The Summer of Stealing Horses

The 1948 summer with Jon moves from thrilling adventure through grief and emotional upheaval to the loss of Trond Sander’s father.

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An Invitation

An Invitation The Familiar Call Fifteen-year-old Trond hears Jon announce that they are going out stealing horses. Their phrase makes an imagined adventure sound like a dangerous crime. A Private Friendship Jon regularly seeks Trond’s company for fishing, log riding, and other exploits. Trond trusts him and keeps their activities from his father. The two boys cross the river toward Barkald’s farm, carrying the excitement of a friendship that belongs to that summer and nowhere else.

The Failed Ride

The Failed Ride A Reckless Plan At Barkald’s paddock, Trond climbs a birch while Jon drives the horses toward him. Trond drops onto one horse and experiences a brief, intoxicating rush of speed. The Fall The horse veers away from the fence, throwing Trond over the wire. He is bruised and cut, but Jon helps him up and asks whether he will ride again. Trond refuses because his backside hurts, concealing the greater pain. The accident marks the thrill of the escapade with a first encounter with bodily limits.

The Broken Nest

The Broken Nest A Fragile Discovery Jon leads Trond to a goldcrest’s nest high in a spruce. Trond marvels that an egg so tiny can become a bird capable of flight. A Sudden Destruction Jon drops the egg, crushes the nest, and breaks down in a way Trond cannot understand. Trond believes he has somehow caused the outburst, but does not know why. A storm gathers as Jon walks away. The ruined nest becomes a terrible image of life’s vulnerability, though its connection to the boys’ history remains hidden from Trond.

News of Odd

News of Odd The Loaded Gun Trond’s father explains that Lars Haug accidentally fired Jon’s gun and killed his twin, Odd. Lars had returned home to find his brothers, but the tragedy happened before anyone could intervene. A Family in Shock Jon’s father carries Odd’s body inside, then leaves to bring the news to Jon’s mother. Jon takes Lars out fishing and keeps him away from the house until their parents return. The explanation transforms Trond’s understanding of Jon’s strange reaction at the nest. Loss has entered the boys’ summer, but no one tells Trond how to speak to Jon about it.

The Last Farewell

The Last Farewell A Promise at the Bus Trond’s father sends him home to Oslo, saying that he will follow once he finishes his work. He tells Trond to learn from events and never grow bitter. No Return Trond waits for his father at the station again and again. Eventually a letter arrives saying his father will not come home; it leaves no special greeting for Trond. The boy’s summer ends with an unanswered question: whether his father’s departure was sudden or already decided. The uncertainty becomes one of the defining absences of Trond’s life.

Early July 1948

The first days of July 1948

Later on the same July morning

The day after the horse ride

Late summer 1948