Author: katrea | Katie settles in pretty well into the house, and later, when a bed has been obtained, into Lizbeth's room. She wears Lizbeth's hand-me-downs to start, then gets her own clothes; she doesn't have strong opinions about what she should be wearing, but the sizing on Lizbeth's old things isn't really right, and there aren't all that many still lying around anyway.
She has inexplicably tidy handwriting - inexplicably has handwriting at all; inexplicably can spell fifteen words in twenty instead of zero - which she uses, rather a lot. She makes a list of things that are food and magnetizes it to the fridge for reference, adding to it when she locates more things that are food, and when she is trying to tackle complex books she takes notes on who all the characters are so she doesn't have to page backward to remind herself, and she discovers journaling, even though she doesn't have that many events to record.
One day, the event she has to record is: Chris says to morrow she wil go to the DMV and shud not have us ther becas it may take six ours. We wil be baybe sat. If I hav ben baybe sat be for I do not remembre it.
She is curious about the imminent babysitter, and is up bright and early on the day when same may be expected. |
Author: more_capable | The babysitter arrives after breakfast. She rings the doorbell, and Lizbeth lets her in. |
Author: katrea | Katie had romaine for breakfast. She peers curiously at the babysitter, the last half-leaf in her hand; she isn't sure yet if she wants to finish it or not. |
Author: more_capable | "Hi!" says the babysitter. |
Author: katrea | "Hi! Are you the babysitter?" |
Author: more_capable | "I'd better be!" |
Author: pythbox | Lizbeth giggles. |
Author: queensidecastle | "Virginia! Hi," says Chris. "Thanks so much. Katie, meet Virginia. Virginia, this is Katie." |
Author: katrea | "Hi, 'ginya," abbreviates Katie. Her accent is fading, some, but it still trips her up occasionally. |
Author: more_capable | "...Can we compromise on Gina?" she inquires. |
Author: katrea | "Gi-na. Okay." |
Author: more_capable | "Thanks." |
Author: queensidecastle | "I'll leave you to it," says Chris. "Bye, everybody." |
Author: katrea | "Bye! Have a good time at the DMV!" calls Katie, waving. |
Author: queensidecastle | She laughs as she walks out the door. |
Author: more_capable | "All right," says the recently renamed Gina, "who wants to watch me do my math homework?" |
Author: pythbox | "Me!" says Lizbeth. |
Author: katrea | "Okay!" says Katie, who doesn't know whether math homework makes a good spectator sport but is willing to try it on Lizbeth's say-so. |
Author: more_capable | Virginia laughs. She goes to sit on the couch, and lets Lizbeth sit on one side and Katie on the other while she opens her textbook and starts doing algebra. |
Author: katrea | Katie watches for about ten minutes, waiting for this to become interesting, then says, "I'm bored." |
Author: pythbox | "I'm not," says Lizbeth. |
Author: katrea | "But this is boring." |
Author: pythbox | "Not to me!" |
Author: more_capable | "Yes, well, not everyone is a tiny mathematician," says Gina. "What do you want to do, Katie?" |
Author: katrea | "I want to play. Or go outside." |
Author: more_capable | "You can play in this room," she suggests. |
Author: katrea | Katie slides carefully off the couch, and makes her way to the toy box, which she starts sifting through. She picks up a long Y-shaped toy she hasn't investigated before. "What's this?" she asks. |
Author: more_capable | "A stethoscope." |
Author: katrea | "What does it do?" |
Author: pythbox | Since Gina's lap is full of math, Lizbeth hops off the couch to demonstrate.
"You listen to things with it and it makes them louder," she explains. "Doctors use it to hear if something's wrong with somebody's heart." |
Author: katrea | Katie watches. "Hearts make sounds?" |
Author: pythbox | "Yeah," says Lizbeth, arranging the stethoscope in its proper configuration with her ears and then looking around for something to listen to. Virginia is still doing math and is therefore a stationary target!
