Iceland review - 2019, Blaðsíða 117

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Iceland Review
Sólmundur is watching football on TV when the
intercom chirps. He doesn’t know the teams, but
he’s been watching since the start of the match and
wants to see how it ends. It’s almost over. The green
team is one goal up on the blue team, but the blues
are waging a steady attack. The intercom chirps
again and Sólmundur throws off his blanket and lifts
his feet from the ottoman. He keeps an eye on the
TV screen from the doorway, reaching a fumbling
hand into the vestibule for the receiver.
“Halló?”
“Hi, afi, it’s us!”
“Who is this?”
There’s a moment’s hesitation at the other end
of the line but then the person downstairs answers:
“It’s us – Birta and Solli.”
Sólmundur pushes the button on the intercom.
The buzz from the door drowns out everything else.
He hangs up, but the intercom immediately starts
chirping again. Startled, he grabs the phone.
“Halló?”
“We didn’t get the door open in time. Can you do
it again?”
He holds the button down for a long time and the
buzzing fills the receiver again.
“Did you get it?” he asks. There’s silence down-
stairs and he hangs up. There’s been another goal on
TV, and the blue players are running triumphantly
around the pitch. The score’s even. He turns it off,
irked that he missed the goal. Why couldn’t they
have called ahead? He’s been meaning to go for a
walk all day and it would have served them right if
they’d arrived to an empty apartment. Showing up
like this with no warning! He pushes his chair out
of its usual spot in front of the TV and back into
the corner, places the ottoman underneath it, and
carefully folds the TV blanket and puts it in the
cupboard. The doorbell rings. He has to take off the
Story by
Björn Halldórsson
Translation by
Larissa Kyzer
FICTION
By publishing new short stories by Icelandic authors, Iceland Review hopes to bring readers a taste of the vibrant
literary community of Iceland. While the novel has long been the dominant form of fiction among the country’s
authors, the short story has become increasingly popular. For tourists, residents of Iceland, and armchair travellers
alike, these stories can serve as entertainment as well as a bite-sized introduction to the country’s rich literature.
Illustrations by
Helga Páley Friðþjófsdóttir
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