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On the doorstep of a little house in Forks, Washington, a basket is placed.
The doorbell rings.
There are footsteps, and then there are not.
bulrushes
bulrushes
The child nods.
"I'm not sure if I'm supposed to have parents but I think I'm supposed to have a name. I can't remember it," she says.
"I'm not sure if I'm supposed to have parents but I think I'm supposed to have a name. I can't remember it," she says.
asmyown
"Well, you could wait and not have a name for a while and see if the police can find it out for you, or you could pick a name. That could be confusing if they did find it, though."
asmyown
"I would help," says Lynn, amused. "Either by getting you a book with lots of names in it, or by naming as many names as I know, or by picking a name that I like and seeing if you like it, too."
asmyown
"Irene, Jasmine, Astrid, Danielle, and Phoebe. Of names that I can think of at the top of my head for girls, anyway."
asmyown
Lynn snorts. "Okay, then - Astrid? Would you like me to call you that until we figure out your given name?"
asmyown
"I'm going to go make a phone call, all right? I'm calling the police, if you have parents and they are nice, I don't want to worry them."
asmyown
"They are people whose job is to make sure other people are safe and that various laws are being followed."
She personally thinks it's a bit debatable if they actually manage to do that first part sometimes, but there's no reason to bring up that sort of thing to a child. Police in Forks are reasonably nice, anyway.
She personally thinks it's a bit debatable if they actually manage to do that first part sometimes, but there's no reason to bring up that sort of thing to a child. Police in Forks are reasonably nice, anyway.
asmyown
"I do! I think some of them might be very difficult for you to read, but I do have a few children's books for someone your age."
Because she is a masochist and couldn't bear to throw them away, even when she stopped having a child.
Because she is a masochist and couldn't bear to throw them away, even when she stopped having a child.
asmyown
"Of course."
She leads Astrid to her study.
There are bookshelves on almost every wall, and there are a lot of books. Mostly novels, though there are a set of encyclopedias and a few dictionaries, too. The shelves contain Chaucer to Shakespeare to Mark Twain to J.R.R. Tolkien, and beyond - and there, on the shelf, looking rather out of place are brightly colored children's books.
"Later, when I'm not about to go call the police, I will read you some of the others if you'd like me to. Or you can try to read them yourself, though I warn that it might be a bit frustrating."
She leads Astrid to her study.
There are bookshelves on almost every wall, and there are a lot of books. Mostly novels, though there are a set of encyclopedias and a few dictionaries, too. The shelves contain Chaucer to Shakespeare to Mark Twain to J.R.R. Tolkien, and beyond - and there, on the shelf, looking rather out of place are brightly colored children's books.
"Later, when I'm not about to go call the police, I will read you some of the others if you'd like me to. Or you can try to read them yourself, though I warn that it might be a bit frustrating."
asmyown
Lynn retrieves the children's books and puts them in a place Astrid can reach, and then she heads off to make a phone call.
A lot of the books are hard for Astrid to reach, but not all of them. There's one book with rabbits on the cover, and the author's title reads, 'Richard Adams.'
A lot of the books are hard for Astrid to reach, but not all of them. There's one book with rabbits on the cover, and the author's title reads, 'Richard Adams.'
bulrushes
Astrid pulls the rabbit book and finds a place to sit with it and begins reading it. Bunnies!
asmyown
It turns out to be about bunnies! They're leaving their home because one of the bunnies had a vision about the home's destruction, and they'd like to find a better home anyway.
(A dictionary is also in reach, if Astrid requires it.)
(A dictionary is also in reach, if Astrid requires it.)
bulrushes
Astrid does get the dictionary eventually to look up the occasional word - but it's pretty occasional.
asmyown
While on the phone, Lynn checks up on her visitor. She notices the choice of book, and then the lack of frustration with it.
She approves. She thinks she likes this little child.
And then, back to explanations to the police department.
She approves. She thinks she likes this little child.
And then, back to explanations to the police department.