Chapter Six
Spring- SeesawMy eyes are halfway open; the strange light filtering through the window shades contours the objects in my room. I see my desk in the corner and the things on top of it: my hand lotion, the orange oil tincture, the carved sun-moon pen holder. A stack of my work paper is resting on the edge of the desk, just like I left it. I glance at my calendar on the wall — Bella made it for me for last Christmas — and I place myself in time: March 19.
I remember my arrival the previous night; we all stood around the bottomless treasure chest, my backpack. Gems from India appeared one after another; here in this off-the-map, little town, in my eighties designed kitchen. What was the chance of these teabags turning up here?
After I recognize that I am in my own bedroom, a new
