Svalbard

Summary

• The protagonist wakes up on a boat, experiencing symptoms of a hangover.
• She is in a cabin with a woman named Ingrid, who is a professor of Geoscience at the International Polar Research Institute.
• Ingrid asks why she is here, but the protagonist doesn’t know where "here" is. They appear to be somewhere extremely cold, judging by the sight of glaciers and sea ice outside.
• Ingrid directly asks the protagonist why she had chosen to go as far away from civilisation as possible; she mentions the protagonist's apparent interest in glaciology.
• In response, the protagonist states she likes the cold and glaciers; she expresses specific interest in understanding why glaciers are melting.
• Ingrid opens up about her past, revealing she fled to the isolated area to escape memories of her deceased partner, Per, back in Oslo.
• Ingrid thanks the protagonist for a good conversation the previous night, making it clear that although they are in a remote location, they are not alone.
• The protagonist notices a gun in the room, which makes her feel excited and adventurous.