what you sow

[katrea]

On the doorstep of a townhome in New York City, a basket is placed.

The doorbell rings.

There are footsteps, and then there are not.

Comments

[pythbox]

"...What do you know?" says Elizabeth. "Do you know where you came from?"

[katrea]

The girl shakes her head slowly. "I'm not... just... new?" she asks haltingly.

[pythbox]

"Well, you're new here," Elizabeth says consideringly, "but you have to have come from somewhere. And the doorbell rang, and you were sleeping so you didn't do it, so somebody has to have rang it and then put you down and ran away."

[katrea]

The basket child takes this in solemnly.

[pythbox]

"And you're too big to be a baby, and you can talk. Babies can't talk," she says.

[katrea]

"Okay," says the basket girl. "I can talk."

[pythbox]

"Yeah. So you're not a baby. So you came from somewhere and you weren't just born in front of my house. But you don't remember anything?"

[katrea]

Basket-girl shakes her head, frowning.

[pythbox]

"My aunt is going to try to find your parents," says Elizabeth.

[katrea]

The basket-child blinks owlishly at this pronouncement. "Why?"

[pythbox]

"In case you got kidnapped from them or something, I guess," she says.

[katrea]

"Why would that happen?"

[pythbox]

"I dunno."

[katrea]

"Oh." The basket girl begins to climb out of the basket, not particularly gymnastic about it.

[pythbox]

Elizabeth watches closely, in case she needs help.

[katrea]

The basket girl tips the basket over in the process of emerging, and winds up under it.

[pythbox]

Elizabeth lifts up the edge of the basket and peers at the girl underneath.

[katrea]

The girl looks up at her. "I didn't want to be in a basket, anymore," she explains.

[pythbox]

"Oh," says Elizabeth. "Well, come out, then."

She holds up the edge and scoots back to make room.

[katrea]

The girl crawls out from under the basket, then sits down, no longer in it.

She looks out the window, and she yawns.

[pythbox]

"Do you wanna go to sleep again?" says Elizabeth. "You can."

[katrea]

"I wanna know what's happening," complains the debasketed girl tiredly, but she flops against the couch anyway.

[pythbox]

"Me too," says Elizabeth.

[katrea]

"If I'm not new I should have a name," she adds.

[pythbox]

"Well, do you?"