IDEAS

LAYOUT IDEAS

The Waitressby Jack Zipes

She never knew how it had happened, but there was once a chair stuck on the back of a waitress.She jiggled, she jumped, she bucked and she kicked her heels like a wild horse in a rodeo show. Butnothing she did could help poor Marie get the chair off her back. She went to the best doctors,carpenters, detectives, midwives, and plumbers in all of Paris, but nobody could help her. The chairstuck on her back, and everyone was afraid of tearing it off her back because she might die. After all,Marie was a small young woman, somewhat on the skinny side. You might even call her frail orfragile. Perhaps that was because she was always running from table to table in the restaurant whereshe worked. Perhaps it was because she never had time to eat a good meal. Marie never thoughtabout it. She just worked as hard as she could.At first Marie thought she looked like a humpback, and she was ashamed of her chair, but thechair was light as a feather, and she could barely feel it.

“Maybe something good will come of this,” Marie said to herself.“Maybe if you dressed me up, you might learn a thing or two,” the chair said to her.“You can talk!” Marie said with astonishment.“You can walk,” the chair said.“Of course I can,” the waitress said. “Anyone can.”“Hey, that’s not true. Not anyone can. There are a lot of old people who can’t walk. What aboutbabies? What about people who have accidents? What about people who are born differently?”“All right, all right,” Marie said. “I get your point.”“Well, if you get my point,” the chair said. “Get me dressed and do something about it.”“What would you like to wear?”“Something with frills, and I like colors like aqua blue, jasmine green, fire red, and chartreuse.”“Are you a girl?”“Does it matter?”

Marie said it didn’t, and off she went with the chair on her back to the nearest department store.People didn’t seem to mind that she had a chair on her back, and Marie found that strange.

“Can they see you?” she asked the chair.“People see only what they want to see,” the chair replied.Once they found the interior decoration department, Marie thought she could feel the chair smile.“What now?” she asked.“Well, let’s choose some material,” the chair said, and choose they did. There were all types oflinen, silk, and cloth, and the chair nudged her to pick out pink, yellow, and blue flower patterns andthen an intricate diamond shaped red, black, and green roll of wool, and finally she had to pick outsoft feather pillows in different colors. The bill came to $500, and Marie told the chair there was noway she could pay for all the materials.“Look into your purse,” the chair demanded.Marie stuck her hand inside and pulled out ten one hundred dollar bills.“Oh!” she almost fainted.“Stop that,” the chair said, “and pay.”“But what if somebody lost this money? What if it was stolen?”“I told you, good things happen in strange ways,” the chair said.Marie hesitated still, but finally she paid and rushed home as fast as she could. As she entered her


She never knew how it had happened, but there was once a chair stuck on the back of a waitress.She jiggled, she jumped, she bucked and she kicked her heels like a wild horse in a rodeo show. Butnothing she did could help poor Marie get the chair off her back. She went to the best doctors,carpenters, detectives, midwives, and plumbers in all of Paris, but nobody could help her. The chairstuck on her back, and everyone was afraid of tearing it off her back because she might die. After all,Marie was a small young woman, somewhat on the skinny side. You might even call her frail orfragile. Perhaps that was because she was always running from table to table in the restaurant whereshe worked. Perhaps it was because she never had time to eat a good meal. Marie never thoughtabout it. She just worked as hard as she could.At first Marie thought she looked like a humpback, and she was ashamed of her chair, but thechair was light as a feather, and she could barely feel it.

“Maybe something good will come of this,” Marie said to herself.“Maybe if you dressed me up, you might learn a thing or two,” the chair said to her.“You can talk!” Marie said with astonishment.“You can walk,” the chair said.“Of course I can,” the waitress said. “Anyone can.”“Hey, that’s not true. Not anyone can. There are a lot of old people who can’t walk. What aboutbabies? What about people who have accidents? What about people who are born differently?”“All right, all right,” Marie said. “I get your point.”“Well, if you get my point,” the chair said. “Get me dressed and do something about it.”“What would you like to wear?”“Something with frills, and I like colors like aqua blue, jasmine green, fire red, and chartreuse.”“Are you a girl?”“Does it matter?”

Marie said it didn’t, and off she went with the chair on her back to the nearest department store.People didn’t seem to mind that she had a chair on her back, and Marie found that strange.

