Original subtitles

Alberta is six years old. She has been for three days,

so now she's no longer lying. She's been saying she was six.

She thought saying "five and half" sounded so stupid.

Today is Sunday, -

and her father and mother are home. They almost never are.

But on Sunday, they sleep all morning.

So Alberta must run around without making a sound. It is so tiring.

"It must be at least 10," she thinks, but that's only a guess -

because she can not tell time yet.

She only uses a pacifier at night. The doctor tells her not to -

she might ruin her teeth.

"Pfft!" says her mother, "but don't complain when your teeth are crooked."

"Have I complained?" Alberta asks.

She is awfully hungry, and French break is awfully dry -

but she dare not wake anyone, because they will want to sleep in.

Sometimes she kisses them to make them happy, -

but that is not so easy.

Then she gets an idea. She will cook breakfast for them.

Sunday morning. Get the spices and coffee.

Alberta's mother makes coffee while her father goes to the bakery.

Alberta dare not go to the bakery because she would have to cross the street.

So she finds some flour to bake a loaf of bread. It'll be great.

And then she finds a little sugar and there is milk in the icebox.

Alberta has helped her mother often, so she knows how to bake.

But she forgot something.

She can not even turn on the stove, so she can not bake the bread.

Well, she can pretend that she did so anyway.

I believe her mother and father are happy. I think Alberta is too.

Her mother doesn't look very happy now.

I wonder what's wrong?

Alberta doesn't understand why her mother is angry.

It's strange that she was not happy about breakfast.

See how she scolds her! She will not have a mess in her kitchen!

"We have to clean up. Now you stop being naughty," says his mother.

"Go to your room and shame on you." Alberta goes there, -

but she is not ashamed. She is mad.

She is so angry that she doesn't like her mom and dad anymore.

They are never nice to her. They're never home either.

They're always working, and when they're at home, they want peace and quiet.

"I'm moving, dammit!" Alberta thinks, and she packs her suitcase.

"From now on, my name is Kurt." She has always wanted to be a boy.

Mom and Dad

Dad and Mom

Mom and Dad

Dad...

and Mom

Good-bye

Mom and Dad

Dad and Mom

Mom and Dad

Dad...

and Mom

Good-bye

Near the end of Alberta's garden there is a jetty, -

and at the end of that is a bench.

Alberta isn't allowed to go out on the pier -

But now that she's left home she can decide for herself.

"I wonder if we can build a house here," she thinks.

She has always wanted to live in a house in the middle of the water.

So she had better get the things to build a house with.

Her mother and father didn't notice a thing. They just sit and read the newspaper.

They should at least know that Alberta has moved. They probably wouldn't be happy about it.

Now Alberta's mother and father noticed that she was gone.

They simply can't find her.

Alberta knows that they are looking for her, but she doesn't care.

She is sunbathing and that makes her plainly visible.

Soon it is lunch time, but Alberta has plenty of food -

because she had made something in the kitchen.

Here comes her mother. She calls for her, but Alberta doesn't care.

"What are you doing? What are you doing?" she asks.

Alberta doesn't answer. "What are you doing, Alberta?"

"I'm not Alberta. I've moved, and my name is Kurt."

"Come back home," says her mother. "No, I won't."

"You're being stupid. I'll stay with you."

Then her mother left again. That wasn't so good.

Now it is evening, and Alberta should have been in bed."

But her mother isn't very mad. She is just looking at her.

"Won't you come home for dinner?" she asks.

But Alberta isn't answering. She has moved.

"Then I'll put the food here," says her mother.

"And sleep well." Then she leaves.

She doesn't understand any of it, but she seems upset.

"No, it's alright. When you're hungry, you'll come for food."

Then she eats, and it feels good.

It's not been so much fun for Mom and dad. They're probably talking about Alberta.

They could have been nicer to her, then this never would have happened.

Alberta also thinks about them, but she's OK -

and now she's sleepy. She can go home in the morning if she misses them.

Alberta has left home. She is tired of her mom and dad being so grumpy.

If they are not grumpy, they are working, and when they are finally home -

they go to sleep and have no time for her.

They're not grumpy anymore. They are sad, and miss Alberta.

But now it's too late. She has built a house and won't be home again.

She moved yesterday and slept in the house all night by herself.

She has her blanket and her dolls and it's mighty cozy.

From now on, her name's not Alberta. Her name is Kurt.

