The doorbell rings while I'm coaxing Ava into taking her antibiotic.
She wrinkles her nose at the pink liquid. "Tastes like bad strawberries."
"Three more days, then no more medicine." I tip the spoon toward her mouth.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
She swallows with the exaggerated grimace of someone being slowly poisoned. Mrs. Patel appears in the doorway, package in hand.
"Delivery for Miss Ava." She sets it on the coffee table. "No return address."
The package is small, rectangular. Brown paper, twine tied in a clean knot. Deliberate wrapping, like someone took time.
Ava perks up. Medication forgotten. "For me?"
"Let's see." I pull the twine loose, peel back the paper.
Inside: a hardcover book. ‘The Paper Bag Princess’ by Robert Munsch. The cover shows a girl in a paper bag facing dow
