Backyard Village (Þorpið í bakgarðinum)

Backyard Village

Hello. Sorry for disturbing.

Ok.

Did I wake you up? - Yes.

Really sorry.

I wondered if you have any paprika powder.

Paprika powder?

I'm cooking and

according to the recipe all it requires now

is a pinch or two of that queen of all spices.

I don't live here.

No, me neither. I'm staying in the other one.

The houses have spice-racks in the kitchen drawers.

Just one moment.

Great. I'm Mark, by the way.

Thanks for this and enjoy your evening.

And you your dinner.

Sorry, just me again.

I just found it ridiculous that

are you alone?

Why do you ask?

I'm alone and cooking and

well I thought if you fancied coming over

then I'd be very happy to have you for dinner.

Ok, nice I...

You can bring a knife if you want or indeed a

a weapon of your choice.

It just thought I'd offer, that's all, no pressure.

Thanks again for this.

Hello.

Come in.

Welcome.

Perfect timing. - Thank you.

Welcome.

Would you like some wine, beer, kombucha maybe?

You don't look like a kombucha man.

Really?

Not sure if I should be relieved or not.

I don't really know.

I'll give you a...

Glass.

Here we go.

And, yes.

For you.

Why don't you make yourself comfortable, sit down.

Are you cooking fish?

Yes. Yes, I am.

What kind?

The processed beyond all recognition kind.

So.

Who goes first?

What do you mean?

Well, you know. Our stories.

What are you doing here?

What are you doing here?

Me? Ok.

I'm traveling, for fun I guess.

Actually...

Actually no, not...

I travel for work a lot, see,

but this is...

This is more personal I guess, yeah more

more personal, yes. Not fun at all actually.

Interesting.

Yeah, why don't you come

and make yourself comfortable at this fantastic... table, yes.

Table, that's what it is Mark.

It's a table.

Voilà.

What have you done?

Well, you know.

When I'm traveling I like to

try local dishes from wherever I am in the world and,

so, this is

fish balls in a pink sauce.

A staple of Icelandic cuisine.

I used to have this all the time.

Oh, right, you've had this before?

Yeah, twice a week until I left home.

Ok. So they have this in Finland as well, do they?

Do you think I'm Finnish?

Just my best guess since I don't even know your name.

Oh, sorry. My name is Brynja and I'm Icelandic.

Right.

Ok, how perfectly embarrassing.

Somehow you don't expect to meet locals at a guesthouse.

Shall I?

Thank you.

There you go.

Oh, right. Ok.

Right.

When in Iceland...

Bad?

Just familiar.

Is that good?

So why Finnish?

Well, just the... The accent, you know.

And don't take this the wrong way,

it's just you look a bit Finnish when you've just woken up.

OK.

Sorry, was that a bit racist of me?

Not racist.

Xenophobic maybe, yeah.

Anti-Finnish-isterian-ism.

Moominbasher.

What is a Moominbasher?

You know, those weird little pig things with a...

They wear hats.

Múmínálfarnir.

Yeah. You've added a bit at the end. Yeah.

Those.

So, come on then, what do you do for a living?

I'm a chef.

A chef?

Yeah.

Christ, right. I get it now.

So this is like a car crash on a plate to you it must be?

No, this is wonderful.

This is what food can be all about.

My father used to make this.

Well, what are the odds?

Pretty high for a single parent thirty years ago.

So.

Why are you here?

In this town?

In that house, over there?

I'm on my way home.

And where is that, exactly?

Reykjavik.

Ok. So you're traveling.

I was in the health spa.

This is like an orientated health town.

So I've heard. Yes.

Are you feeling better?

I'm actually dead.

Sorry, why would you...

Why would you say something like that?

Are you a psychologist?

No. God, no, no, no.

I'm a sales agent for an international distribution company.

But I have exchanged a portion of my youth and happiness,

for a small amount of wisdom.

So what do you sell?

What do I sell?

OK.

You're going to love this.

There is nothing on it.

Well I beg to disagree.

You see, that there is a clean sheet of...

French writing paper.

A fresh start.

Maximum potential.

Infinite possibilities.

Keep it if you want.

Thank you.

What are you doing?

You need to roll it... up.

Oh, sorry.

No, sorry, I'm... I'm joking. It's fine.

Honest, no, it's fine. It's just a piece of paper.

Honestly. Sorry.

Don't worry, I didn't put any milk in it.

Thanks.

I'm fully aware that when it comes to milk in tea,

us British are very much on our own.

I hope you don't...

It's just something you said, earlier on.

Why did you say that you were dead?

I don't know.

No, I do know but I don't know why I told you.

Maybe you want to tell me more?

No need.

I seem to look at things from the wrong angle.

That's my problem.

OK.

Well. There you have it then.

Do you know anything about kidnapping?

Kidnapping? Like stealing another person?

Yeah.

Strangely enough, no. Why?

I think that's the only way I can meet my mother.

She left when I was five.

And just few months ago she sent me and my sister a message.

And what, she... And she was kidnapped? No.

No, no.

I just feel like that's the only way I can meet her.

To put a mask on. Kidnap her.

Take her someplace.

Talk to her as someone else.

I think I will explode as soon as she looks at me as her daughter.

Well, I think you should just... start by talking to her on the phone.

I'm afraid to.

I was a strong independent person, a daughter of a single parent.

But as soon as I got this message I turned into this mess.

This chicken-shit-person.

Well, what does your dad think?

He died.

Sorry to hear that.

Six months ago, already.

I think you just need to be clear and just