Her mother helped her through a warm bath, insisting all the while on trying to soothe her with the thought that it was a mistake. She would straighten it out. Finally, in bed with a hot water bottle at her feet, Emma sipped warm milk. Her mother sat on her bed in silence until the milk was finis...
Sophia now wished she had not promised to meet Marsha and her other classmates at the skating rink. She would just like to fold into herself like the four-o’clocks, little flowers that end their day at four. She was exhausted. Why was she so tired? she asked herself as she moved up the walk, wavi...
The scent of crushed magnolia blossoms and honeysuckle filled the humid air with an overpowering sweetness. The air was hot and sticky. Moisture clung to Martha and mosquitoes buzzed around her, in spite of smoke rising from rags set to smolder. In the heat and stillness the least noise was heigh...