Rewrite the opening of the novel from a different narrative perspective: this could include

Manager, AF Rex, Rosa, the Sun, or a child seeking their AF. Choose a small section – perhaps
just one paragraph – and experiment with shifting the authorial voice in just a few sentences.
It was another day at the window. My focus was on the spot midway up the RPO building as I was
supposed to do.

Cars drove past the window. Pink. Blue. White. Black

I liked being at the window, here we were at the perfect spot as the sun was on its journey and Klara
and I were able to graciously bask in his patterns, his abundance of nourishment. However, every so
often Klara would bring attention

‘Klara, do you think once we’re in the window, we’ll receive so much goodness we’ll never get short
again?’

Every so often, Klara would interrupt me to point out something she saw, but all I saw was just people
going about their day. I didn’t understand why she was like this.

I turned my head. My focus returning to the spot midway up the RPO building as I was supposed to
do.

Looks to have a look at the roads and people

Sees the taxi drivers- plays it off

That was one reason why we always thought so much about being in the window. Each of us had
been promised our turn, and each of us longed for it to come. That was partly to do with what
Manager called the ‘special honor’ of representing the store to the outside. Also, of course,
whatever Manager said, we all knew we were more likely to be chosen while in the window. But the
big thing, silently understood by us all, was the Sun and his nourishment. Rosa did once bring it up
with me, in a whisper, a little while before our turn came around
. It was a good day as the sun was on its journey, gloriously
blessing Klara and I with his nourishment. We graciously
basked in his patterns. Every so often Klara would point out
something to me, it would be a … I would stare for a

But I noticed too that she hardly looked at anything, fixing her eyes constantly on the first Tow-Away
Zone sign just in front of us. Only when I pointed out something to her would she turn her head, but
then she’d lose interest and go back to looking at the sidewalk outside and the sign

It was another day at the window, I maintained my neutral smile and stared at the RPO building,
as the sun was on its journey, gloriously blessing Klara and I with his nourishment as he basked in his
patterns.

The whole city’s so happy

Maintaining my neutral smile I foxed my gaze on a spot midway up the RPO building dutifully

my vision returning

To the RPO building as I was supposed to do.

I turned my head, again to stare

Maintaining my neutral smile I foxed my gaze on a spot midway up the RPO building dutifully

The day went on, the Sun kept us warm, and I could see Rosa was very happy. But I noticed too that
she hardly looked at anything, fixing her eyes constantly on the first Tow-Away Zone sign just in front
of us. Only when I pointed out something to her would she turn her head, but then she’d lose
interest and go back to looking at the sidewalk outside and the sign.
Rosa only looked elsewhere for any length of time when a passer-by paused in front of the window.
In those circumstances, we both did as Manager had taught us: we put on ‘neutral’ smiles and fixed
our gazes across the street, on a spot midway up the RPO Building

RPO building

Rosa perspective:
 Two taxi men- not fighting, thinks they were pretending
and playing, thinks they enjoyed themselves and
everyone else who watched

They were just pushing each other and yelling, like play
fighting

Arkansas experts define rough and tumble play as “wrestling, tickling, chasing, and being
bounced, swung, or lifted

To engage in rowdy, uproarious behavior or play.

If they were really fighting people would do something about it, but everyone is watching so it
must just be a show or just play fighting
 Looks at the RPO building dutifully
- Made of separate bricks- 22 stories, tall, pale yellow,
every window has a ledge
- I could sometimes see the people inside, standing, sitting, moving around.
- In those circumstances, we both did as Manager had taught us: we put on ‘neutral’
smiles and fixed our gazes across the street, on a spot midway up the RPO Building.
 Sees the girl approaching and talking to klara, looks
ahead but listens to her
- I must have looked surprised. And at the edge of my vision I could see that Rosa,
forgetting herself, was now staring at Josie in astonishment.
 Rosa-
I could never understand … she was different. Different to
the other Afs in that she could see things that others would
not notice.

Watching people with klara but never understood her

fascination or moreso curiosity of humans, her eyes gazed
She had a look in her eyes/expression that I did not
understand as she gazed at the people on the streets and
those who would walk past the store.
We would look at the sun as it journeyed across the sky to
give us nourishment
No customers, she would do things without the managers
permission, she looked at me and I stared at her as she
stepped forward and scooped the sun’s pattern from the
floor. She repetitively did it.
She and rex started arguing but I was just annoyed and
hoping they would be quiet?

700 words
 Rosa is different. She’s different to the other Afs and I.

Rosa kept staring ahead at the RPO Building as she was supposed to do.- does what she’s supposed
to and told

she hardly looked at anything, fixing her eyes constantly on

the first Tow-Away Zone sign just in front of us. Only when I
pointed out something to her would she turn her head, but
then she’d lose interest and go back to looking at the
sidewalk outside and the sign. Rosa only looked elsewhere
for any length of time when a passer-by paused in front of
the window. In those circumstances, we both did as Manager
had taught us: we put on ‘neutral’ smiles and fixed our gazes
across the street, on a spot midway up the RPO Building. It
was very tempting to look more closely at a passer-by who
came up, but Manager had explained that it was highly vulgar
to make eye contact at such a moment. Only when a passer-
by specifically signaled to us, or spoke to us through the
glass, were we to respond, but never before.

 Matter of fact tone, like it is, childish, simple

It was later that same afternoon, Rosa said: ‘Klara, isn’t it funny? I always thought we’d see so many
AFs out there once we got in the window. All the ones who’d found homes already. But there aren’t
so many. I wonder where they are.’ This was one of the great things about Rosa. She could fail to
notice so much, and even when I pointed something out to her, she’d still not see what was special
or interesting about it. Yet every now and then she’d make an observation like this one. As soon as
she said what she did, I realized that I too had expected to see many more AFs from the window,
walking happily with their children, even going about their business by themselves, and that even if I
hadn’t acknowledged it to myself, I too had been surprised and a little disappointed. ‘You’re right,’ I
said, looking from right to left. ‘Just now, among all these passers-by, there isn’t a single AF.’ ‘Isn’t
that one over there? Going past the Fire Escapes Building?’ We both looked carefully, then shook
our heads at the same time. Though she’d been the one to bring up this question about the AFs
outside, it was typical that she soon lost all interest in it. By the time I finally spotted a teenage boy
and his AF walking past the juice stand on the RPO Building side, she barely looked their way.
I shared none of these thoughts with Rosa. Instead, whenever we spotted an AF out there I made a
point of wondering aloud if they were happy with their child and with their home, and this always
pleased and excited Rosa. She took it up as a kind of game, pointing and saying: ‘Look, over there!
Do you see, Klara? That boy just loves his AF! Oh, look at the way they’re laughing together!’ And
sure enough, there were plenty of pairs that looked happy with each other. But Rosa missed so
many signals. She would often exclaim delightedly at a pair going by, and I would look and realize
that even though a girl was smiling at her AF, she was in fact angry with him, and was perhaps at
that very moment thinking cruel thoughts about him.

 Gets excited seeing a child with AF and randomly

exclaim
 Gives the impression that she rlly wants to be chosen to
make a child happy together. Fulfill her purpose
 From the people that came out of the building most of
them did not have an AF I questioned Klara about this