The Open Book

Ages 12-15

Michal's drawing has a staircase with no railing.

She has left room for it. In the reference book, the railing curves around a landing, with a row of little upright bars. She wants to see how the bars change where the stairs turn.

The book is open on the next desk.

Yesterday was Debby's afternoon with it. Today is Michal's. Nomi has the third afternoon. Each girl needs a different picture from it. They put their names on three small notes and stuck them, in order, to the book's protective sleeve.

Debby kept the book past her turn. She is still drawing yesterday's leaded window.

"I'm nearly done," she says.

Michal takes out her pencil. She can begin with the steps. Her paper has them already, but she could make their edges darker.

She darkens one edge.

Debby adds another diamond to the window. Then another.

The names on the sleeve are underneath the open book.

Michal draws along a second step.

"How much is left?"

"This last column."

Debby's window has columns of small diamonds. The last column has only a faint pencil line.

"I have the book today," Michal says.

"I know. Let me finish this bit."

Debby lowers her head again.

Michal looks at her own stairs. She could draw a straight railing without the book.

At the third desk, Nomi puts down her eraser.

"Are we changing the order?"

"No," Debby says. "Just this bit."

Michal puts her pencil beside her paper.

"If I stop now, I won't remember where I was," Debby says.

Michal looks at the picture Debby is copying. The diamonds narrow at the top of the window. It would be hard to keep all those angles in her head.

She nearly says Debby can have another afternoon.

"You can mark the page," Michal says.

Debby leaves her pencil on the last complete diamond.

"It's not a good place to stop."

"I know."

Michal stays beside her own desk.

Nomi opens her folder.

Debby finds a clean piece of card in her pencil case. She slides it between the pages, checks the page number and writes it in the front corner of her drawing.

Then she shuts the book.

The last column is still empty.

She pushes the closed book toward Michal.

Michal lifts it without pulling out the card.

Debby. Michal. Nomi.

Michal peels her own note from the sleeve and sticks it to the corner of her desk. Nomi's stays on the sleeve for tomorrow.

She finds the staircase picture.

She marks where the first bar belongs on her drawing.

Across the aisle, Debby puts her unfinished drawing into her folder. The page number shows through the clear front pocket.