Chapter 17Lina
As dusk fell, lights came on in the houses and stores. Lots of them, for the town was decorated for Christmas. It was magical and Lina reveled in it, admiring store window after store window, managing to forget about her plight momentarily.
How opulent the displays were! And not just in one store either. Of course Eiband & Fischer’s windows had always been special and never more so than right before Christmas, but today it seemed like each store was attempting to outdo the next. Baubles glistened everywhere she looked, colorful lights twinkled, all of them electric. This much she understood now. What amazed her was the sheer quantity of them, indoors and out. How very rich the town had become!
The temperature had dropped considerably in the last few hours and when Lina cr
