Aliss at the Fire

Grandma! Hi Grandma! Asle shouts

Have you been shopping, Grandma! he shouts

and Grandma smiles at him under her yellow-white cap, the one that he himself is wearing now, and she says he should just wait until she gets home, then he can see what she has

Come home with me, then you can see, Grandma says

I’ve gone shopping for a few things, I have, she says

and he sees that Grandma’s bag is heavy

Should I help you carry it, Asle says

It’s better if I do it myself, Grandma says

It’s easier when I carry my own things, it’s steadier walking like that, she says

But you could always take one handle of the shopping bag too and help me a little, that would be nice of you, she says

A little help is always good, she says

and he takes one handle of the shopping bag and then Grandma takes two fingers and puts them on top of his cold fingers and then they carry the shopping bag together, slowly, step by step, up the little road and neither of them says anything

You’re a good boy, Asle, Grandma then says