Letters Without the Polish

Letters Without the Polish

1Dear Zoya, Our teachers said to describe something worth noticing. From my window above the laundromat, I can see a man carrying an enormous silver case every Thursday. I think he repairs equipment for underwater explorers. Nothing else here is very interesting. Do you have any mysteries where you live? Your pen pal, Ellis

2Dear Ellis, Underwater explorers sound impressive. Beside our apartment building is an empty lot where someone arranged stones into a spiral. Maybe it is a secret signal. I mostly spend afternoons walking my little brother home. Yesterday he stopped at every crack in the sidewalk. I left that part out of my first draft because it seemed dull. Your pen pal, Zoya

3Dear Zoya, I asked the man about his case. He sharpens scissors for hair salons. I almost wrote that he refused to reveal his mission, but that would not be true. Actually, I have been trying to make this block sound more exciting than it is. I thought you might stop writing if I just described folding warm towels with my uncle. Ellis

4Dear Ellis, I read your letter while waiting for my brother, and I laughed with relief. I invented the secret signal. The stones mark where a neighbor wants people to stop cutting across the lot. Please tell me about the towels. Do you fold the corners together first? My brother folds everything into a ball and calls it finished. Zoya

5Dear Zoya, Corners first, then in thirds. My uncle can fold a towel while talking without looking down. Yesterday I tried that and made something shaped like a crooked envelope. I asked about your brother because I wanted to picture those walks. What makes him stop at the cracks? No secret missions to report this week. Ellis

6Dear Ellis, He says each crack is a river, and he has to plan a crossing. Yesterday I waited instead of pulling him along. I started noticing which cracks branched and which held tiny pebbles. I have drawn you a map of our shortest walk, which somehow takes the longest. Your towel envelope made him laugh. He wants folding instructions. I nearly rewrote this letter to make it sound grander, but I left it as it was. Zoya