The Anatomy of Wings by Karen Foxlee

Author:Karen Foxlee [foxlee, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-375-89159-5
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2009-02-10T05:00:00+00:00

Mr. Popovitch dropped us off at the supermarket on his way to a Panel Van Club annual general meeting. The shops hadn't even opened so we sat on the seats outside and waited. Angela had The Book of Clues in her beaded red Indian bag with tassels.

We had our beanies pulled down over our ears and gloves on also. Whenever we spoke our words smoked and hung in the air. We had a best-of-three word-smoking competition. Angela won.

We watched all the checkout ladies arrive. We discussed interesting facts like what to do if you get stuck in quicksand, how to prepare for a nuclear war, and different ways that humans might be able to go backward in time and then we had a fight about whether it was possible to keep a fairy as a pet.

“No,” I said. “It isn't.”

“But we could borrow Kylie's Barbie camper-van,” said Angela. “It could live in that.”

“It would die of sadness and starvation,” I said.

“No it wouldn't. What about all those tins and saucepans?”

“They're only painted on the campervan walls. They're not real.”

“Fairies are magic,” she said. “It'd use its magic.”

“It would die of loneliness and missing its family.”

“No it wouldn't. It would survive.”

We were fighting so much we nearly missed Deidre Schelbach walking along the footpath in her dirty white checkout lady dress and red parka. When we saw her we put our heads down and pretended to be in a very interesting conversation.

“Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb,” said Angela. “Is that her?”

“Rhubarb, yes, rhubarb,” I said.

She went through the automatic doors without looking at us.

Inside we took up our positions one bench down from the cigarette counter, where Deidre was putting her bag away and opening up the register. An old man with a false leg sat beside us. I knew it was a false leg because the man said he was going to win the Saturday Morning Great Grocery Giveaway, touch wood, and he lifted up his trouser and knocked on his wooden leg with his knuckles. When we looked surprised he laughed very loudly and his belly moved up and down.

Angela smiled at him politely.

“Do you think Deidre looks any different?” she asked.

“A little bit,” I said.

Deidre was serving someone. She smiled at her first customer.

“How?”

“A little bit … lighter,” I said, but I wasn't sure. “Not so … angry,” said Angela, and she opened up her bag and took out The Book of Clues.

She chewed on the end of her pencil. She wrote

deardry

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