Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

Author:Gabrielle Zevin [Zevin, Gabrielle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, molly
Publisher: Square Fish

The Well

Despite her modest salary at the DDA, Liz quickly pays back all of Betty's eternims. She soon finds she has a great deal of spare ones and nothing really to spend them on. She lives with Betty and pays a small amount for her room and board; she doesn't need health insurance or car insurance (unfortunately) or renter's insurance or any other sort of insurance; she doesn't have to save for a down payment on a house or retirement or college or her children's college or a lavish wedding or a rainy day or anything else. She doesn't go to the OD anymore. She would buy a car, but what would be the point when she can't drive anyway? When you aren't preparing for old age, senility, sickness, death, or children, there is relatively little to spend on, Liz thinks with a sigh.

"Aldous," Liz asks during her monthly progress meeting, "what am I supposed to do with all these eternims?"

"Buy something nice," Aldous suggests.

"Like what?"

Aldous shrugs. "A house?"

"I don't need a house. I live with Betty," Liz answers. "What is the point of going to work if I don't really need the eternims anyway?"

"You go to work," Aldous pauses, "because you like it. That's why we call it an avocation."

"Oh, I see."

"You do like your work, don't you, Elizabeth?"

"No," Liz answers after a moment's reflection, "I love it."

It had been just over a month since Liz began her avocation. In that time, she had become known as one of the best counselors at the Division of Domestic Animals. She was in that rare and enviable situation: she excelled at her work, and she loved doing it. Work helped the rest of her first summer in Elsewhere pass quickly. Work took her mind off the fact that she was dead.

She worked long hours, and what little time was left, she spent with Betty, Sadie, or Thandi. (Liz apologized to Thandi not long after she started at the DDA, and was quickly forgiven.) Liz tried not to think about her mother or her father or her old life on Earth. For the most part, she was successful.

Liz even convinced Thandi to adopt the confused Chihuahua Paco. Initially, Thandi was skeptical.

"You sure it's a dog? Looks more like a little rat to me."

Paco was skeptical, too. "I don't mean to be rude," he said, "but why aren't you Pete?"

"I'm Thandi. You can think of me as New Pete."

"Oh," said Paco thoughtfully, "I think I finally understand. You're saying Petedied. Is that it?"

Paco had drowned in a kiddie pool, which he had apparently forgotten again.

"Sure, you can think of it that way if it suits you." Thandi patted Paco gingerly on the head.

Many nights after work, the two girls walk Paco and Sadie in the park near Liz's house. On one of those evenings, Liz asks Thandi, "Are you happy?"

"No point in being sad, Liz." Thandi shrugs. "The weather's nice here, and I like being on TV."

"Do you remember when I thought everything was a dream?" Liz asks.

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