11
When Talia finally reached row forty-nine, she walked down it and read labels on the shelving until she got to stack eleven. She looked up and squinted. Shelf nine was indeed almost at the ceiling. Talia walked over to a heavy rolling metal staircase and pushed the monstrosity into position.
“Even if there is an Operation Red Scorpion, I’m sure it’s going to turn out to be something else.” But her curiosity had piqued. “What wild story has grandpa concocted this time?”
She ascended the stairs until at the top of a small level platform. From there, she located shelf space eleven. Two cardboard boxes with lids sat nestled against one another. One was of a different style of box and was covered in a thick layer of dust, yet Talia noticed what appeared to be relatively recent finger smud
