Read Online The Witch of Little Italy by Suzanne Palmieri - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Suzanne Palmieri
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lies in peace, not torture.”
And with those words she looked directly into my eyes. They burned a hole through my heart.
6
Elly
“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!” Anthony was standing over Elly dangling a set of keys on a rabbit foot key chain.
“Gimme a second. Jesus! How did you get in here?” Elly groaned and pulled a pillow over her head. All she wanted to do was stay in bed. She was warm and sleepy like a cat.
“Mimi. I think she wants me to marry you. You know. Legitimize you.” He sat on the bed and bounced up and down as if testing the springs for durability.
Elly sat up and hit him with the pillow. “You did not just say that! Oh my God!”
Anthony pulled the pillow away from her but held her hands. He looked at her fingers. “Elly, you have paint under your fingernails.”
Elly pulled back her hands self-consciously. “I know, it’s the oils. I have to use paint thinner to get them really clean.”
“That’s right. Mimi told me you were an artist. Do you have any paintings in your room? I’d love to see them.”
Her paintings. Cooper. Yale. “I do. And I’d like to get them. Like … yesterday,” she said in a panic.
Anthony laughed. “That’s why I’m here. We’re gonna get Georgie’s car out of storage and take a drive up to New Haven to get your stuff. Okay?” he asked.
“Okay,” she said. And then he left her to get dressed.
“God, I’m a mess,” she said to her reflection in the dresser mirror. Her hair was a thick tangle, her face rounder than normal. And the hormones were making her complexion think it was sixteen again. “Yuck,” she said to her reflection, sticking her tongue out before she began to look for her clothes. She noticed a folded pile at the foot of the bed, a flowered dress, thick stockings, and a gray cardigan, waiting for her.
She put on the clothes and looked at herself again. Much better. They fit perfectly. “Of course they do. She’s a witch don’t you know,” she said into the mirror. She was trying to run a brush through her hair when the invisible crying child started wailing again. This time, it wasn’t stationary. The sound seemed to move through the walls. She pulled her hat onto her head instead, gave up on her appearance, and went out into the hall to investigate.
“Zelda?” This is crazy, she thought. Crazy wonderful. Like a surprise party you knew was coming only you didn’t know the time—making each threshold a carrier of horrifying delight.
She followed the crying out into the kitchen and then into the back hall, where it got louder. “If you’re not Zelda, who are you?”
The sound drew Elly all the way out into the snowy yard, but the crying muted right away so she turned to go back inside when she heard her name.
“Eleanor? Is that you?”
There was a young woman just about Elly’s own age standing at the back gate wearing a peacoat and waving mitten-clad hands back and forth furiously. Elly walked into the yard, the sounds of her footfalls crunching as she made her way to the girl.
“Do I know you?”
“Of course you do! Come here quick and let me see you. I’m hiding from Mother!” Her eyes shined with mischievous delight.
As Elly walked toward the girl she tried to place her. Thin, short, dark hair. I have absolutely no idea who this is.
“Oh my gosh! You look just the same! I knew it was you. I just knew it.”
The two young women stood facing each other and Elly was taken aback as she was pulled into a tight embrace. “I’ve missed you!”
“I’m so sorry,” said Elly into the girl’s ear. “I don’t know who you are.”
“I’m Elizabeth. But you always called me Liz and I liked it. It’s okay if you don’t remember me. It was a loooooooong time ago. All that matters is you are here and so am I. We’ll be great friends again. But I have to go. Mother is calling and I swear I’m not doing one more chore. Not one!”
Elly watched as the strange girl ran away down the
And with those words she looked directly into my eyes. They burned a hole through my heart.
6
Elly
“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!” Anthony was standing over Elly dangling a set of keys on a rabbit foot key chain.
“Gimme a second. Jesus! How did you get in here?” Elly groaned and pulled a pillow over her head. All she wanted to do was stay in bed. She was warm and sleepy like a cat.
“Mimi. I think she wants me to marry you. You know. Legitimize you.” He sat on the bed and bounced up and down as if testing the springs for durability.
Elly sat up and hit him with the pillow. “You did not just say that! Oh my God!”
Anthony pulled the pillow away from her but held her hands. He looked at her fingers. “Elly, you have paint under your fingernails.”
Elly pulled back her hands self-consciously. “I know, it’s the oils. I have to use paint thinner to get them really clean.”
“That’s right. Mimi told me you were an artist. Do you have any paintings in your room? I’d love to see them.”
Her paintings. Cooper. Yale. “I do. And I’d like to get them. Like … yesterday,” she said in a panic.
Anthony laughed. “That’s why I’m here. We’re gonna get Georgie’s car out of storage and take a drive up to New Haven to get your stuff. Okay?” he asked.
“Okay,” she said. And then he left her to get dressed.
“God, I’m a mess,” she said to her reflection in the dresser mirror. Her hair was a thick tangle, her face rounder than normal. And the hormones were making her complexion think it was sixteen again. “Yuck,” she said to her reflection, sticking her tongue out before she began to look for her clothes. She noticed a folded pile at the foot of the bed, a flowered dress, thick stockings, and a gray cardigan, waiting for her.
She put on the clothes and looked at herself again. Much better. They fit perfectly. “Of course they do. She’s a witch don’t you know,” she said into the mirror. She was trying to run a brush through her hair when the invisible crying child started wailing again. This time, it wasn’t stationary. The sound seemed to move through the walls. She pulled her hat onto her head instead, gave up on her appearance, and went out into the hall to investigate.
“Zelda?” This is crazy, she thought. Crazy wonderful. Like a surprise party you knew was coming only you didn’t know the time—making each threshold a carrier of horrifying delight.
She followed the crying out into the kitchen and then into the back hall, where it got louder. “If you’re not Zelda, who are you?”
The sound drew Elly all the way out into the snowy yard, but the crying muted right away so she turned to go back inside when she heard her name.
“Eleanor? Is that you?”
There was a young woman just about Elly’s own age standing at the back gate wearing a peacoat and waving mitten-clad hands back and forth furiously. Elly walked into the yard, the sounds of her footfalls crunching as she made her way to the girl.
“Do I know you?”
“Of course you do! Come here quick and let me see you. I’m hiding from Mother!” Her eyes shined with mischievous delight.
As Elly walked toward the girl she tried to place her. Thin, short, dark hair. I have absolutely no idea who this is.
“Oh my gosh! You look just the same! I knew it was you. I just knew it.”
The two young women stood facing each other and Elly was taken aback as she was pulled into a tight embrace. “I’ve missed you!”
“I’m so sorry,” said Elly into the girl’s ear. “I don’t know who you are.”
“I’m Elizabeth. But you always called me Liz and I liked it. It’s okay if you don’t remember me. It was a loooooooong time ago. All that matters is you are here and so am I. We’ll be great friends again. But I have to go. Mother is calling and I swear I’m not doing one more chore. Not one!”
Elly watched as the strange girl ran away down the
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