Etta Invincible by Reese Eschmann

Author:Reese Eschmann
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 2022-07-12T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

IT’S SNOWING in the next train car: light, soft flakes that must be made of something more than ice crystals. These are little bits of lace, strands of angel hair, warm reminders of sunlight and spring. Yes, warm. These snowflakes are warm. One falls on the tip of my nose; I stay very still and try to look at it but keep crossing my eyes. I can feel it there, though, as soft as a kiss from Dad.

Little bursts of warmth fall into my hair and onto my arms, like someone took a hammer to the sun and cracked it, and now all the pieces are in this magical train car, falling to the floor. I think about what Eleazar said when we were walking to my house—how he missed the warm rain in Colombia and would rather have snow. He got his wish. And so did I.

But a million times better. Especially compared to the splashing water in the last train car. I can’t believe Akio had a door in his closet that whole time and didn’t tell us. I don’t understand why it appeared, since we didn’t find any treasure, but I’m glad to be off that boat.

Small white crystals land on the piece of hair in front of Eleazar’s face. He shakes them onto the floor.

The floor! I clap my hands over my mouth. Happy tears dance in my eyes. The floor is covered in books, tall piles and short piles and piles half-hidden by the snow. I spin in a circle twice to soak it all in. We’re standing in a world of words where books spread over the floor like dandelions growing in a park. This train car is bigger than the Harold Washington Library, bigger than any library. It’s better than good. It’s the best thing I’ve ever seen.

Akio holds up a striped book that’s as thick as a dictionary. “I forgot about this book. It’s an epic tale of epic proportions. Very exciting. Can’t put it down. Just a few more years, and I think I’ll be finished with it.”

Maybe instead of writer’s block, like what’s keeping me from making comics, he has reader’s block. Invincible Girl wouldn’t spend years reading books as thick as her head.

Akio picks up his book, brings it to his nose, and begins reading. Within three seconds he has fallen over. Eleazar rushes forward and looks him over carefully.

“He’s asleep.”

“What? Are you serious?”

Eleazar shrugs. “My grandma could fall asleep anywhere too.”

Mariana watches Akio cautiously. I can tell she’s still upset that he was talking about her mom.

“Are you okay?” I ask her.

“Whose wish is this?” she demands. “I didn’t wish for books.”

“Um, I think it’s mine,” I say a little guiltily. “I was thinking about my sketchbook.”

I don’t tell them I was thinking about blank pages. The train knew what I wanted—books filled with words and stories.

“What were you wishing for?” Eleazar asks Mariana.

“Space,” she says, as though that were the most obvious thing in the world. “I told you I want to be an astronaut.

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