Ribbons

Pretty ribbons make little girls happy, don't they?

They all give me ribbons. Satin ribbons, lace ribbons, velvet ribbons. My only treasure in the darkness of this cellar. I'm expected to feel grateful, but I know they're just ashamed of themselves. Because back home, in their fashionable districts, their own children remind them of what they've done to me. I could make a rope out of my ribbons, and flee. The cellar window is seldom locked. But my power over them is too great to relinquish so soon.