She has finally found herself.

Kurt's mother and father have not slept so well. They miss her, believe me.

They want her to come home. "Don't you want to go to kindergarten?"

"Maybe," says Kurt, "but not today."

"Aren't you coming home to us again, Alberta?" they shout.

"Don't cry. My name is Kurt and my dolls are sleeping."

"Eh... Well, here's your food," they say, and then they go to work.

"Thanks, I just ate," says Kurt. But it'll be nice for lunch.

Then she remembers all so has to do. She totally forgot to wave.

Kurt thinks it's lunchtime now, but it's no later than ten.

Time passes very slowly when you are alone.

She wonders if she might find someone to play with -

but they are in kindergarten or school, so she's out of luck.

Wait! Someone's coming!

I didn't know there was anyone home. It's a strange boy.

"Hello. My name Borge," he says.

"Hello, my name is Kurt," says Alberta.

"Good-bye," he says. "I have to get home.

And I have to swim all the way. Bye-bye."

The water in the lake is very clean. Otherwise you couldn't brush your teeth in it.

It's also nice to wash your clothes, but Kurt doesn't have any soap.

So she just scrubs a little harder

I believe that Kurt is getting bored.

Time passes slowly when you have no one to talk to.

It takes time to get used to being alone.

What should she do now?

She thinks it's late, but it's only half past ten.

It's several hours before there are any children home.

She goes looking for Arne, but he's in kindergarten -

and her mother and father are at work.

Hey, where did the boat come from.

It looked like it appeared out of thin air.

Maybe it's a magic boat.

"Hello, hello," says the lady. "Are you the one named Kurt?"

"How do you know that?" asks Kurt.

"Yes. I'm someone who helps children who have left home."

"I came about building a decent house for you."

Kurt think it sounds strange, but she says nothing. She is happy.

"Well, We'd better see what we can do about it, "says the lady.

She has a lot in her boat. There are wooden poles, and tents, and pillows.

"What's the bird?" asks Kurt. "Bird," says the lady.

"It can't talk, so don't ask it anything."

"I've always wanted a bird," says Kurt.

"You can have it," says the lady. "But now we need to build a house."

"How about a bath?" the lady asks.

But Kurt does not like to swim where it's deep.

"So you can take a shower," says the lady.

"Just wait and see when I get out. I have one in the boat."

"Won't you come in," asks the lady.

"No, I think I'll wait for the shower," says Kurt.

"As you wish," says the lady, after she has dried off -

and gotten dressed again. "Then lets just have some fun."

The lady also brought food. Kurt has a whole basket of food.

She also has some new books and a warm blanket for the night.

"Want to see some pictures?" says the lady. And then she points up at the sky.

"How do you do that?" asks Kurt.

"I've been practicing," says the lady.

The lady has a strange clock.

It's late. It's late. It's late. It's late.

It's late. It's late. It's late. It's late.

It's late. It's late. It's late. It's late.

"It's six o'clock," she says. "I have to go."

"Are you coming back?" asks Kurt.

"No, I come only once. There are many children who leave home, -

so I'm busy. Have a good time. It was nice meeting you."

"You, too," says Kurt.

"You must excuse me," says Kurt, "but you're not so good at rowing.

You should use magic."

"You can't be good at everything," says the lady.

"Will you be happy now?"

Kurt's mother and father miss her terribly.

But she's just as well off now.

She has a new house and a lot of food and a bird called Bird.

The lady who gave it to sailed away and she misses her a little, -

but now it's getting dark and Kurt feels wonderful.

"Can we sit with you?" asks her father.

"Of course," says Kurt. "It is beautiful here," says her mother.

"I gave it to a lady," says Kurt.

It sounds strange, but they say nothing, -

because they do not want to upset her.

"Have you eaten?" asks her mom. "No. I'm getting hungry now."

"That's great," says her father. "We have food with us. Can we eat here?"

"I have enough food," says Kurt.

"IF you want to help me open a can of peaches, I have dessert."

"We provide the food, and then give you dessert, "says her mother.

They have chicken and a soda and wine for the adults.

Kurt also gets wine, so she'll save the soda for later.

Now it's morning, and Kurt has slept well.

Her mother and father were visiting and went home when it got dark.

Her mother and father also slept well. They are so happy they are friends.

"We could eat breakfast together once in a while, "says Dad.

"That sounds very nice," says Kurt.

