Stockholm Archipelago, Möja, Björndalens Naturreservat
Scene 9
Sweden remained tough and stubborn, today for certain. Like a punching bag, that swings back to the starting position, even if you hit it with all your forces - for example, in the gym of a detention center in Cartagena. And back to work: what the heck did this pond signify? Was it about the water itself? Was there some bacteria here that one wished to breed as a data store, a memory rod? Could one use this water to power automobiles? Or, even better, had the professor finally invented a machine that could make wine from water? If that were the case, why, for the love of Jesus, should such a Cana-automat require to be tested in Sweden? The restrictive alcohol politics in this land could hardly be the reason – and, what's more, there were lakes to be found in Santa Lemusa, such as the Lac de Forlys with its mysterious rock formations, or the lovely Lac Flouz.
Maille decided to take a sample of the water and courier it to Santa Lemusa to be investigated in a laboratory. As a joke, he also packed a water lily, half as a friendly greeting to Marie, half as wilted revenge. «From Sweden with Lilies», thought Maille, «not a bad title for an episode from the life of a secret agent.»