In Over Her Head by Elsie Russell - Parnasse.com

Recommendations

Info

But he was still withdrawn into himself. "Where did you learn it?" "School. Here, I translate. Angel of God, who is my caretaker, illuminate, guard, and govern me... You do not know Latin?" "Greek," Ula butt in as she floated towards them. "Of course," Sandro nodded. "It's not a singing language, but the thought is beautiful," Penny explained. "Ah, Penelope, I can always count on you to see both the truth and the beauty of things." "Is that a joke? Little Miss Doctor Bell's whole family is autistic. Her father's a full blown Asperger and her brother couldn't tell his mother's face from a toaster! That's where she got the idea for her subliminal mind control 'show and tell' project. You can Google it, if you're interested. Aspies are good in math and science but esthetically and socially challenged." Penny tried to figure how she found this one out. Google didn't bother with sorry has-beens like her dad or with her family history. That stuff was strictly confidential, lost in the back of a file cabinet somewhere at that creepy brick school in Montana. "Autism concerns empathy not aesthetics, something Penny has infinitely more of than you and has perhaps used to survive in her inhospitable environment. And, also, carina, Penny, is more intelligent than you and me together." "Well, even together you and your mirror image were no match for me and Dick, so go do the math on that!” "Cut it out, Ula. He's no dummy, he knows the Pythagorean Theorem, he even recited it to me just a few minutes after we met." "Oh, so that's that's what swept you off your feet." Sandro led them to the bridge of angels that connects the Vatican side of the river to the old center where most of the sites and the hotel were. On either side of the bridge loomed giant weatherbeaten angels, each with an instrument of Christ's torture held in his arms. Abruptly, between two angels, Sandro grabbed Penny and hoisted her up over his head, and leapt down the deserted pedestrian bridge, now become a stage. The Tiber swirled below and the angels spun around her head as she soared in their midst. Sandro brought her down, embraced her deeply. She was so dizzy, so shocked, during her descent she never realized that her feet had yet to touch the ground, and only when they did, did she know that she had flown. 173
"I get the picture, I get it, okay? Now lets find out the truth!" Ula said from her vantage point, leaning on the balustrade. "Are we on trial here?" Penny asked. "Very good, you are catching on." Ula turned to Sandro. "It's time for my favorite tourist trap. Take us to the mouth of truth, Sandro, for judgment is at hand." 174
Page 1 and 2:
elsie russell in over her head ...l
Page 4 and 5:
IN OVER HER HEAD by Elsie Russell
Page 6:
For Robert Déscharnes
Page 9 and 10:
CANAL STREET There was another cust
Page 11 and 12:
some were balancing bamboo poles ac
Page 13 and 14:
heaved and spun slowly out of contr
Page 15 and 16:
with me, her place just got broken
Page 17 and 18:
"Wait! Miss Nova, uh, Ula, get up,
Page 19 and 20:
and―" "Sure, control is the artis
Page 21 and 22:
laptop gone too. Stereo and speaker
Page 23 and 24:
this guy's part in all this? The bo
Page 25 and 26:
grinning ear to ear over on the sof
Page 27 and 28:
used in a dance piece, not to menti
Page 29 and 30:
said, "Hey, do you mind? I've got a
Page 31 and 32:
echarger. "Hey, ever the hear this
Page 33 and 34:
third degree anyway. Like a flock o
Page 35 and 36:
CHEZ SCHWANZ The two Eames chairs d
Page 37 and 38:
Monde, also the initiating cause of
Page 39 and 40:
He didn't wake when the stewardess
Page 41 and 42:
