Etymology

Excerpt

The first time I see her, it’s dusk and I’m eating a green apple, plopped down on a bench outside, next to the new suitcase I bought at the dollar store. The suitcase wasn’t a dollar, not even close. Still, it was cheap enough, and I needed something to wheel my scant belongings around in. I use a box cutter to cut slices off the apple. I’m allergic to the fruit—its skin makes my throat rattle and itch and I have to drink water until it calms down. There’s a lot of coughing and throat clearing, then the sensation passes, and I take another bite.

I arrived in New York early this morning, and now I’m moving into Ash’s apartment. Any second now I’ll get up and wheel my suitcase in, press the button on the elevator, and knock on his door. I just need to sit down for a moment. I wonder if he can sense that I’m outside, if at any moment he’ll look out the window and tell me not to linger. It’s dangerous, he might say. Come inside.

And I might tell him I don’t have anything worth stealing. I shouldn’t argue with him, though—especially if I’m going to leave him. Anyway, joke’s on whoever tries to steal my suitcase. There’s nothing in there but a book, toiletries, and some clothes. But what about me? I could get stolen, too.

Lior Torenberg

Lior Torenberg is an Israeli-American writer and editor. She received her graduate degree in Creative Writing at New York University. Her work has been published with The Poetry Society of New York, december, the United States Library of Congress’ Pandemic Archives, and more. Find her on Twitter at @LTorenberg.

Patrick Ryan on “Etymology”

Our new issue opens as a young woman sits on a bench and uses a box cutter to slice and eat an apple—a fruit she’s allergic to, she tells us. It’s an opening that grabs our attention in a couple of different ways. For one thing, we can’t help but wonder why someone’s willfully eating a fruit they know they’re allergic to, and for another, what’s with that box cutter? If the presence of Chekhov’s gun implies the gun is going to be fired, is this box cutter going to reappear?

“Etymology” is the story of Eleanor, the above-mentioned apple-eater who, in the wake of her mother’s death, runs away from her home and a bad situation, only to find herself in another home and another bad situation. But this time, there’s someone who seems to understand her predicament: the next-door neighbor, a woman named Morgana. Morgana is anything but cuddly (she also has a bloody-lipped cat who loves to hunt), but she’s kind to Eleanor upon meeting her and seems to already understand something about her. As Eleanor’s situation worsens, Morgana begins to communicate with her through the bathroom wall. Telepathically.

Lior Torenberg has made some bold choices in this story, not the least of which is an almost tight-lipped first-person narrator whose calm delivery doesn’t always match the events being reported on. What’s said is sometimes jaw-dropping, but it’s what’s not said that resonates. We hope you enjoy “Etymology” as much as we did.