The Pink Line in the Stone

Ages 9-12

At the museum door, Nitza takes a floor-plan card. Three room names are printed on it: ROCKS, TRAINS, CLOCKS.

She points to ROCKS. Mama walks in beside her. They have time for one room before going home.

In the first glass case, a white stone has a thin pink line across its front. The line continues around the side, toward a white ridge.

Nitza bends a little to see where it goes.

She opens the card to TRAINS.

"Maybe the trains have bridges."

Mama looks into the case. Nitza looks toward the doorway.

A dark stone in the next case has tiny square flecks. Nitza takes two steps toward it with Mama.

She brings the card closer to read CLOCKS.

The doorway is behind them now. Nitza turns toward it, then back toward the first case.

Nitza holds the card open to all three room names.

In the first case, the pink line is where she left it, running round the side of the white stone. Nitza's eyes move from the card to the glass.

She folds the card once, ROCKS, TRAINS and CLOCKS still in a row, and slides it into her pocket.

The card's edge sticks out of her pocket. Nitza moves along the case and follows the pink line around the stone to its end behind the white ridge.