Beauty and the Basement by Olivia Snowe illustrated by Michelle Lamoreaux STONE ARCH BOOKS
You know the story You’ve heard it before Everyone has Now read it again A new twist A new gasp The story is told again TWICETOLD
1 Told by Carlo I'm in the basement again It’s dark down here and it smells like mildew and dryer sheets Light flickers at me from the huge flat screen mounted on the far wall It faces my couch Well I call it a couch It might as well be a bed I sleep down here I eat down here I play video games down here I Carlo It’s my mother I don’t bother responding You’ve been down there all summer she says Are you coming upstairs ever again Not if I can help it I mutter to myself Maybe she’ll just assume I’m sleeping with the television on Her high heels clomp down the bare wood stairs I quickly roll to my side and close my eyes to fake sleep I know you’re awake she says I heard the channels changing Fine I say What do you want
