The Lost Village(36)

But some of it did surprise me.





NOW



I put the folders down on the floor next to me and thumb through them to find the one I want: MATTIAS ?KERMAN. It lies beneath SKANDIJ?RN REPORT, ’92.

I have no idea how Grandma managed to get hold of a copy of the mining company’s report. The group that bought the company in the early 2000s rejected my request for a copy right off the bat, so when I found a yellowed but fully legible copy in Grandma’s files, it felt like I had stumbled across a goldmine.

But that wasn’t all I found in Grandma’s archive.

The folder labeled MATTIAS ?KERMAN is so old that the cardboard is almost fraying. I’ve copied and replaced most of the other folder labels, but Grandma hand-wrote this one, and I couldn’t quite bring myself to throw it away. Her handwriting is neat and pragmatic. I run my fingers over the faded pencil text before opening it.

The first press clipping is short and almost illegible. It’s the copy of a brief notice in a local newspaper.

Nils and Edda ?kerman are pleased to announce the birth of their son, MATTIAS ?KERMAN, born September 12, 1928. The christening will take place in Forsh?lla Church on Sunday, September 23.



I don’t know how Grandma tracked him down. I have no idea where she picked up his trail, or if she was even sure that she had found the right person. I only found her archive after her first stroke, and by then it was already too late.

I thought we would have more time. I guess that’s always the way.

The next clipping isn’t from the press. It’s the copies of some hospital records for a Mattias ?kerman, then eleven years of age. According to these, a Mattias with the same date of birth was admitted to hospital three times in the years 1939 and 1940: once for a broken rib, once for stomach pains, and once for a broken arm. The cause of his complaints is never explained, simply that he was treated and then sent home.

In the first two records, Nils ?kerman is listed as the guardian present. In the third—the one relating to the broken arm—that field is left empty. I don’t know if it’s down to laziness, or if it means something. Grandma has written “Living with uncle?” in the margin beside it.

The next clipping is a death notice. It looks like it comes from the same local paper, from late May 1940.

EDDA ?KERMAN has passed away after a short illness. She is mourned by her husband, NILS ?KERMAN.

Her funeral will take place in Forsh?lla Church this coming Saturday, June 5.



The notice features a dark, blurry image of a washed-out face. The features are difficult to make out, and the eyes are simply two darker spots in a white oval. She doesn’t appear to be smiling.

In the margin Grandma has written: “Already moved? No son mentioned.” And then, underneath:

“Cause of death?”

That question is not answered.

After that comes the timeline. I have no idea whether these are simply educated guesses, or if Grandma based it on information that has since disappeared somewhere in her files.

09/12 1928: Born to parents Nils and Edda ?kerman in Forsh?lla, Blekinge.

1928–?: Early childhood spent with parents. Unclear when he moves, or why. Possible causes: Death of mother. Financial problems. Early violent tendencies.

1939–1940: Hospitalized at least three times for fractures and possible internal bleeding. No further investigations made.

1940?–1944: Leaves parental home and moves in with his uncle, Gustaf Larsson. Unclear when the move happens: mother’s death notice suggests before her death in June 1942, but there is no concrete evidence of Mattias living with the Larssons before 1944.

June 1942: Mother, Edda ?kerman, passes away in early June. Mattias would have been thirteen. Unclear if still living with parents, or with uncle at the time. Cause of death unclear.

10/21 1944: First evidence that Mattias is officially living with his uncle Gustaf and his family. See national registration records. The same record states that Gustaf’s wife, Berit, and daughters Linnea (b.1934) and Sofia (b.1936) both live at the same address. See also marriage license and birth certificates.

May 1946: Linnea admitted to hospital. Her mother, Berit Larsson, is the guardian present. The records state that she has previously complained of abdominal pains. She has bruises on her left arm and on both thighs, but does not want to state where these came from. The nurse deems no treatment to be necessary, and sends her home with a warning to be more careful in her play.

November 1946: Linnea admitted to hospital for the second time. Berit Larsson once again listed as the guardian present. Linnea is brought in after losing consciousness due to particularly heavy menstrual bleeding. When examined, the bleeding turns out to be an early miscarriage. Linnea refuses to give the father’s name. She is kept in hospital for three days for observation.

July 1947: National registration records reveal Mattias is no longer registered at the Larsson family address, nor with his father, Nils ?kerman. No trace of him elsewhere.

02/16 1951: Mattias ?kerman is arrested in Stockholm for vagrancy, and fined. Fines don’t appear to have been paid.

07/09 1953: A young man described as “of average height, with blond hair and gray eyes, wearing a ripped shirt and patched-up trousers” is arrested on suspicion of the sexual assault of a young girl in Falun. Gives his name as Mattias Larsson, but is unable to provide any formal identification. He is released the next day, after the victim claims to be unable to identify the perpetrator with any certainty. Exact nature of the assault not stated. Dubious as to whether this is Mattias ?kerman, but the physical descriptions match, and the name Mattias Larsson could be a nod to his uncle’s surname.