Humluhunang

Hon heldur ein langrøkjutan fyrilestur fyri linum áhoyr­arum í hesari lítlu bygdini um halgimenni. Heðin býður henni heim við sær at gista langt burtur av alfaravegi. Morgunin eftir ætlar hon sær av stað, men um náttina er so nógvur kavi lagstur, at tað er ikki hugsingur um. Einki kavaplógv kemur fram.

Tað gongur upp fyri henni, at báðir brøðurnir eru deyða­­­sjúkir. Annar hevur krabbamein, og hin hevur ringt hjarta. Hon verður tí verandi hjá Heðini og Ólavi í eitt heilt ár. Brøðurnir eru so fullir av hatri hvør til annan, at hvørgin vil doyggja undan hin­um, og tað er hetta hatrið, sum heldur lív í teimum.

Káin og Ábal umaftur?

Eina ferð høvdu teir eitt konufólk í felag. Hon var gift við Ólavi, men lá hjá Heðini, sum skar hana í lærið, hvørja ferð tey høvdu verið at – sum veiðimaðurin sker í byrsuskeftið, hvørja ferð hann hevur fingið fong.

...

She has a long and tedious lecture about saints in front of sleepy listeners in a small village. Heðin invites her to stay the night in his home, far away from any other settlement. She is planning to leave in the morning but so much snow has fallen during the night that it is impossible to go anywhere. Help from snow plows is nowhere to be found.

She realises that the two brothers in the house have fatal illnesses. One of them has cancer and the other one a weak heart. Because of this she stays with Heðin and Ólavur for a whole year. The brothers hate each other so much that neither wants to die before the other one - and it is this hate which keeps them alive.

Is this Cain and Abel all over again?

Once they had a lady between them. She was married to Ólavur but laid with Heðin, who cut her thigh everytime they had been together - much like the hunter who notches the handle of his shotgun everytime he has made a kill.