Anna had two hours between the end of her lessons and dinner time. She would get out of her lessons exactly at three, rarely a moment sooner, because she never managed to focus enough to finish the work early, and and quarter to five exactly, she needed to change for dinner. There was nothing to do in between those times, so she watched the clock. And soon she found herself talking to the clock, "tick, tick…" Unlike the paintings, at least, the clock answered back.
Today was another day, like every other one. "Tick, tick…"
"Anna, what are you doing on the floor?" her mother asked.
What was she doing? Or, rather, what answer should she give her mother?
"Waiting for dinner," Anna replied.
"But… why are you lying there on the floor?"
Anna sat up. "Um… the clock is here?"
"The clock… yes, it is there," her mother agreed. "Anna, why don't you go outside and play?"
"I'll just have to get cleaned up for dinner then," she sighed.
"What about the bicycle?" her mother offered.
"I fell off it yesterday," Anna said.
Her mother glanced down the hall.
"Anna, I'll help you. Let's get your bike and go to the courtyard. And if you're late for dinner, I'll be with you. What do you think?"
"Great!" Anna said, running for the bicycle.
"Anna, why was the bicycle behind the armor?"
Anna looked up as she got the bicycle out from behind the suits of armor.
"Nothing got broken."
Her mother bit her lip, but then stopped and smiled. "Well, good. Let's take this thing outside where it belongs."