A few years ago, my mother took me and my brother to live in a town where there is no death. We lived well for some time, but then my mother began getting terrible headaches.

When I came home today, I was told that that my mother had been killed by the town butcher! Why? Because in this town, those who complain of illness are killed right away. That explains why there is no death here!

I have run into the woods where I am hiding. If they find me they’ll kill me too, because I am surely sick. Sick at heart!

The Sick-at-Heart Girl in Mohammed with the Magic Finger, Grey Fairy Book. Picture by Edvard Munch.