apron. "This is Inez, she will show
Page 43 and 44:
white leather sofa with some kind o
Page 45 and 46:
it was soda pop! You'll be dead bef
Page 47 and 48:
he sees you without your sompteuse
Page 49 and 50:
around, slamming on their brakes, t
Page 51 and 52:
him, to get him back to reality, wh
Page 53 and 54:
like everyone else, so their voices
Page 55 and 56:
"Again, the rain!" Rubbing her hip,
Page 57 and 58:
storekeepers. The red faced blue co
Page 59 and 60:
eally depressed and needy types, it
Page 61 and 62:
urned cigarette into the ashtray. S
Page 63 and 64:
her neck over her navy blue house d
Page 65 and 66:
a son. But then, what do you know,
Page 67 and 68:
Lucien chuckled and left for the be
Page 69 and 70:
education, and motivation." Maia no
Page 71 and 72:
A leopard canvas futon strewn with
Page 73 and 74:
contraband, the labels are in Russi
Page 75 and 76:
door. "We will call tomorrow, early
Page 77 and 78:
It is an honor to lose!" "Yeah, con
Page 79 and 80:
Penny stifled a yawn. "You want to
Page 81 and 82:
DICK SCHWANZ HAS A CHANGE OF HEART
Page 83 and 84:
Dick poured himself a jigger, squir
Page 85 and 86:
DISTURBING DISCOVERIES A greenish g
Page 87 and 88:
"Yeah, could be." "What's on the vi
Page 89 and 90:
her feet in dirty white bunny slipp
Page 91 and 92:
sucked in his cheeks as he vacuumed
Page 93 and 94:
Maia drained her cup hurriedly as s
Page 95 and 96:
"Hospital? You can wait eighteen ho
Page 97 and 98:
BEATRICE She stood back lit under t
Page 99 and 100:
standing in the doorway. "Ah! Manag
Page 101 and 102:
urbanization. This is how our poor
Page 103 and 104:
Fantasy in C Minor? I've been waiti
Page 105 and 106:
From Greek god to cubist collage, h
Page 107 and 108:
ULA AND NG Ng dragged Ula into Cybe
Page 109 and 110:
He tossed her the suit from the flo
Page 111 and 112:
ight up your alley, my alley, our s
Page 113 and 114:
AT THE LOUVRE Penny got her knapsac
Page 115 and 116:
"Yeah, let me show you something."
Page 117 and 118:
uxom goddesses. She turned right, d
Page 119 and 120:
fresh air. Under the high vaulted c
Page 121 and 122:
crisscrossing the lawn. "How do you
Page 123 and 124:
Alessandro's room was similar to he
Page 125 and 126:
"But she does mine!" "That figures.
Page 127 and 128:
ouncy fake breasts sudsed her hair.
Page 129 and 130: "Right. Well, you seem normal enoug
Page 131 and 132: AMORE Penny collapsed into the duve
Page 133 and 134: passwords, and seemed just a little
Page 135 and 136: "But it is the Annunciation! There
Page 137 and 138: was stuck. All this passive-aggress
Page 139 and 140: eyes shut. "Now mama wants to keep
Page 141 and 142: Signora sustained a cheerful banter
Page 143 and 144: her bathroom as fast as she could,
Page 145 and 146: style guest supplies of nail clippe
Page 147 and 148: eyed into empty space. "This is the
Page 149 and 150: ought out a picture of two boys in
Page 151 and 152: BATS IN THE BELFRY Downstairs in th
Page 153 and 154: packing. "Holy shit!" Penny blurted
Page 155 and 156: Ula brushed her leg through and spr
Page 157 and 158: as a dream, as she often fell aslee
Page 159 and 160: need a hard copy. Penny, do you hav
Page 161 and 162: around and worked her way through t
Page 163 and 164: one of those pins you could have he
Page 165 and 166: "I am glad you asked, Penny." She w
Page 167 and 168: "'Bout what?" "That I doubted your
Page 169 and 170: They worked into the night tighteni
Page 171 and 172: ROMAN HOLIDAY Between rows of sleek
Page 173 and 174: dainty Parisian heels like the runw
Page 175 and 176: "Is the truth!" "Okay, okay," Penny
Page 177 and 178: "Weird science." Ula gave Penny's r
Page 179: THE ANGEL'S TOMB "This is where Had
