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Almost Everything Very Fast
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guarded
like
treasure:
hairpins melted into one
another, a stove tile broken
in fifths, the spine from the
cookbook, two smooth,
gleaming candlesticks, a
dagger, a handful of nails,
arrowheads, teeth, and
much more. A dirty black
film covered everything,
which Anni couldn’t get rid
of, no matter how much she
scrubbed each object in the
cold water of the Moorbach.
And whenever a somebody
suggested she choose one
of them for the Sacrificial
Festival, she just shook her
head and said, “It’s already
been burned.”
One of her chores was to
go and fetch rolls from the
bakery every Sunday. If
Reindl’s daughter was at
the shop, the two of them
would swap Most Beloved
Possessions.
Sometimes
Mina would roam through
the burned house as well,
hunting rats and stuffing
her pockets with whatever
junk was lying around. In her
company it was rare for Anni
to shake her head, because,
like many Klöbles, Mina
treated her no differently
than she had before the fire.
All the other people of
Segendorf had changed. No
matter whom she met, even
people she didn’t actually
know, they would greet her,
ask her how she was doing,
praise her new home, invite
her for a slice of poppy-seed
cake, or slip her an apple.
One day, while trading Most
Beloved Possessions, Mina’s
polished boots caught her
eye, and she couldn’t resist
the temptation to touch
them.
“Do you like them?” asked
Mina.