*~key~* room for rent that's what the sign read the one in the window the one in issie's hand five flights of stairs to the room for rent closer to the stars the boy described as they climbed up up to the top of the leaning building everything seemed to be sliding to the left lately the stairs creaked in a rather calypso-sounding rhythm as they stepped on them issie tried to shift the weight of her feet to hear the changes rat tat crick she was writing words in her head to the stair-sounds the boy peered over his shoulder at issie with an ever-so-slight-if-you-blink-you-will-miss-it-grin the stairs sing he murmured issie hurried her pace a bit to get a better glimpse of that smile she tried to think of something to say a witty remark a joke a provocative question issie came up with nothing nothing but the words to the stair-song the city library is down the street the boy informed issie looked up at him strained to picture the books he would read chaucer dickens hemingway dr. seuss when they reached the door he handed issie a tiny round box they walked in the door issie felt her breath disappear
|