The Book Beside the Open One

Ages 15-18

Yaelle puts two books on her table.

One story begins with a red mitten hanging from a pear tree. The other begins with a baker finding a wooden shoe inside his flour sack.

She opens the mitten story to page 2.

At the bottom, she turns to page 3. The girl in the story reaches for the mitten.

Yaelle opens the baker's story to page 2.

She reads to the bottom and turns to page 3. The baker puts the wooden shoe on his counter.

Yaelle pulls the mitten story toward her again.

She takes a plain bookmark from the table and slips it into the baker's story at page 3.

Then she closes that book and sets it beside her.

In the open book, the girl pulls the mitten down. A folded letter falls out of its thumb.

Yaelle turns the page and reads the letter.

The baker's book lies closed beside her. The mitten story is open beneath her hand.