fame."
He pulled the packet of chocolate-covered coffee beans from his satchel. "I've only got two left. They were very tasty." He picked out a bean, then closed his eyes.
Everything went quiet--no cars, no seagulls, even Lars held his wheezy breath. The world froze. But I didn't freeze. My heart pounded. I looked left, then right. Nothing else moved. I stood there, out of sync with a world suspended. "What's happening?" I whispered.
Malcolm's thick lashes rested on his cheeks. He seemed frozen too. I stared at his face, my gaze drawn to his mouth. Some guys had pencil-thin lips, but his lower lip was as perfect as his upper lip. What would it be like to kiss him? That thought, which popped into my head without an invitation, surprised me with its vividness.
Malcolm's eyes flew open and he smiled.
I stepped away and the world came back to life.
"Here you go." He held out the bean. "And don't pretend to eat it like you did last time. I'm not stupid."
What had just happened? I felt a bit dizzy. And frightened. Maybe it was a blood sugar thing and I just needed to eat a cookie. I needed to get back to the coffeehouse and sit down. "If I eat this now, will fame come right away?"
"I believe so."
"Then I'd like to wait. I mean, look at me. If I'm going to be famous, I'd like to fix my hair, maybe put on something nice."
"You should put on a dress," Lars said. "A nice dress. Girls don't wear dresses anymore."
"Yeah, I should put on a nice dress."
Malcolm frowned. "You won't eat it now?"
"I'll eat it later."
"You wouldn't be trying to trick me?"
"No."
"I'm freezing my nuts off," Lars said. "Take the bean."
I took the bean and put it into my pocket.
"Well then, I guess I'm done. I guess I won't be seeing you again." For a moment, his blue eyes, so deep and vivid, faded to gray. When he sighed, a cold breeze slid down my spine. "Time to be on my way or I'll get into trouble. I wish you a long and healthy life, Katrina Svensen. And to you, Lars Larsen, I wish you dignity." Up the hill he went, just like last time, except he stopped to look back, sadness clearly imprinted on his face. Then he was gone.
"I don't think that boy's right in the head," Lars said. "The pages in his book were blank."
Maybe I wasn't right in the head. The pharmacy sat across the street. "Wait here," I told Lars. They didn't have any walkers in stock. They'd have to order one and it was real expensive. I told the counter person I'd get back to him. I thought about asking if he knew anything about hallucinations, but decided against it. When I caught up to Lars, he was almost to Anna's. His limp had improved.
"Hey, Katrina." He held up a cane. "Isn't it a beauty?
Look, the handle's carved like a fish. And my name's right on it. Captain Lars."
"Where'd you get it?"
"I just found it." He waved it above his head and smiled. "Now, this has some dignity."
Thirteen
O din sat alone at the corner table, staring forlornly at his game board. Ralph and Ingvar had abandoned him because Irmgaard was making krumkake--little rolled cookies flavored with almond, lemon, and cardamom. They watched as she poured yellow batter onto an iron. The batter sank into the iron's grooves, sizzling to a golden brown. The Boys waited with anticipation as she lifted the soft cookie with a spatula, then rolled it around a metal cone.
Irmgaard's silence and her graceful, repetitive movements could lull anyone into a trance. The steam from the hot iron had turned her cheeks pink. One might think that grown men would have better things to do on a Wednesday afternoon. But Ingvar would say, "What's better than a beautiful woman and a plate of warm cookies?"
"Katrina's got a boyfriend," Lars announced as we stepped inside.
"What? No I don't."
"What's that?" My grandmother barreled across the room, wiping her hands on a dish towel. Her lower lip actually trembled. "A boyfriend? Who is he?" Her enthusiasm was embarrassing. You'd think I'd discovered a cure for cellulite or
He pulled the packet of chocolate-covered coffee beans from his satchel. "I've only got two left. They were very tasty." He picked out a bean, then closed his eyes.
Everything went quiet--no cars, no seagulls, even Lars held his wheezy breath. The world froze. But I didn't freeze. My heart pounded. I looked left, then right. Nothing else moved. I stood there, out of sync with a world suspended. "What's happening?" I whispered.
Malcolm's thick lashes rested on his cheeks. He seemed frozen too. I stared at his face, my gaze drawn to his mouth. Some guys had pencil-thin lips, but his lower lip was as perfect as his upper lip. What would it be like to kiss him? That thought, which popped into my head without an invitation, surprised me with its vividness.
Malcolm's eyes flew open and he smiled.
I stepped away and the world came back to life.
"Here you go." He held out the bean. "And don't pretend to eat it like you did last time. I'm not stupid."
What had just happened? I felt a bit dizzy. And frightened. Maybe it was a blood sugar thing and I just needed to eat a cookie. I needed to get back to the coffeehouse and sit down. "If I eat this now, will fame come right away?"
"I believe so."
"Then I'd like to wait. I mean, look at me. If I'm going to be famous, I'd like to fix my hair, maybe put on something nice."
"You should put on a dress," Lars said. "A nice dress. Girls don't wear dresses anymore."
"Yeah, I should put on a nice dress."
Malcolm frowned. "You won't eat it now?"
"I'll eat it later."
"You wouldn't be trying to trick me?"
"No."
"I'm freezing my nuts off," Lars said. "Take the bean."
I took the bean and put it into my pocket.
"Well then, I guess I'm done. I guess I won't be seeing you again." For a moment, his blue eyes, so deep and vivid, faded to gray. When he sighed, a cold breeze slid down my spine. "Time to be on my way or I'll get into trouble. I wish you a long and healthy life, Katrina Svensen. And to you, Lars Larsen, I wish you dignity." Up the hill he went, just like last time, except he stopped to look back, sadness clearly imprinted on his face. Then he was gone.
"I don't think that boy's right in the head," Lars said. "The pages in his book were blank."
Maybe I wasn't right in the head. The pharmacy sat across the street. "Wait here," I told Lars. They didn't have any walkers in stock. They'd have to order one and it was real expensive. I told the counter person I'd get back to him. I thought about asking if he knew anything about hallucinations, but decided against it. When I caught up to Lars, he was almost to Anna's. His limp had improved.
"Hey, Katrina." He held up a cane. "Isn't it a beauty?
Look, the handle's carved like a fish. And my name's right on it. Captain Lars."
"Where'd you get it?"
"I just found it." He waved it above his head and smiled. "Now, this has some dignity."
Thirteen
O din sat alone at the corner table, staring forlornly at his game board. Ralph and Ingvar had abandoned him because Irmgaard was making krumkake--little rolled cookies flavored with almond, lemon, and cardamom. They watched as she poured yellow batter onto an iron. The batter sank into the iron's grooves, sizzling to a golden brown. The Boys waited with anticipation as she lifted the soft cookie with a spatula, then rolled it around a metal cone.
Irmgaard's silence and her graceful, repetitive movements could lull anyone into a trance. The steam from the hot iron had turned her cheeks pink. One might think that grown men would have better things to do on a Wednesday afternoon. But Ingvar would say, "What's better than a beautiful woman and a plate of warm cookies?"
"Katrina's got a boyfriend," Lars announced as we stepped inside.
"What? No I don't."
"What's that?" My grandmother barreled across the room, wiping her hands on a dish towel. Her lower lip actually trembled. "A boyfriend? Who is he?" Her enthusiasm was embarrassing. You'd think I'd discovered a cure for cellulite or
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