After everyone introduced themselves, Mrs. González explained the rules of the classroom the students were to follow for the duration of the schoolyear, then she read a story from a picture book. At lunchtime María ate the lunch her mother had packed her and drank the milk that was delivered to the class in small bottles. Most of the kids spent the break playing games and making friends. María was too nervous to join them and remained quietly in her seat. When two girls asked her why she was sitting by herself, she told them because she wanted to. Then Mrs. González rang a brass bell with a wooden handle, and everyone returned to their chairs. She set a large piece of paper displaying the outline of a house on each table. She also distributed packs of crayons and explained what sharing meant. Finally she instructed each group to color their house. There were two rules. The first was to color inside the lines. The second was to only use up and down strokes.

María chose a green crayon and began coloring the grass out front the house. The girl sitting beside her—María couldn’t remember her name—started yelling at her, saying she was doing it wrong. Mrs. González came over and asked what the problem was.

“She’s doing it wrong,” the girl said, pointing at María’s green scribbles.

“Did you understand my instructions, María?” Mrs. González asked.

“Yes.”

“What did I say?”

“Color the house.”

“Yes, but what were the rules I mentioned?”

She couldn’t remember.

“You must color only inside the lines, and your strokes must be vertical. That means up and down.” She demonstrated with her finger. “Do you understand now?”

María nodded and went back to coloring, now using up and down strokes. When a boy at her table finished with the brown crayon, she snatched it up and began coloring the front of the house.

“Teacher!” the girl beside her said, sticking her hand in the air. “She’s doing it wrong again!”

Mrs. González returned and said, “What did I tell you, María?” She sounded angrier this time.

“Color the house.”

“Yes, but what were the rules?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’ve explained this twice now”

Tears warmed her eyes, then spilled down her cheeks.

The girl beside her said, “She’s crying!”

Another student: “She’s a baby!”

“She’s stupid!”

“She’s a stupid baby!”

Bawling, María threw her crayon down and raced out of the room.

Jack

1

Pita stepped onto the island first, followed by Jesus, then Nitro, then Pepper, then Elizaveta, and finally me. Almost immediately the boatman pushed away from the pier. He didn’t look back.

“Why doesn’t he just wait around for us?” I asked.

“Because he is afraid of island,” Elizaveta told me.

“Of course,” I said sardonically. “The ghost.”