19

Bjorn was relieved from his shift by the chubby young man who had been sitting in the glass cage when Bjorn arrived at the check point with Ante the day before. The man introduced himself as Geir before excusing himself for being five minutes late, and he did this in a strange self important manner that Bjorn soon understood to be a part of his character. So when he explained that he had been delayed by Frank, it was almost as if he was referring to a great leader.

Frank had received news of a planned delivery of fish to the processing plant down in the village, and had stopped Geir on his way out to the glass cage to tell him that he had picked Geir to go down and inspect the site, making sure that the factory complies fully with the rules regarding the colony. He had also told Geir that he had picked Bjorn to be Geir´s assistant, since this would be a good opportunity for him to get familiar with the place.

The appointment with the manager of the processing plant was scheduled to twelve o´clock next day, and Thomas would be in charge of the glass cage while they were off on business in Lundby. Bjorn´s assignment for the next day would in other words be to man the glass cage until a little before noon, and then to spend whatever time necessary to make sure everything is in order at the plant, before returning to the regular schedule at the check point.

It all sounded fair enough, and Bjorn handed Geir the keys to the gun rack, before bidding him good bye. He walked slowly up to the barracks, lighting a cigarette as he went. The ground was soaking wet from melting snow, and the sun was pleasantly warm, contrasting the cool air. The thought of a trip down to the village the next day took hold as he stood in the sun by the entrance to the barracks, finishing his cigarette, and a sense of adventure filled him as he speculated on what it would be like.

Frank was sitting in front of the TV in the common area watching the news when Bjorn finally stepped into the warmth of the barracks. Frank confirmed what Geir had been saying, adding that he had chosen Geir because of his trustworthiness when it comes to this kind of things. No one was as well versed in the rules of the check point as him. Not even Frank knew the rules in such details as Geir, and he could always be relied upon to check out things thoroughly.

"Not like some other people who don´t seem to care one bit about the rules," Frank added with a louder voice as Ante stepped into the room.
"What? Me? Rules?" Ante asked, looking puzzled.
"Exactly!" Frank answered, with a broad smile. "You don´t care much about the rules, do you?"
"What rules?" Ante asked with an even broader smile.

Frank chuckled, and turned his attention back to the TV.

"There is left overs from lunch in the kitchen. You go and help yourself," Ante said, addressing Bjorn. "I heard you´re off to Lundby tomorrow."
"Yes, that seems to be the case."
"Do you have any Grams?"
"Grams?" Bjorn was suddenly confused.
"You know, the money they use down there?"
"Ah! No, I don´t. Do I need money going down there?"
"Only if you want to buy something."
"Like what?"
"Like cigarettes, for example. We are not going to provide you with cigarettes up here. If you want them you will have to get them yourself. And the closest place to get them is down in the village."

Bjorn had brought a carton of cigarettes from Oslo, which should do fine for several weeks, so he was not in any desperate need for more.

"Well, I don´t think I need to buy anything while I´m down there."
"Okay. But why don´t you borrow some money from me, just in case. If you don´t use it, you can return it to me."

Ante held a green gambling chip up in front of Bjorn, and Bjorn was again struck by the strange habit of using gambling chips from the casino as money.

"How much do I owe you if I spend it all?" Bjorn asked as he accepted the chip reluctantly.
"You can keep it if you take my night shift on Sunday. It buys you a night out in Lundby, complete with dinner and as much you can drink."
"Really?"
"Unless you go completely over board, of course."
"And what do I owe you if I spend just a part of this?"
"If you break it, it´s yours, and you have to take my Sunday night shift."
"That´s the deal, is it?"
"That´s the deal!"

Bjorn smiled and put the chip in his pocket. Then he headed over to the kitchen for some food. The memory of Ante´s delicious lasagne from the day before made Bjorn suddenly intensely aware of how much of an appetite he had worked up while out in the glass cage.