She can see the sunbeams dancing on the top of the mountains, on the other side of the fjord. Even though the actual sun’s still hidden, you can clearly see that a new day is breaking. Karen listens to the birds’ morning melody as she walks down the steep gravel trail. She has to walk very carefully, and watch out for slippery rocks. As late as last year her mother stepped on something icy, and it resulted in a broken ankle.

When she reaches the bottom of the hill, the ocean lies wide and open in front of her. Karen feels the calm morning breeze filled with a salty, dampy smell against her face. She loves the ocean. It makes her feel like she’s a part of the nature. Like she’s back in the stoneage or something, living only on what the nature has to offer.

As she sits down by the shore, the sun peeps up from its hiding spot. Karen has to lift a hand up to her face, to cover her eyes.In the water surface, she can see the reflection of the cloudlets floating above her. Karens attention is caught by a little fishe swimming around between the seaweed, right under her feet. The water’s low, so there’s more than ten centimeters of air between her blue Nike shoes, and the huge, but calm ocean. She doesn’t notice that the snow, melted from her bodyheat, has gotten through her winter clothes, to her sweatpants.

At this exact spot, she has thought many thoughts. Some about family and friends, others about school and education. But mostly some personal problem ruling her life at the time.

This morning, it’s the parents’ fighting that is the main subject. They’ve had a row every day lately, and Karen can’t take anymore of it. That’s why she’s sitting down here this morning. She had to get out of the house before they woke up and started quarreling again. They think she can’t hear them, but it’s hard to ignore it when they’re screaming at each other like seagulls.

A little, brown rabbit jumps curious, yet anxious around on the shore. About fifteen meters from Karen, it freezes. If she had turned around a little later, Karen probably would’ve believed it was a rock. After a couple of minutes, when the rabbit realizes that Karen’s not going to harm it, it slowly approaches her. But again, it stops, now only five meters from her.

“Hello little bunny. What are you doing here by the ocean, all alone? Where’s your family?” It doesn’t answer back, not that she expected it. But what is it doing here? And why is it alone? Karens eyes quickly overlook the shore and the outing of the forest, but can’t see anything in particular. No signs to show the presence of another rabbit. Maybe he’s lost? Cut off from the others? Or maybe they had an argument, and didn’t manage to make peace with each other. And therefore they decided to go separate ways.

That’s when the thought strikes her. The terrible, horrible thought. The one thing a child never should need to think about. What if her parents were getting a divorce? What if they really would split up, just like the little rabbits? What if they were planning to live separate lives, with her dragging along? One week here, and one week there? It would change her whole life.

Karen finds herself half walking, half running up the hill on the steep trail. Trees and rocks fly pass her, but she doesn’t registrate this. The adrenalin pumps in her body, her heart beats faster than it’s ever done before.

They can’t do it! I won’t let them go through with it!

On the other side of the fjord, over the mountain tops, the sun shines a new day welcome.