The Book That Changed Her Life

The bird stared at her the whole time, clutching the orange. Peter and Lisa came back into the room but said nothing. The phone didn't ring. Gilly studied Lisa for signs of anticipation. But Lisa was absorbed in her book. It looked a lot like the one she had loaned Gilly that afternoon. A volume within anonymous blue cover and modest block letters once gold now yellow on the spine. She told Gilly that the book had changed her life. Was printed in a tiny font on delicate paper, thin enough that if Gilly held it up to the light she could see right through. So far, she hadn't understood a single word.