\u00dea\u00f0 getur veri\u00f0 au\u00f0velt a\u00f0 t\u00fdna r\u00f3tunum, s\u00e9rstaklega \u00feegar ma\u00f0ur b\u00fdr erlendis. Raddir forfe\u00f0ranna eru eins og veikt bergm\u00e1l \u00e1 me\u00f0an fr\u00e9ttir af str\u00ed\u00f0s\u00e1t\u00f6kum og sl\u00e6mum efnahag yfirgn\u00e6fa allt. Vi\u00f0 h\u00f6fum svo miki\u00f0 a\u00f0 gera, vi\u00f0 erum svo upptekin vi\u00f0 a\u00f0 lifa m\u00e1nu\u00f0inn af a\u00f0 allt anna\u00f0 gleymist.<\/p>\n

\u00c9g var a\u00f0 leita af skjali \u00ed t\u00f6lvunni. N\u00fa \u00feegar fyrsta sk\u00e1ldsagan m\u00edn er svo gott sem tilb\u00fain, vildi \u00e9g k\u00edkja \u00e1 gamla hugmynd sem \u00e9g var a\u00f0 leika m\u00e9r me\u00f0 fyrir nokkrum \u00e1rum. \u00c9g veit a\u00f0 s\u00fa saga er ekki upp \u00e1 marga fiska, en ef \u00e9g man r\u00e9tt eru einhverjir punktar \u00ed henni sem h\u00e6gt er a\u00f0 vinna \u00far og gera skemmtilega. Skjali\u00f0 fann \u00e9g ekki. Hef sennilega sett \u00fea\u00f0 \u00e1 einhvern af m\u00ednum fimm \u00fe\u00fasund fl\u00f6kkurum, en \u00e9g rakst \u00e1 eitthva\u00f0 anna\u00f0 og enn \u00e1hugaver\u00f0ara.<\/p>\n

Afi skrifa\u00f0i br\u00e9f til fr\u00e6nda s\u00edns fyrir t\u00edu \u00e1rum s\u00ed\u00f0an. \u00dear talar hann um langafa sinn, Mark\u00fas J\u00f3nsson fr\u00e1 Me\u00f0allandi. Samkv\u00e6mt Sigurbirni biskupi \u00e1 s\u00e1 aldrei a\u00f0 hafa bl\u00f3ta\u00f0, en nota\u00f0i frekar \u00fev\u00ed litr\u00edkara m\u00e1l. H\u00e9r er d\u00e6mi um \u00fea\u00f0. Hann haf\u00f0i fari\u00f0 \u00ed heims\u00f3kn til d\u00f3ttur sinnar (lang\u00f6mmu minnar) og tengdasonar. Spur\u00f0ur um a\u00f0komuna, haf\u00f0i hann \u00feetta a\u00f0 segja:<\/p>\n

Konan: \u201cHvernig l\u00fdst \u00fe\u00e9r n\u00fa \u00e1 \u00feennan flutning \u00feeirra \u00fearna \u00fateftir?\u201d<\/em>
\nMark\u00fas: \u201c\u00dea\u00f0 er n\u00fa eins og \u00fe\u00fa , blessa\u00f0ur auminginn \u00feinn (ath. g\u00e6luor\u00f0 \u00ed Me\u00f0allandi) v\u00e6rir dregin \u00e1 h\u00e1rinu nor\u00f0ur fyrir fj\u00f6ll, j\u00e1, nor\u00f0ur fyrir \u00f6ll Einhyrningsfj\u00f6ll og s\u00e6ir \u00fear aungva kvika skepnu nema nokkra kj\u00f3a, og \u00fe\u00e1 alla v\u00e6landi.\u201d<\/em>
\nKonan: \u201cJ\u00e1 er \u00fea\u00f0 svo, varla er \u00fea\u00f0 gott. En hvernig eru n\u00fa h\u00fasin \u00fearna \u00ed Ne\u00f0ridal?\u201d<\/em>
\nMark\u00fas: \u201cN\u00fa, \u00fea\u00f0 er n\u00fa eins og \u00fe\u00fa f\u00e6rir h\u00e9rna austur \u00ed m\u00fdri og fynndir \u00fear aumustu hunda\u00fe\u00fafuna, hola\u00f0ir hana innan og f\u00e6rir a\u00f0 b\u00faa \u00fear, svo k\u00e6mi allt hundast\u00f3\u00f0i\u00f0 \u00ed sveitinni og migi \u00e1 \u00fe\u00fafuna og \u00fea\u00f0 l\u00e6ki allt inn.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Br\u00e9fi\u00f0 hans afa er langt og hann h\u00e1lfpartinn bi\u00f0st afs\u00f6kunar \u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed. M\u00edn vegna hef\u00f0i \u00fea\u00f0 \u00fe\u00f3 m\u00e1tt vera t\u00edu sinnum lengra, \u00fev\u00ed \u00fea\u00f0 gefur f\u00f3lki sem lifir r\u00famum 100 \u00e1rum seinna skemmtilega s\u00fdn inn \u00ed heim \u00edslendinga \u00ed lok n\u00edtj\u00e1ndu aldar. \u00c1n heimilda eins og br\u00e9fsins, v\u00e6ri Mark\u00fas og hans samfer\u00f0arf\u00f3lk sennilega miki\u00f0 til gleymt.<\/p>\n

\u00c9g s\u00e9 oft eftir a\u00f0 hafa ekki hlusta\u00f0 betur \u00e1 langafa \u00feegar hann sag\u00f0i s\u00f6gur af skipum sem str\u00f6ndu\u00f0u og mannl\u00edfinu \u00ed upphafi tuttugustu aldar. \u00c9g hef oft sparka\u00f0 \u00ed sj\u00e1lfan mig fyrir a\u00f0 hafa ekki eytt meiri t\u00edma me\u00f0 afa \u00e1 me\u00f0an \u00e9g haf\u00f0i t\u00e6kif\u00e6ri til. \u00c9g hugsa stundum til nafna m\u00edns \u00e1 Hnausum sem enn er \u00e1 l\u00edfi, og sagnanna sem hann einn \u00feekkir og getur enn sagt. \u00c9g veit a\u00f0 vi\u00f0 erum a\u00f0 falla \u00e1 t\u00edma. Veit a\u00f0 \u00e9g \u00e6tti a\u00f0 pakka saman og fara heim. Ey\u00f0a nokkrum vikum me\u00f0 honum og skr\u00e1 s\u00f6gur sveitarinnar okkar.<\/p>\n

En skyldan kallar. \u00c9g \u00fearf a\u00f0 fara a\u00f0 elda. Vinna snemma \u00ed fyrram\u00e1li\u00f0. \u00c1 eiginlega a\u00f0 vera a\u00f0 klippa mynd. \u00c9g hef ekki t\u00edma til a\u00f0 bjarga \u00fev\u00ed sem bjarga\u00f0 ver\u00f0ur.<\/p>\n\t