Thousand: Five Hundred Six

first on the linoleum. And that’s the whole production. The cat and caiman hiss and skedaddle, the dog in the hall yawns and lays his head on his paws. “Where’s the remote?” asks a voice from the front room. “I’m making tea!” calls the woman, as she kneels to prod the unconscious gnome with her little fork. When he fails to flinch or groan, the woman gets out some pot lids and balances them precariously on his back. If he should move, there’ll be warning. Gnomes can be sneaky. She finds a kettle, fills it with water from the faucet,