Birgitta has lived in this town since 1941, when Rafferty Falls was Swensen Falls, monkeys stayed in their cages, and the sky was always blue. She is a treasured member of the community, and has brought endless joy to the Skogsfall Adult Home. She is up every morning for breakfast at 8 a.m. and greets all of the staff with a smile on her face as she enjoys her scrambled eggs and toast. She plays rummy with her childhood friends, Agnes and Nena, while the 83-year-old Doyle twins, Fiona and Imogen, watch from the side. “We don’t let the Doyles play,” Birgitta says, “we never have. They reek of potatoes and poverty.”
On the other side of the room, the Doyles stare absently in the direction of Birgitta and her friends, though one look into their eyes (three between the two of them) would suggest that they may have no awareness of their gaze. When approached for comment, Imogen muttered, “Old Benny’s really hitting me this time,” and Fiona grunted.
—S. Spaner
