The catastrophe of his grandmother dying, his mother becoming more crazy, him having to move to a foster home, and him losing contact with his best friend, Amir, creates a grinding and terrible anxiety for Sten.
He thinks about Amir a lot, calls him, but only gets sad when he hears his happy voice.
And when he thinks about escape, he gets a lot of help and comfort from Rickard at the family home.
Rickard is twelve years old, two years older than Sten, and helps him think about things other than things that worry and cause psychological pain.
They play TV games, and other games.
And Rickard shows him the ponies, Dandy and Pompe. They also bring a lot of joy and comfort. And Rickard teaches him to ride.
Rickard and Sten become like best friends.
They get to go to school with homeschooling.
And everyone at the family home, adults and children, plays football.
