Page 49 of The Storyteller of Krakow

15

FEBRUARY 2014, KRAKÓW

‘That’s some story,’ Kasia said.

‘It is.’

‘Is it true?’

‘Who knows what is true any more. Time makes stories blurry around the edges. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t real to me. Doesn’t mean it still isn’t.’

‘You’re talking like that Noor woman now.’ Kasia laughed.

I yawned. Was I?

‘It’s late,’ Kasia said, and found her phone to call me a taxi.

When I left, she insisted on coming down with me in the death lift, gave me a kiss on both cheeks and bundled me into the car with strict instructions to the driver to ferry me home safely.

I watched her standing there as the car drove away, waving at me, and hoped that Albin would not come back to bother her again.

Had I done enough? Should I have called the police?

‘Should you have done what?’ the driver asked.

‘Eh?’

‘You just said, have I done enough?’

‘Did I?’ I was sure I hadn’t spoken aloud. ‘Just wondering things,’ I told him.

‘I wonder things too,’ he said. ‘Your daughter?’

‘No.’

‘Granddaughter?’

‘Not that either.’ I did not want to get into a conversation with this man. My brain felt tired, too tired, and my back was aching, my knees screaming for some pain relief.

He got the message and shut up, fiddling about with the radio and choosing some God-awful pop music.

I must have dropped off, but I couldn’t remember doing it, when I woke to the driver opening the door.

‘Not dead, are you?’ He laughed.

‘Not yet, no.’

I handed him his money and walked slowly to the home, only to realise too late that the door was locked and I had forgotten the damned key code given to some of us. Or had it been taken away from me? Had I ever had it?

My thoughts layered themselves one on top of the other, and I couldn’t grasp what I was supposed to do. Why did Joanna say I shouldn’t leave without help? Why did they want to keep me a prisoner?

There were prisons everywhere. Was this one?

‘You okay?’ The driver was there, by my side. ‘You keep muttering to yourself.’

‘No, I’m not,’ I said.

‘Here.’ He pressed a button, and I heard a buzzing coming from inside.