friend, I am the one who is jealous of you! Step back and look at your life. You are a member of the Bergen Philharmonic orchestra! TheHero Concertois going to have success beyond your imagination, and you have a beautiful family,’ I replied honestly. ‘No doubt baby Felix will be missing you today.’

Pip leant on the railings of theHurtigruten. ‘I’m sure he’s happy enough with hisbestemorandbestefar. Thank you for your kind words, Bo. Though we both know that if it wasn’t for your blasted arm, we’d be looking across at one another in the orchestra pit.’

I smiled. ‘Perhaps, in another life.’

Pip looked wistfully out to the black water. ‘I love Karine so very much, Bo. I feel like the luckiest man that has ever lived.’ He reached into his pocket and produced what appeared to be a small ornament. ‘Before I moved to Leipzig to attend the conservatory, my father gave me this.’

‘What is it?’ I asked.

‘This, my friend, is a lucky frog... or so my father tells me. They say that Edvard Grieg used to keep them dotted around his home to bring him good fortune. Apparently this one belonged to my grandmother, Anna. Here.’ He handed it to me. ‘It’s yours.’

‘Goodness, Pip, I could never take this. It’s a family heirloom.’

‘Bo, it has brought me all the luck in the universe, so it only seems fair that I should pass it on so another may benefit.’ He thought for a moment. ‘I wish that you and Elle may live without fear.’

I was deeply moved. ‘Pip, I don’t know what to say. Thank you.’

‘My pleasure. You know, I really should go to Karine. She’s awfully seasick. Are you going to stay out here?’ he asked.

‘All night, if that’s what it takes to see the lights.’ Pip put a friendly hand on my shoulder and walked inside.

My eyes were glued to the night sky, which remained crystal clear above me. I am not sure how long I stood there for. Hours, perhaps, bathing in the starlight and communing with my sparkling guardians.

At some stage the Pleiades disappeared from view. I blinked hard, and when I reopened my eyes, the sky above me was covered by a shimmering, iridescent cloak that danced and pulsed across the heavens. I stood in awe beneath the sheer brilliance, the gleam... the lustrous luminosity of the lights... What a privilege it was to witness the vast cosmic beauty of our universe, greater than any man-made work of art or architecture.

After a few minutes, the Aurora Borealis disappeared as mysteriously and abruptly as it had arrived. I couldn’t help but break out into ecstatic laughter. I even threw my hands up and cried out, ‘THANK YOU!’ which shocked a few of my fellow stargazers on the deck.

Soon after, dawn broke over the tranquil waters of the North Cape. In no time at all, we would be turning back towards Bergen. Eventually, I walked back inside the boat to wake Elle and tell her about what I had seen. On the way to our cabin, I passed through the dining room, and saw Pip and Karine sitting down for breakfast. I jogged over to them.

‘My friend, I saw them! I saw the miracle! And its majesty was enough to convince even the most fervent non-believer in a higher power. The colours... green, yellow, blue... the entire sky was lit with radiance! I...’ I found myself choking on my words, before recovering. I reached my arms out to Pip and clasped him in a hug, which I’m relatively certain took him by surprise. ‘Thank you,’ I said. ‘Thank you.’

Feeling like I was floating on air, I waltzed downstairs and into my cabin, where Elle was peacefully slumbering.

I will never forget the night the sky danced for me.

As I reread those pages from theHurtigruten, the lights of the Aurora Borealis and the waterfall feel like a lifetime ago. I find tears coming to my eyes as I read about our dear, dear friends, who no longer... Apologies, faithful reader, I am getting ahead of myself.

I need this time to make no apology for the fact that I have not written in this diary for well over a year. Following our trip on theHurtigrutenin 1939, and with a steadily improving elbow, I felt reinvigorated, and penned pages full to the brim with memories. But I regret to inform you that history repeated itself, and those pages remain above the chart-maker’s shop in Bergen, as Elle and I were forced to flee once more.

The German war machine attacked Norway on 9th April 1940. The country was taken completely unawares, with its navy busy helping Britain to provide a blockade in the English Channel. In the end, the battle for Bergen was short and brutal, and the city was soon fully occupied. Soldiers patrolled the streets and enormous swastikas hung from City Hall. The new regime, of course, cancelled all Norwegian cultural events, including the premiere of Pip’sHero Concerto.

In the weeks preceding the invasion, Karine had been out of her mind with worry. She begged Pip to leave Europe with her, but her husband was resolute in his desire to remain. On several occasions she arrived at our apartment in tears.

‘He thinks my new surname and the Lutheran baptism will protect me. I love him, but he is so very naive. The soldiers will take one look at me and see the truth. All it would take is a little investigation, and then...’ Karine put her head in her hands, before pointing at Elle. ‘You should be fearful too. Your blonde hair and blue eyes can only go so far in protecting you. None of our people are safe in Europe.’

‘I know, Karine,’ Elle had replied. ‘We are making plans.’

‘You are right to do so, despite what my husband says. It is impossible to underestimatetheirthoroughness. They will stop at nothing to root us out. And little Felix has Jewish blood, of course. What if they take him too?’

Elle embraced her friend. ‘My dearest Karine. I cannot imagine the worry you are experiencing. But your husband would lay down his life to protect your son. I am positive that Pip will do anything to keep him safe.’

Karine began to sob. ‘I want to believe it, Elle, I really do.’ She shook her head. ‘But theHero Concertois all he thinks about. My parents have begged us to join them in America. They’ve even sent money. But Pip simply refuses. He says that in a new land he would be just another would-be composer. But here he isthe great Jens Halvorsen!’