Heat hangs in the air, lingering like dust mites in the rooms as if they haven’t been cleaned. Where I sleep near the roof, it’s as hot as the big kitchen stove. It’s early when I go out to clean the henhouse, feed the birds, and gather the eggs. The hens cluck and flap their wings, running round...
She pours us both cups of tea and sits down facing me. “It is not your day off and I can see you are upset. There’s no need to be afraid, Lou. Tell me the truth, and I’ll stand by you if you’re in some kind of trouble. Have they dismissed you? Without a character reference, is that it?” I can’t h...
It had been foggy earlier, but as we approach New York Harbor, a wintry sun breaks through. There, rising through the mist as if by magic, the Statue of Liberty appears. She is taller than I dreamed she would be, and her head is crowned with seven spiked rays. In her right hand, she holds a torch...
Marianne and her mother collided in the entrance hall. Mrs. Kohn whispered, “Ruth’s letter.” Marianne disappeared. “Open up.” The sound of a rifle butt against the door. “I’m coming.” Marianne heard her mother open the door. The slap of leather on skin. A stifled gasp. Marianne stood in the doorw...
Inside are rows and rows of dead bodies stacked up – one on top of the other. Skeletons wearing striped jackets, with six-pointed stars sewn over their hearts. I get out of bed, make sure the blackout's in place. Then I switch on the light. The Van Gogh looks as if it's shifted a bit on the wall....
It's already past two o'clock and I haven't even hung out the clothes yet. I'm just getting started when Grace appears, excitedly waving an envelope. “Your personal mail-delivery service, Mademoiselle,” she says, and executes a wobbly curtsy on the grass. I wipe my damp hands on my apron, and ask...