Fjallkonan #21 | 2 June 1900

THE DOOR ON THE LEFT LED TO A ROOM IN A LARGE, round tower with several windows, but there were no doors in this room other than the one from the portrait gallery. Next to this door was another open door in the side wall of the gallery, leading to a long series of rooms of various sizes; they all faced west, and I guessed that they made up a large part of the castle’s west wing. I had no time to examine these apartments more closely, but I judged by the look of things¹⁷² that there were no staircases leading to the other living areas in the building. I assumed that such a set of stairs was somewhere to be found, but the last door in this series of rooms—which probably lead to a hallway or exit—was securely locked, so I couldn’t open it.

All the rooms were furnished in the typical way of old castles, with furniture originating from different periods, but nothing in present-day style. Everything was old, faded and worn, though not rickety. I wanted to inspect the furniture more thoroughly later, as I didn’t have time to do so at that moment. Realizing I wouldn’t be able to get out this way, I hurried back to the portrait gallery. At its other end—the same side as the entrance—there was one more door. It was unlocked, and I entered a large, richly ornamented hall with three windows through which the sun shone in. Between the windows hung mirrors with black and gold frames,¹⁷³ and the floor was painted in a grey and white rhombic pattern. Everything was in a style known to be fashionable among highborn people at the beginning of the century, with pink, blue, grey and white colors—all pale with age. Then I found another series of rooms, and I raced through them as if in a dream: I had grown ill now—I felt faint and unwell—so I hurried as fast as I could. These rooms have probably been deserted so long that the air in them may be unhealthy—especially at this time of year, when the sun’s warmth has not yet penetrated the thick walls. But it appeared as though these living quarters had been inhabited not too long ago. Most likely they had been ladies’ quarters; neither arrows nor other enemy fire could reach them, and the windows were larger and much higher than those in the rooms beneath.

After I had gone through several of the rooms, I found another door on the wall opposite the windows. I tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. However, upon closer inspection, I saw that it was not locked; the wood was merely swollen.¹⁷⁴ At last I managed to open it. I came to a dilapidated corridor, and through some loopholes in the walls I could look straight into the ravine lying east of the castle, where a river fell to form a waterfall. The rooms on the other side of the corridor were all securely locked, but when I reached the end of the corridor, I finally came upon a downwards staircase. It was narrow and steep, with small embrasures in its massive walls.

I was starting to feel better, as the air in the stairwell felt fresher and healthier, relieving me of my nausea. But at the same time, the implication of what I had seen last night and this morning became clearer to me: I had to get out of this prison as soon as possible.

The staircase led to another corridor, longer and even more dilapidated than the one before. I suspected that I was now standing in the north wing of the castle, which—more than the other parts of the castle—seemed designed for self-defence and resembled a fortress.¹⁷⁵ At the end of this corridor I found a large iron-clad door. The key was in the lock, and I barely managed to turn it. When I came through the door I entered a rectangular room resembling a cellar. The walls and floor were constructed from unevenly carved rock and everything was covered in spider webs—it was evident that no one had been there for years. Light was falling through two windows, and between them were iron chains and screws, for which I could not determine the purpose. A set of stairs led up to one of the windows, so I rushed up the steps to see what I could find there.