The Uninvited

pressure build-up. The antibiotics willhelp, you’ll see.’ She addresses me. ‘Whydon’t you come back another time whenhe’s calmer?’Svensson puts a fist to his brow next tohis bulging right eye, then suddenly opensup his hand. It’s a baffling gesture. I thinkof a spread starfish. ‘That’s what happensnext. Pop. Do you think we like what youdid to us? Do you think we wanted to bethe last?’ Dr Aziz addresses Svenssonfast, in Swedish. I understand none of it,except ‘du’, meaning ‘you’, and ‘nu’,meaning ‘now’. He shoves his sunglassesback on then lifts his hands high above hishead, splays his fingers again, and with aswift movement catches hold of my upperarm and digs his fingers in deep. The painis shocking. I cry out sharply and the