Outside

"I have a little surprise for you", Jacob said.

He put two packages on the dining table in front of me. One was a box wrapped in a dark blue paper with a pattern like stars. The other was a soft shapeless package with a pattern of flowers. I looked at Jacob, asking permission with my eyes. There was still a strange look of fascination in his eyes whenever he saw mine.

"Go ahead, open them", he urged me.

I tore open the shapeless package first. Inside it there was a little mess of cloth. After examining it for a while I found that it formed a circle. One side was wide, thin, and flexible. The other side was narrow, thick, and stretchy. I looked at Jacob questioningly.

"That's for your hair. The wide part goes on the top, and should cover your ears".

I tried it on and Jacob laughed.

"The elastic part goes behind your head, not under your chin", he said. I tried again.

"That's better. Why don't you go look at yourself in the mirror?"