Skrållan, Nasty and Grumble

And so she does, she makes such a good job of it that the motor boat drifts off an vanishes over the blur horizon. And there on the little island of Kråkskär in the Swedish archipelago are Skrållan and Tjorven and Pelle and Stina, with no boat and no food. ”But if Robinson Crusoe cold fend for himself for many years there’s no reason why we couldn’t manage at least a week, says Pelle”.

It turns out to be an anxious week - but fun as well. Finding food was a tricky business but Skrållan for her part does pretty well. She quickly discovers that the island is not quite as uninhabited as they first thought. In an old lighthouse live two unsavory characters called Nasty and Grumble and there you could get excellent sandwiches as long as you promise to keep their hiding place and their cigarettes a secret.

But Tjorven figures out the connection, refusing to believe that Nasty and Grumble are bird-watchers. They run out to be a couple of inexperienced, frightened and likeable smugglers and they soon agree to sharing their hiding place with the children.

So why didn’t they take their boat and vanish from Kråkskär? Because Skrållan had - so to speak - tied up their boat as well.