But Mom and Dad are always busy. "Hey, we gotta go to work," they say.

"You understand we're not Quakers, so you may prefer to run away."

But Kurt has enough to do. She has to clean up.

Here comes Soren and Oda, so it must be afternoon -

because they go to school.

"Aren't you in school?" asks Kurt. "We've already been," says Soren.

There you go. Time flies when you have something to do.

"What are you doing then?" "Nothing at the moment.

You have to relax sometimes. During the day I clean -

And air bedding and cook and tell stories to the kids."

"Well, you mean dolls?" asks Soren.

"Yes. How did you guess?" asks Kurt.

Soren was jealous of the boat. "Do you really take trips in it?"

"Sure," says Kurt. "I'm not stupid; I can do it.."

"If I lose an oar, I won't be able to row to shore."

"It's because you can't really do it," says S�ren.

"I'll make up my own mind," says Kurt. "I'll go if I want."

"And I don't. Do you want an apple?"

"It's a nice boat," says Soren.

"Do you?" "Mm," says Soren.

"Do you want a shower?" asks Kurt. They will love to.

Kurt's mother and father bring gifts. They are in a pretty good mood -

and they're looking forward to giving them.

"Come. See this nice fishing rod?"

"Come," says her mother. "Look, I brought you flowers."

But Kurt is happier the fishing net. You can use it when you are paddling.

"Hey, where are you?" Dad says. "Where is Kurt?"

"Out in the water," says mother. "Indeed she is," says father.

"Wait a minute, I'll come down to you. I'm on my way."

Well, now comes Mom and Dad again. They've suddenly got plenty of time.

Before Kurt moved, they were always busy. How strange!

"I wonder if we should sleep here," says her father.

"Aren't you watching TV?" asks Kurt.

"It's not necessary," says her mom.

"It doesn't bother me," says Kurt. "You can be in the guest room."

"Well, yes, one could have guessed. Mom and Dad have their life."

Every morning they go to work and every evening they come home.

Each morning Kurt gives them a note with things to buy.

It was drawn because she can't write. The strange thing is -

that they're being nice every day.

Kurt has found a new way to wash clothes, but it is difficult -

because one has to make sure the laundry doesn't get away.

She could use a fishing net, but she hasn't thought of that.

Well, it works anyway.

It's been a month, and Kurt's mother and father have not lived in their house.

"Tell me, you're not going to work?"

"We could row the boat," says her father.

"I mean real work," says Kurt.

She doesn't know that her mother and father have an idea.

"You'll soon be old enough to learn to swim," says her father.

"I actually can a little," says Kurt.

"I know what to do with your arms."

"That's not what I wanted to talk about," says her father.

"I have to tell you something that might make yous sad."

"Well. What is it?" says Kurt.

"Yes, mother an I are thinking of selling the house," says her father.

"You could live with me," says Kurt.

"We thought of that. We wouldn't bother going to work anymore, -

and if we sold the house, we could use the money to live on."

"What should I be sad about?" asks Kurt.

"I thought you might like... like the house, -

so you would not be happy that we sold it."

"You can not have everything," says Kurt. "But if you will be staying with me -

you can't be chewing me out."

"Of course," says her father. "I was going to bring that up."

Now the house has been sold and new children are coming.

It's their first day and they go around saying:

"It is my apple tree and my pear tree and my sandbox."

"Then it's my hammock, it is my lake" and things like that.

They go down to Kurt. She says: "If you must argue, -

then go somewhere else." "Whose boat is that?" they ask.

"It's my mom's and dad's and mine, and we share everything."

"Then everything is perfect," says Kurt.

"Now we're traveling. Take care and take good care of the house."

"Where are you going?" "We travel with the sun," says Kurt.

"Won't the sun come back to us?"

"Yes, but we travel to a place where there is sun the whole year."

"When you live in a boat, you must find a place where it doesn't freeze."

"That's what we do. We wish you well. Bye-bye."

And so they travel.

Bye-bye

Mom and Dad

Dad and Mom

Mom and Dad

Dad...

and Mom.

Good-bye.

Dad and Mom

Mom and Dad

Dad and Mom

Mom...

and Dad

Good-bye

So the story ends. I do not know what happened -

after they sailed, but they're probably doing well.

Dad and Mom

Mom...

and Dad

Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye, good-bye, good-bye,

Dad and Mom

Mom and Dad