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gone hiking and I’d ended up with this lasting souvenir on my face. I’d stared at this thing in the mirror for thepast seventeen years and often tried to lance it, but never managed to remove it completely. I had to admit that it had never occurred to me to discover what it was.
    â€œAn old and loyal friend deserves a name, you can call it Black Beauty until you find another one. Truth be told, I would like to have a shot at it. I’m sure I could remove it with a bit of anesthesia and a jab. Afrandarius erpexoplexis! I have a considerable fungi collection. You won’t have to worry about it—I won’t kill it.”
    â€œMy mole?”
    â€œSure. That’s a real treasure,” he said and tapped it lightly with his forefinger. “And it will take pride of place in my collection. Right next to Ferflexus atarticus and Norgonakis felenferosis . These are the great royal houses of fungi.”
    Mother cleared her throat.
    â€œAh, yes, well . . . Welcome to Lowland, it’s always nice to have new people.”
    â€œI suppose that’s the way it works?” she said. “Aren’t people constantly kicking the bucket?”
    â€œOh, yes, death comes to us all. But it’s life that matters, milady. Life. You should enjoy it, Mrs. Briem, and have help to ease your passing if all else fails.”
    â€œAnything but having my leg chopped off.”
    â€œThat won’t be necessary. But we are bound by the law. I cannot go beyond what my oath allows when it comes to foreigners. We sometimes send them to Switzerland, where they can offer assisted suicide to everyone. But we shall see. We should be merciful to the dying and offer remedies to those who still have hope.”
    â€œThat’s what Trooper tells me,” Mother said, still a bit wary in the presence of the doctor. “And he also tells me that I shouldn’ttake offense if someone hands me a joint. But I can tell you straight away, doctor, that I do NOT do drugs.”
    â€œWell, cannabis seems to help most cancer patients, Mrs. Briem.” The doctor chose his words with care. “And though it’s fair to say that it does nobody good to smoke too much, I do find the reluctance in Europe to acknowledge the medical benefits of the Sativa remarkable. Ukrain on the other hand—well, I suggest that we start treatment as soon as possible, first thing Monday at the latest.”
    â€œTreatment? What do you mean?” We had discussed the Ukrain treatment numerous times back home, yet Mother still seemed clueless. “I didn’t come to the Netherlands to become a patient.”
    â€œOf course not, you came to have fun, your son and I discussed this over the phone. But we cannot ignore that you do have a very serious disease to deal with. Ukrain does wonders in the fight against cancer. And as strange as the fear of the Cannabis sativa is, it is even stranger how much adversity my good friend Nowicky has had to contend with trying to market his remedy.”
    â€œNowicky?”
    â€œOne of the great minds of our time. And my Swedish colleagues . . . I should think they had other things to worry about at the Academy. Ukrain on the other hand . . . Hmm.”
    â€œTrooper, tell the doctor I don’t want any injections,” Mother said in Icelandic.
    â€œWe’ve been through all this. You’ll have more time, maybe a year.”
    â€œI refuse to be injected,” she repeated in English.
    â€œYou are an intelligent woman, Mrs. Briem,” the doctor said, “my glasses do not deceive me. The principle behind all our work here at Lowland is that life is more important than death. Nobodyis forced to do something he or she does not want to do, but in your case . . . well it would be folly not to try the treatment. The cancer has not yet spread!”
    â€œTrooper?”
    â€œThe doctor knows what he’s talking about.”
    â€œYes, but . . . injections. I just