A girl takes her first job working for a charming man at an alpine slide.

(from Twenty Grand)

We were not excellent workers, mostly because we were stunned by the pleasure of one another’s company. Soon our legs became scraped from lifting sleds, and our arms grew sore and then muscular. Our skin turned gold. Our fifteen-minute breaks stretched to thirty. Instead of half price, our snacks were free, because the snack-stand crew, a lower echelon of workers who were trapped in grease and darkness, offered them to us that way.

Besides being sharply told — it’s drunk with tactile images and memorable moments — this
story speaks a grim truth the world needs to know: Alpine slides are horrific non-fun death traps running with blood. Obviously, uh, I could say more about this story that I enjoyed very much. But tonight’s about reading. You want some insightful bloggery? Read it and write it up yourself.