Page 23

1998

All the way home from her lover’s house, Kaya wonders if that’s all her life was ever meant to be. Married unhappily to Miika, fucking around town to find glimpses of joy wherever and whenever she could.

She’s under no illusion now that anybody is coming to rescue her. She’ll always be left to go home to Miika. Nobody is going to break up her marriage for her. And the irony! She hadn’t wanted her marriage for so long. To have it go back to being so bad when it felt like it could be good again. . .

Perhaps she’d have gone along with that existence. But the baby has changed things.

The baby has made her want a better, safer future.

When Kaya arrives home, the house is empty. Miika is out in the enclosure, seeing to his animals.

Kaya goes inside. She paces the sitting room.

What should she do? Should she ask Miika straight out what he thinks?

It takes her a few minutes to notice.

Her drawing, the one she’d done of the baby fox. It’s not on the dresser. Just as she starts to look for it, she feels something sharp pierce through her slipper.

She sees the blood at the same time as she sees the glass.

The picture frame that Miika had placed the picture in is on the floor, smashed.

It’s been thrown there.

He threw her picture because he couldn’t throw her.

How long is that restraint going to last?

Kaya starts to tremble.

There’ll be no talking.

She has to get out of the house.

She needs to plan her escape.