Excerpts from
Palindromos or the Last Voyage of Colombo
By Vagn Lundbye
There was ocean all around, a black, endless ocean, and the only sound was that of the sea beating against the planks. Somebody cried out behind them. It sounded like a woman´s voice, and soon they could hear children crying, too, but the sound merged into the roar of the waves. Colombo was in no doubt there had been something. A moment later he was certain he had been wrong. Just then, land appeared above the ocean. They were saved!
"Land," Colombo bellowed.
They jumped ashore and started running, but they bumped into something and found an opening and pressed through it, half suffocating with fear.
"We´re saved," Colombo cried when he was able to breathe again.
"Where are we?" shouted Olle.
They started moving slowly forwards; Colombo had dropped the stick. They held each other´s hands again, and the only sound was the rain drumming against the roof. Both of them knocked against something with their feet. Both of them felt a cold surge welling up within them.
"Here," whispered Colombo and guided Olle´s hand so that he, too, could feel whatever it was they had knocked against. It felt like skin stretched out over something or other. Or like the bark of a tree. It kept dividing and sub-dividing. There were branches that were yet not branches at all. Neither of them had ever touched anything like this; they clutched each other´s hands while they traced this other thing, so they both realized at the same time what it was it ended in. It was a hand. A human hand. But it didn´t belong to either of them. It was someone else! They were in no doubt. It was an outspread hand with long nails, and with a cry they both let go Colombo jerked backwards, he had been betrayed, he wanted to get out, but bumped against something and fell together with it down into the dark.
It was a human being. Or rather, a human body. It had arms and legs, the skin was wrinkled and hard, and a moment later there was a face, too, a gaping mouth, and he tore his fingers out of it in dismay. He had been betrayed. He had walked into a trap, and now he could no longer get out. It was a gaping mouth. A human mouth. It was a pair of thin arms with fingers like claws that held him and pressed its nails into his flesh. And the mouth had lips and teeth that bit into him with a terrifying grimace.
Colombo wanted to scream, but didn´t know whether he managed. He rolled over and tried to free himself from the other, but it went with him. It kept on going with him until another body fell over them and put a cold, bony arm around Colombo´s neck.
Translated by W. Glyn Jones
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