An Afternoon with Forty-Two

You enter the study. It appears shabby, but well-loved. A greyhound lies curled up on a floor, snoring in contentitude. Cornell sits beside a five-gallon bucket labeled “seed”. He tosses handfuls to the birds outside. The window is closed.

Oh, hello!

I see you’ve returned for another peek at my Secret Diary. No, no— don’t be bashful—I’m actually quite delighted to share. In fact, I was just paging through a few old entries myself. These are from my forty-second sketchbook, which I kept from June 1st to July 21st, 2022. Why yes, that is a very short amount of time! I was quite the busy bee that summer. What’s that? Can I show you some of my favorite spreads? Why, I’d be delighted! Here—browse to your heart’s content. No need to wash your hands, we’re not fancy here. I’ll go make us some tea…

What, finished already? Well, you can still sit with me and enjoy this tea. Uh… no, not chamomile. Not oolong. I’m not sure what kind. It’s the kind that comes with these little porcelein animal figurines. Look at this lion—isn’t he adorable! And there’s a giraffe, and koala and—

Oh… you have to go? Okay. Well… I’ll catch you next time!

Cornell tosses another handful. Seed rattles across the floor. The greyhound stands, shakes, and saunters out.