"You can't hear them normally but you can hear them if you use this thing." She addresses Virginia. "Can I listen to your heart?" |
Author: more_capable | "Oh, all right." |
Author: pythbox | Up she goes. |
Author: katrea | Katie follows her and watches. |
Author: pythbox | She listens to Virginia's heartbeat thumping along for a while, then disentangles herself from the stethoscope and offers it to Katie. "Wanna try?" |
Author: katrea | Katie takes it, imitates the way Lizbeth was wearing it, and attempts heart-listening. |
Author: more_capable | Thump-thump. Thump-thump. |
Author: katrea | Katie listens to Lizbeth too. |
Author: pythbox | Thump-thump, thump-thump! |
Author: katrea | Katie listens to herself.
"I think I broke it," she says. |
Author: more_capable | "Oh? Let me see," says Virginia, holding out her hand for the stethoscope. |
Author: katrea | Katie hands it over. "I didn't hear me thumping. Does it not work on yourself?" |
Author: more_capable | "It works just fine on yourself," says Virginia. "As long as you're listening in the right place."
She listens to herself first, to check, and then tries Katie. |
Author: katrea | |
Author: more_capable | "...I'm confused," says Virginia. She looks at Katie. Yes, this is definitely a child who appears to be alive. Moving around, talking, sitting up, not obviously sick or in pain in any way. |
Author: katrea | "It's not broken?" |
Author: more_capable | "It doesn't seem to be," she says. "It's also not picking up a heartbeat from you." |
Author: katrea | "I don't go thump?" |
Author: more_capable | "You do not go thump." |
Author: katrea | "Is... that okay?" asks Katie, peering at Gina's face. |
Author: more_capable | "Not usually," she says. "Until today, I thought that the only people who didn't go thump were," she simplifies a little to avoid alarming the three-year-old, "dead. But you're perfectly alive." |
Author: katrea | "I am alive. Are you sure I don't thump?" |
Author: more_capable | "Pretty sure. Elizabeth, can I listen to you too?"
Lizbeth nods. Virginia listens to her.
"Yep," she says, "completely regular thumping." |
Author: katrea | "Gina, if people who don't thump are dead and I am alive and don't thump does that mean I will not ever die?" |
Author: more_capable | "...Probably not. People who are dead also don't move around or breathe or talk or eat, and you do all of those." |
Author: katrea | "I want to not ever die, though." |
Author: more_capable | "Yes," says Virginia, "that would be nice." |
Author: katrea | "Why don't I thump?" |
Author: more_capable | "I have no idea." |
Author: katrea | "Will Chris know?" |
Author: more_capable | "I hope not," she says before she can stop herself. |
Author: katrea | "Huh?" |
Author: more_capable | She shakes her head. "Never mind, sorry. I'm just very confused. And I wouldn't like it if I found out that Chris knew all about this and then didn't tell me." |
Author: katrea | "Why would she have to tell you that I don't thump if she knew?" |
Author: more_capable | "Part of what a babysitter does is make sure you're safe," she explains. "Whatever the reason is why you don't have a heartbeat, it means that you don't work the way most people do, and not knowing anything about that means I might not be able to do my job. So if Chris knows, it would be irresponsible of her not to tell me." |
Author: katrea | "I bet she doesn't know. I never played with that thing before. And I came from a basket." |
Author: more_capable | "Okay," says Virginia. |
Author: pythbox | Lizbeth watches them both thoughtfully. |
Author: katrea | "What?" Katie asks Lizbeth. |
Author: pythbox | "I dunno." |
Author: katrea | "Do I have to start thumping, Gina? I don't think I would like to thump." |
Author: more_capable | "...Could you start thumping if you tried?" she inquires. At this point she is willing to believe it might be possible. |
Author: katrea | "I don't know how to try to thump. Are you trying?" |
Author: more_capable | "No. Everyone else just does it without trying, and we couldn't stop if we wanted to, and if we did stop we'd die." |
Author: katrea | "I don't think I can start, then." |
Author: more_capable | "I didn't think so either, but I wasn't sure." |
Author: katrea | "Okay. But I don't seem to have to thump to be alive." |
Author: more_capable | "Yes," she says. |
Author: katrea | "That's okay then." Katie takes the stethoscope and goes to listen to the fridge. |
Author: more_capable | Virginia shifts so she can see into the kitchen from where she's sitting, and pays attention to Katie while she does her math homework. Rather more attention to Katie than to the math homework, in fact. |
Author: katrea | Katie listens to the fridge, and the microwave, and then she lets the microwave go empty for five seconds and listens to it while it does that, and then she listens to the kitchen window. |
Author: more_capable | She seems to be having fun. And continuing to be alive.
