The Journey to the End of the World (Joel Gustafson Stories) Read Online Free PDF Page A

lived, wasn’t it time to move away at last from all the cold and snow?
    Joel didn’t possess a suitcase. He would have to make do with his rucksack. He didn’t like that idea. People travelling to Stockholm ought to have a proper suitcase. Even if they were only fifteen years old. Samuel would certainly have been able to afford to buy a new suitcase if he’d been working as a sailor.
    They weren’t going to be away for long. Four days would soon pass. Joel packed his best clothes. He placed the map of Stockholm on top of everything else. Everything was ready by nine o’clock. That left another eight hours before they needed to go to the railway station. Samuel was getting shaved. Joel made sure he did a thorough job of it.
    ‘Your chin,’ he said as Samuel started to dry his face.
    ‘My chin?’ Samuel wondered.
    ‘You still have some stubble left under your chin.’
    Samuel examined his face carefully in the little mirror, then applied the razor once more.
    ‘Is that better?’ he asked.
    Joel nodded. He was satisfied.
    It was a quarter past four when they went to the station. Joel felt indescribably happy deep down inside. It was as if he’d only just grasped what was about to happen.
    They were going to make a journey.
    And they were going to meet Mummy Jenny.

3
    Joel was on tenterhooks as the engine lurched and started moving. The journey had begun.
    He looked out of the window and saw Stationmaster Knif waving his flag. The train gradually gathered speed. Samuel was holding on to his suitcase. They were approaching the railway bridge. There was their house. The engine thundered onto the bridge. The railings hurtled past. Joel could see the water down below, and the logs floating down to the sawmills at the mouth of the river. Samuel had stood up now and joined Joel at the window. They were over the bridge already. Now came the long curve through the part of the town on the other side of the river. And then they would be swallowed up by the vast forests. Joel had never been as far away from his home as this before, and it was still only the beginning of the journey.
    Samuel sat down again. They had found a compartment to themselves.
    ‘There’s hardly likely to be anybody getting on until we get to Orsa,’ said Samuel. ‘That means we can stretch out and sleep here. Just as good as in a sleeping car.’
    Joel sat down in a window seat. It was light and summery outside. They were already in the forest. They were travelling fast now. Tree trunks flashed past the window. There’s no end to the trees, Joel thought. Samuel would never be able to cut them all down. Not even if he kept going for a thousand years.
    The door opened and the conductor came in. Samuel handed him the tickets.
    ‘Change at Krylbo,’ said the conductor.
    Samuel put the tickets back in his inside pocket.
    ‘So, we’ll change at Krylbo,’ he said. ‘But there’s a long time to go before that. A whole night. And the next morning.’
    When Joel grew tired of watching all the trees, he decided to explore the train. Samuel had already stretched himself out on the seat, using his suitcase as a pillow.
    Joel went out into the corridor. He saw a carafe on a special shelf, and took a drink of water. Then he looked closely at a map attached to the wall. He traced the journey to Stockholm with his finger. First they would come to Orsa: by then the forests would have finished. Next would come Mora, Borlänge, and then a bit further south was Krylbo. They would change trains there. That would mean they had completed over half the trip. But there was still a long way to go to Stockholm. Joel wandered along the train. It was rather full. Quite a few people were standing in the corridor, smoking. He could hear somebody singing in one of the compartments. But his walk came to an end when he reached the first class carriages. The door was locked. He retraced his steps. The passengers who could afford to travel first class didn’t want to be