The Alphabet in the Attic at Midnight

A + B ASTROLABE / BELL At midnight, Mina heard a bell above the ceiling. Not the doorbell. Not the clock bell. This bell rang once, then rolled the sound into the attic: Aaaah... Bummm. Mina took her moon-glass lantern upstairs.

C + D COMPASS / DRUM The attic cabinet stood open. Its twenty-six little drawers were empty. Beside it, a copper compass chased a dreaming drum in slow circles. "The alphabet has wandered out of order," Mina whispered.

E + F ENVELOPE / FAN An emerald envelope fluttered under a feather fan. Mina did not grab them. She watched what each one wanted to do. The envelope wanted to carry a secret. The fan wanted to wake the dust into stars.

G + H GLOBE / HOURGLASS A glass globe floated beside a hinged hourglass. Mina placed them near the cabinet, not because they matched in size, but because their names began with neighboring letters. Two drawers glowed.

I + J INKPOT / JAR An ivory inkpot hid behind a jade jar. "I," said Mina softly. "J." The letters were tiny keys. They opened two more drawers, and the attic floor drew a golden path beneath her boots.

K + L KITE / LANTERN A midnight kite tugged at a nail while a lantern shone from an old trunk. The kite belonged to the wind. The lantern belonged wherever someone needed courage. Mina carried both along the path.

M + N MIRROR / NEST A moon mirror caught Mina's smile. A nest of blank music notes rustled nearby. The mirror showed what was present. The nest held what had not been sung yet. Two more drawers chimed awake.

O + P ORRERY / PRISM An orrery turned above a prism. Planets of wood circled; rainbows crossed the rafters. The alphabet was not a fence, Mina realized. It was a way to notice how many kinds of wonder could share one room.

Q + R QUILT / RIBBON A quartz quilt rose like a hill. A ribbon reel rolled beneath it and vanished. Mina followed the ribbon's red trail through the quilted valley. At its end waited two quiet drawers, far from where they had begun.

S + T SHELL / TELESCOPE A silver shell murmured beside a tideglass telescope. The shell remembered the sea. The telescope searched the stars. Mina listened before she named them, and the golden path became brighter.

U + V UMBRELLA / VIOLIN An umbrella opened indoors without a drop of rain. A velvet violin hummed without a bow. One made shelter. One made song. Different voices, Mina thought, could still stand side by side.

W + X WHEEL / XYLOPHONE A wind-up wheel whirred around a crystal xylophone. "X can sound like Z," Mina said. She tapped the shining bars. "Xylophone starts with X. Zzzylophone!" The last corner of the path appeared.

Y + Z YARN / ZODIAC CABINET A golden yarn ball rolled to a zodiac cabinet painted with blank stars. Mina returned every wandering wonder to its drawer. The cabinet did not close. It opened twenty-six windows onto the night. Downstairs, the bell rang once more: not an ending, but an invitation to notice everything again.