Virginia is confused. |
Author: katrea | Eventually Katie is bored of the stethoscope. She puts it back in its box and goes to sit by the window and look out at the sun. |
Author: more_capable | "Please don't look right at the sun," says Virginia. "Doing that can hurt people's eyes, and you can't always tell right away how hurt they are." |
Author: katrea | "But Giiiina, I like the sun," says Katie, turning to look at Gina. "It's bright and it's pretty." |
Author: more_capable | "You can look at other bright pretty things," she says. "But not this one, because it might hurt you." |
Author: katrea | "It doesn't hurt to look at though." |
Author: more_capable | "It might still be doing bad things to your eyes," says Virginia. "The only way to know for sure that it isn't would be to keep doing it and see if you go blind. I'm not going to let you do that, because I don't want you to go blind." |
Author: katrea | "Oh. I don't want to go blind." |
Author: more_capable | "So don't stare at the sun." |
Author: katrea | "What if it's like thumping?" |
Author: more_capable | "It might be like thumping," she says. "But I'm not sure it's like thumping. And I don't know a safe way to find out. Staring at the sun is not a safe way to find out." |
Author: katrea | "I hope it's like thumping. I like the sun." |
Author: more_capable | No response from Gina. |
Author: katrea | Katie starts browsing the bookshelf. |
Author: more_capable | ...Gina observes this. |
Author: katrea | Katie picks out a book she hasn't looked at before, and hoists herself up onto the couch where she was previously sitting, and reads. |
Author: more_capable | ...Well okay then. |
Author: katrea | Katie pages very slowly through the book, but she does appear to be really reading this omnibus collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. |
Author: more_capable | As long as she's having some approximation of fun, Gina decides not to make a fuss. |
Author: katrea | Eventually Katie goes and gets a slip of paper and starts writing notes on all these characters and the clues that have turned up. |
Author: more_capable | Gina observes her to make sure she has enough paper for what she wants to do. She seems to.
Okay then. |
Author: katrea | Katie will continue until interrupted or distracted. |
Author: more_capable | Then she will probably continue until lunchtime.
"I'm hungry," says Gina. "Is anyone else hungry?" |
Author: pythbox | "Me! I'm hungry!" says Lizbeth. |
Author: katrea | "I will eat some food," nods Katie. "I can only eat food, I won't eat not-food like Lizbeth and Chris eat sometimes." |
Author: more_capable | "Okay," she says. "You can eat what you want, and Elizabeth will eat what she wants." |
Author: katrea | Katie waaaaants...
Raw spinach, turns out. She eats it one leaf at a time, with no dressing, by hand. |
Author: more_capable | ...well.
Gina is doubtful. But she makes more substantial food for herself and Lizbeth, and she doesn't complain about Katie's choices. |
Author: katrea | Katie eats spinach until her bowl is empty and then she goes back to her book, apparently satisfied. |
Author: more_capable | "If you get hungry again later I can get you something else," says Gina. |
Author: katrea | "Okay," says Katie. "I don't get very hungry though." |
Author: more_capable | "...Okay," says Virginia. |
Author: katrea | Katie is not done with this book yet. She continues on. She is accumulating a list of words she does not know. |
Author: more_capable | Virginia goes back to entertaining Lizbeth with her math homework. |
Author: katrea | Eventually Katie puts down the book and gets the dictionary to look up the confusing words. |
Author: more_capable | At this point, Gina is not especially surprised. |
Author: katrea | Katie re-reads the pages on which she found those words. (She noted the page numbers.) Then she continues. |
Author: more_capable | Well, that's... systematic. |
Author: katrea | She is very systematic! Eventually she has finished a couple of Sherlock Holmes stories. She puts the stories and the dictionary back where she found them, and then looks at the math homework to see if it has become any more interesting. |
Author: more_capable | It is exactly as interesting as it has been all day. |
Author: katrea | "This is boring. Why are you doing it? Is it just because Lizbeth likes to watch it?" |
