Page 23 (1/2)

"Genevieve," Zofia said She held htly, and I looked at her She looked wobbly and pale She said, "I feel very bad about all of this Tell your , but I think it was in Baldeziwurleki

The librarian said, "I saw you put a book in here Right here" She opened the handbag and peered inside Out of the handbag cae I don’t ever want to hear that noise again Everyone in the library looked up The librarianaway from her A little trickle of blood caht at first was that it was just plain luck that the handbag was closed when it landed Later on I was trying to figure out what Zofia said My Baldeziwurleki isn’t very good, but I think she was saying soo take care of that da" So maybe that’s what happened Maybe Zofia sent part of herself in there with the skinless dog Maybe she fought it and won and closed the handbag Maybe she made friends with it I mean, she used to feed it popcorn at the movies Maybe she’s still in there

What happened in the library was Zofia sighed a little and closed her eyes I helped her sit down in a chair, but I don’t think she was really there any more I rode with her in the ambulance, when the ambulance finally showed up, and I swear I didn’t even think about the handbag until my mother showed up I didn’t say a word I just left her there in the hospital with Zofia, as on a respirator, and I ran all the way back to the library But it was closed So I ran all the way back again, to the hospital, but you already knohat happened, right? Zofia died I hate writing that My tall, funny, beautiful, book-stealing, Scrabble-playing, story-telling grandmother died

But you neverWhat happened to it I put up signs all over town, like Zofia’s handbag was so, but nobody ever called

So that’s the story so far Not that I expect you to believe any of it Last night Natalie and Natasha came over and we played Scrabble They don’t really like Scrabble, but they feel like it’s their job to cheer me up I won After they went home, I flipped all the tiles upside-down and then I started picking theroups of seven I tried to ask a question, but it was hard to pick just one The words I got weren’t so great either, so I decided that they weren’t English words They were Baldeziwurleki words

Once I decided that, everything became perfectly clear First I put down "kirif" which ot a "b," an "o," an "l," an "e," a "f," another "i," an "s," and a "z" So then I could make "kirif" into "bolekirifisz," which could ent effort and patience"

I would find the faery handbag The tiles said so I would work the clasp and go into the handbag and have my own adventures and would rescue Jake Hardly any ti Maybe I’d even oodbye, for real, to Zofia Rustan would show up again and be really sorry that he’d h to tell my mother the whole story He would tell her that he was her father Not that she would believe him Not that you should believe this story PromiseBeautiful

Shirin Dubbin

Every eold la to be seen and to be praised Hatred finds its twin in fur, intemperate, born of blood and sacrifice Death

I’ve been stripped bare in thisto hold on to exceptis synony constitutes a kind of ouge the flesh between ers and we face off with our rivals, the House of Chantico

This is how a fashion house dies

Tonight should’ve been our comeback, the return of Nommos All facets fell into place brilliantly, our fall collection, the buzzing of the press, and the venue The Russian Gardens, a storied location, lauded, and equally difficult to book Unfortunately, securing the venue required sex with the caretaker Not fun, but he hadn’t been horrible Although he’d seeic button within its folds and he’d kept pressing, apparently in hopes of inducing instant orgasm

We do sacrifice for fashion, don’t we?

Yet the benefits outweighed the drawbacks I’d been vindicated when I peeked around the flats, flanking the runway, and found a standing roo My brother, Anwar, and I had ti of the full low--everyone looked good in this lighting Especially our key guests, the fashion-nobles, front row, stage right Seated there were all those who ht’ve been more appropriate, but I hadn’t known it then Every facet had fallen into place so sea wrong I’d known iddiness had obfuscated sensibility