Page 183 and 184: and the face was not Abe Lincoln's.
Page 185 and 186: sisters, eat boiled dandelions and
Page 187 and 188: Sandro carried Ula on the plane and
Page 189 and 190: under a lot of stress back there."
Page 191 and 192: Ula didn't wake when the water ran.
Page 193 and 194: "Shut up! What's so funny?" "Your f
Page 195 and 196: He smashed his head into the door.
Page 197 and 198: "Thanks, my name is Penelope Bell,
Page 199 and 200: his hand on the table. The sound of
Page 201 and 202: hand. He flashed one of those tiny
Page 203 and 204: was an American made disk, USA dot
Page 205 and 206: "Yes, we go dance, eat oysters and
Page 207 and 208: her swirl of sea foam Dior drinking
Page 209 and 210: think?" He started to say more, but
Page 211 and 212: was imprisoned and sentenced to dea
Page 213 and 214: deconstructed, mechanistic stuff, a
Page 215 and 216: are trees, along rows of empty gree
Page 217 and 218: Shit, Ula, I'm not twelve, and you'
Page 219 and 220: She pointed with the drumstick. "Ho
Page 221 and 222: where it hit her. He might be there
Page 223 and 224: OBELISK And he wasn't there when sh
Page 225 and 226: of the Tuileries. After a brisk wal
Page 227 and 228: Ula stifled a giggle. Penny frowned
Page 229 and 230: "Oh, ith it rillee?" Loulou said in
Page 231 and 232:
"So, the face?" Sandro didn't cring
Page 233 and 234:
you had a super time. When's the gr
Page 235 and 236:
littered with greasy paper plates o
Page 237 and 238:
the bathroom or brush her teeth, bu
Page 239 and 240:
of spacious skies and smack into hi
Page 241 and 242:
wall, but the Madonna didn't seem t
Page 243 and 244:
ubbles were clumps of toga clad god
Page 245 and 246:
her hot cup. "Why did you want me t
Page 247 and 248:
like suburban USA except for the fl
Page 249 and 250:
sandal and jumped into the sand and
Page 251 and 252:
metal tower. "The Parachute Jump, k
Page 253 and 254:
demarcations, but careful to hide a
Page 255 and 256:
WANDERLUST Penny made for the East
Page 257 and 258:
clear her seething brain. It didn't
Page 259 and 260:
DESPERATE MOVES Sounds of laughter
Page 261 and 262:
Sandro's jaw dropped. "Funcullo," h
Page 263 and 264:
glimpse of bare chested Sandro and
Page 265 and 266:
at least once, but her knees gave w
Page 267 and 268:
SANDRO HAS AN ADVENTURE Picking out
Page 269 and 270:
you were the professional here," Sa
Page 271 and 272:
pulled down his face so he became a
Page 273 and 274:
Catholic. Someone had been thoughtf
Page 275 and 276:
so he wrenched open the door. The m
Page 277 and 278:
GULAG Medical people shuffled aroun
Page 279 and 280:
they were subjected to endless runs
Page 281 and 282:
FROM OBSCURITY TO CLARITY The MRI r
Page 283 and 284:
normal way. But how did you flush?
Page 285 and 286:
churning clouds. "I was at Nha Tran
Page 287 and 288:
stuck out from under his arm, catch
Page 289 and 290:
from the first breakdown, then 'Gel
Page 291 and 292:
LA GRENOUILLE Dr Züt got up from h
Page 293 and 294:
THE WILIS From Ula's studio, "I don
Page 295 and 296:
He giggled, "Yes, them." She clappe
Page 297 and 298:
SHOWDOWN After that Penny saw neith
Page 299 and 300:
folding metal cot all neatly made u
Page 301 and 302:
"No booze." "No! Em, perhaps a dess
Page 303 and 304:
ought her bowls and flexi-mat with
Page 305 and 306:
Ula walked up to her and slapped he
Page 307 and 308:
scrunched it up and lunged at him,
Page 309 and 310:
instant karma, who can beat that?"
Page 311 and 312:
He got up, patted the lute dust off
Page 313 and 314:
EPILOGUE Rumor has it, five years l
Page 315 and 316:
Biography Elsie Russell's bohemian
show all

In Over Her Head by Elsie Russell - Parnasse.com

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?