Author: more_capable | "I don't think it's that boring," says Gina. "And I have to do it for school." |
Author: katrea | "Why?" |
Author: more_capable | "Math is important to know at least a little bit of when you're a grown-up, especially if you're going to be doing things that need it," says Virginia. "So we have to learn it in school, and doing homework helps us learn." |
Author: katrea | "What things need it?" |
Author: more_capable | "Architecture, engineering, finance. To name a few." |
Author: katrea | "Do you want to do one of those?" |
Author: more_capable | "I'm not sure yet." |
Author: katrea | "How will you pick?" |
Author: more_capable | "I'm going to find out more about everything I could do first, before I decide anything." |
Author: katrea | "What else might you do?" |
Author: more_capable | "I'm not sure yet," she says. "And I haven't started keeping a list, because I don't know enough about all the possibilities." |
Author: katrea | "I like lists. I made a list of food." |
Author: more_capable | "I saw." |
Author: katrea | Ho hum. Katie goes looking through the toybox again. |
Author: queensidecastle | Some time later, Chris can be heard opening the door. |
Author: katrea | "Hiiii, Chris!" calls Katie. "Gina says I don't thump!" |
Author: queensidecastle | "Can I get that in plain, understandable English, somebody?" |
Author: more_capable | Virginia comes out to the front hall. She brings the stethoscope, in case of questions.
"The kids spent a while listening to everything in sight with this," she says. "We can't seem to find Katie's heartbeat." |
Author: queensidecastle | "...Is that so," says Chris. |
Author: katrea | "I am alive anyway," says Katie reassuringly. |
Author: queensidecastle | "That's good to know." |
Author: katrea | "Yep! I like to be alive." |
Author: queensidecastle | "I like you to be alive too," says Chris. |
Author: pythbox | "Me too!" says Lizbeth. |
Author: katrea | "Do you thump?" Katie inquires of Chris. |
Author: queensidecastle | "Yes," says Chris. "I thump." |
Author: katrea | "I wonder how come I'm the only one who doesn't." |
Author: queensidecastle | "I wonder that too." |
Author: katrea | "How do we find out?" |
Author: queensidecastle | "I'll think about it." |
Author: katrea | "Okay." |
Author: queensidecastle | Meanwhile, she takes the stethoscope from Virginia and trades her some money.
"Thanks," she says. "Have a safe trip home." |
Author: more_capable | "Bye," she says. "Bye, Elizabeth. Bye, Katie." |
Author: katrea | "Bye, Gina!" |
Author: more_capable | Out she goes, laughing. |
Author: katrea | No one is panicking about Katie's lack of thumpiness, so neither does she. She goes back to toybox-rummaging and starts to make things out of legos. |
Author: queensidecastle | It having been previously established that Katie does not think of legos as food, Chris keeps an eye on her but doesn't interfere. |
Author: katrea | Katie makes a lego bowl, and lego approximations of flowers, and a lego castle. |
Author: queensidecastle | Cute. And interesting. And cute. |
Author: katrea | Katie makes a lego stirring rod, and attempts to stir the flowers around in the bowl. It doesn't work very well; she giggles when her stirrer breaks. |
Author: pythbox | Lizbeth giggles, too, looking up from Katie's list of unfamiliar words. |
Author: katrea | The list of unfamiliar words contains mostly nouns, and while many of them are relatively advanced - or archaic, given the source material - words, some of them aren't especially. She had to look up "aneurysm" and "Mormon", but she also had to look up "blood" and "cigar". |
Author: pythbox | Looking at it was just an idle thought, but it is actually fascinating and Lizbeth is now studying it in earnest. |
Author: katrea | "Blood" is certainly the weirdest gap in Katie's vocabulary, but she was also pretty thoroughly devoid of knowledge of geography, apparently. She made a confused note about "hunting for food" - nothing Katie eats runs away and she hasn't seen anyone's carnivore entrées in a motile state - and she also had to look up "married" and "horse". |
Author: pythbox | Lizbeth tries to build a picture of what kind of life would teach Katie these words and not those.
It's a strange picture. |
Author: katrea | Katie, obliviously, plays with legos. |