SECOND SEQUEL
The next day Alice bicycled to her café in the city.
It was on a narrow street somewhere around The Frick Collection and the Hermitage.
When she got tired she started to walk at a slow pace.
Passing the British Museum she spotted a bark baby under a huge tree.
She wrapped it in one of the knitted scarves that she sold at the café and put it carefully in the bicycle basket.
When she opened the door to the café she realized that she, as usual, had forgotten to lock it.
That pleased her since she also, as usual, had forgotten the key.
She put the basket on the counter and started to remove its contents.
She rarely baked something herself, since her baking facilities were very spartan.
The café consisted of one large square room.
A counter was placed to the right of the entrance.
A long table occupied the center.
A few small tables were placed along the wall that faced the street.
A row of windows covered the upper half of that wall.
She had a private desk in the corner diagonally from the entrance, so that she could see anyone coming.
Next to the desk was a door leading to to a storage room, where she kept various things needed for her projects.
Next to that was the door to the toilet.
In the corner between the toilet and the counter stood a white tile stove.
Behind the counter she filled the tea and coffee pots with fresh water and put them to boil.
Then she picked up the scarf from the basket and only remembered the bark doll when she heard it fall to the floor.
The neck was broken.
She carried the basket and the two bark pieces to her desk.
She convinced herself that she had the glue needed to mend it.
On the way to the storage room to fetch it she turned on the TV hanging on the wall between the two doors.
She chose a music channel.
It was showing the end of Madonna's music video Don't Tell Me.
After she found the wonderful Italian glue she sat down.
She soon realized that something more than glue was needed to make the mending secure.
She tore a piece of a superior quality duct tape.
Her husband had given it to her and recommended it for all sorts of purposes.
It was too wide, so she also had to tear it lengthwise.
She looked up.
Then she carefully put the duct tape around the baby's neck.
She now wanted to add something sophisticated that would enhance the suggestiveness of the mending.
She found a thin green silk ribbon, then strived to recall something.
She raised her gaze.
She remembered.
Many years ago she had visited the Royal Armoury.
There she saw some royal dresses with silk ribbons cut in a way she had never seen before.
The ends were cut into many incredibly thin and even jags.
Although she had excellent scissors she barely managed to cut three jags at one end of the thin ribbon.
Exerting herself even more she succeeded cutting four jags at the other end.
She tied a bow around the tape and was pleased with the outcome.
A man she knew, Johannes, and three boys entered.
They had finished their fencing classes in the old brick building that was situated in the park across the street.
All were carrying huge bags with equipment.
They chose the long table.
Not long after her great aunt Elsa came in.
She had a beautiful dark blue cane and a long alpaca scarf of nearly the same nuance.
She sat down with the others and soon they were all engaged in a discussion on fashion.
Alice went again to the storage room and found an oval lidded bandbox that she had made a long time ago.
It fitted the bark baby perfectly and would serve as a cradle.
In honour of the baby she recalled a verse.
If you find a bark baby
it’s no wonder that maybe
you’ll become more glad
and the baby less sad.
She lit a cigarette.
After she had said goodbye to the last guest she switched to a science channel.
They were talking about mitochondria.
Strange images appeared on the screen.
A coloured one showed the slight movements of a mother mitochondria.
She marvelled at what the artist had achieved.
On the way home she stopped by a small shop dedicated to garden tools.
She found what she thought was needed for the clearing of the park.
The next day Alice bicycled to her café in the city.
It was on a narrow street somewhere around The Frick Collection and the Hermitage.
When she got tired she started to walk at a slow pace.
Passing the British Museum she spotted a bark baby under a huge tree.
She wrapped it in one of the knitted scarves that she sold at the café and put it carefully in the bicycle basket.
When she opened the door to the café she realized that she, as usual, had forgotten to lock it.
That pleased her since she also, as usual, had forgotten the key.
She put the basket on the counter and started to remove its contents.
She rarely baked something herself, since her baking facilities were very spartan.
The café consisted of one large square room.
A counter was placed to the right of the entrance.
A long table occupied the center.
A few small tables were placed along the wall that faced the street.
A row of windows covered the upper half of that wall.
She had a private desk in the corner diagonally from the entrance, so that she could see anyone coming.
Next to the desk was a door leading to to a storage room, where she kept various things needed for her projects.
Next to that was the door to the toilet.
In the corner between the toilet and the counter stood a white tile stove.
Behind the counter she filled the tea and coffee pots with fresh water and put them to boil.
Then she picked up the scarf from the basket and only remembered the bark doll when she heard it fall to the floor.
The neck was broken.
She carried the basket and the two bark pieces to her desk.
She convinced herself that she had the glue needed to mend it.
On the way to the storage room to fetch it she turned on the TV hanging on the wall between the two doors.
She chose a music channel.
It was showing the end of Madonna's music video Don't Tell Me.
After she found the wonderful Italian glue she sat down.
She soon realized that something more than glue was needed to make the mending secure.
She tore a piece of a superior quality duct tape.
Her husband had given it to her and recommended it for all sorts of purposes.
It was too wide, so she also had to tear it lengthwise.
She looked up.
Then she carefully put the duct tape around the baby's neck.
She now wanted to add something sophisticated that would enhance the suggestiveness of the mending.
She found a thin green silk ribbon, then strived to recall something.
She raised her gaze.
She remembered.
Many years ago she had visited the Royal Armoury.
There she saw some royal dresses with silk ribbons cut in a way she had never seen before.
The ends were cut into many incredibly thin and even jags.
Although she had excellent scissors she barely managed to cut three jags at one end of the thin ribbon.
Exerting herself even more she succeeded cutting four jags at the other end.
She tied a bow around the tape and was pleased with the outcome.
A man she knew, Johannes, and three boys entered.
They had finished their fencing classes in the old brick building that was situated in the park across the street.
All were carrying huge bags with equipment.
They chose the long table.
Not long after her great aunt Elsa came in.
She had a beautiful dark blue cane and a long alpaca scarf of nearly the same nuance.
She sat down with the others and soon they were all engaged in a discussion on fashion.
Alice went again to the storage room and found an oval lidded bandbox that she had made a long time ago.
It fitted the bark baby perfectly and would serve as a cradle.
In honour of the baby she recalled a verse.
If you find a bark baby
it’s no wonder that maybe
you’ll become more glad
and the baby less sad.
She lit a cigarette.
After she had said goodbye to the last guest she switched to a science channel.
They were talking about mitochondria.
Strange images appeared on the screen.
A coloured one showed the slight movements of a mother mitochondria.
She marvelled at what the artist had achieved.
On the way home she stopped by a small shop dedicated to garden tools.
She found what she thought was needed for the clearing of the park.