“Can they see you?” she asked the chair.“People see only what they want to see,” the chair replied.Once they found the interior decoration department, Marie thought she could feel the chair smile.“What now?” she asked.“Well, let’s choose some material,” the chair said, and choose they did. There were all types oflinen, silk, and cloth, and the chair nudged her to pick out pink, yellow, and blue flower patterns andthen an intricate diamond shaped red, black, and green roll of wool, and finally she had to pick outsoft feather pillows in different colors. The bill came to $500, and Marie told the chair there was noway she could pay for all the materials.“Look into your purse,” the chair demanded.Marie stuck her hand inside and pulled out ten one hundred dollar bills.“Oh!” she almost fainted.“Stop that,” the chair said, “and pay.”“But what if somebody lost this money? What if it was stolen?”“I told you, good things happen in strange ways,” the chair said.Marie hesitated still, but finally she paid and rushed home as fast as she could. As she entered her


She never knew how it had hap-pened, but there was once a chair stuck on the back of a waitress.She jiggled, she jumped, she bucked and she kicked her heels like a wild horse in a rodeo show. Butnothing she did could help poor Marie get the chair off her back. She went to the best doctors,carpenters, detectives, midwives, and plumbers in all of Paris, but nobody could help her. The chairstuck on her back, and everyone was afraid of tearing it off her back because she might die. After all,Marie was a small young woman, somewhat on the skinny side. You might even call her frail orfragile. Perhaps that was because she was always running from table to table in the restaurant whereshe worked. Perhaps it was be-cause she never had time to eat a good meal. Marie never thoughtabout it. She just worked as hard as she could.At first Marie thought she looked like a humpback, and she was ashamed of her chair, but thechair was light as a feather, and she could barely feel it.

Marie said it didn’t, and off she went with the chair on her back to the nearest department store.People didn’t seem to mind that she had a chair on her back, and

Marie found that strange.

At first Marie was afraid of hurt-ing herself with the needle, but the instructions were easy to read,and once the machine began humming, it was as if she were playing a violin sonata. She was carriedaway in rhapsody, and when she had finished, she had produced seven marvelously colored chaircovers.“Hey, let’s do a fashion show!” the chair proposed, and Marie could feel the arms of the chairpicking up one of the outfits and slipping it on. When the chair gave a sign that it was ready, Mariestrolled over to the bathroom and turned around and around so she could see the chair in the mirror.“Oh, you look beautiful!” Marie said.“Thanks, but it was all you, and now we’ve got to get to work.”“To do what?”“Well, you don’t think I’m going to let my looks and your talents go to waste. We’re going to start arestaurant service for people who have trouble walking.”“What do you mean?”“Well, you know all those people who sit at home and can’t get out because they’re sick ordisabled or old. We’re going to pick them up, and you’ll carry them in me to the restaurant. Thenthey can be with other people

for a while and have a meal on the house. We’ll call ourselves theWalking Wizards!”“But I can’t carry anyone on my back,” Marie responded.“You’re carrying me.”“That’s different. You’re light. Or, at least I can’t feel you.”“Trust me,” the chair said firmly,Well, Marie had no other choice, and she carried the chair to Mar-cel, the owner of the restaurantwhere she worked.“Marcel,” the chair said, “We’re going to expand your business.”“Hey, you’re pretty cute,” Mar-cel replied, for the chair was dressed in flaming red and yel-low.“Now’s not the time for flirting,” the chair answered. “Here’s what we propose.”No sooner did the three finish their conversation than Marie set out and arrived at the apartmentof an old woman named Natalie. She was eighty-five years old, tiny like a mouse, and she rarely lefther apartment because she had difficulty walking without a cane.Marie knocked. The door opened.“Madame Natalie,” Marie said. “We’ve come to invite you to lunch.”No sooner said than Marie stooped down. The old woman sat down in the chair. And in a flashthey were at Marcel’s.“Madame, it’s a pleasure. We shall be expecting you for lunch every day.”The next stop for Marie and the chair was Fat Pierre’s home. He

“Can they see you?” she asked the chair.“People see only what they want to see,” the chair replied.Once they found the interior decoration department, Marie thought she could feel the chair smile.“What now?” she asked.“Well, let’s choose some material,” the chair said, and choose they did. There were all types oflinen, silk, and cloth, and the chair nudged her to pick out pink, yellow, and blue flower patterns andthen an intricate diamond shaped red, black, and green roll of wool, and finally she had to pick outsoft feather pillows in different colors. The bill came to $500, and Marie told the chair there was noway she could pay for all the materials.“Look into your purse,” the chair demanded.

The

Wait-ress

by Jack Zipes

She never knew how it

had happened, but there was once

a chair stuck on the back of a waitress.

She jiggled, she jumped, she bucked and she kicked

her heels like a wild horse in a rodeo show. But

nothing she did could help poor Marie get the chair off her back.

She went to the best doctors,carpenters, detectives, midwives, and

plumbers in all of Paris, but nobody could help her. The chair

stuck on her back, and everyone was afraid of tearing it off her back because she might

die. After all,Marie was a small young woman, somewhat on

the skinny side. You might even call her frail orfragile. Perhaps that was because she was always

running from table to table in the restaurant whereshe worked. Perhaps it was because she never had time

to eat a good meal. Marie never thoughtabout it. She just worked as hard as she could.

At first Marie thought she looked like a humpback, and she was ashamed of her chair, but the

chair was light as a feather, and she could barely feel it.

Marie said it didn’t, and off she went with the chair on her back to the nearest department store.

People didn’t seem to mind that she had a chair on her back, and Marie found that strange.

At first Marie was afraid of hurt-ing herself with the needle, but the instructions were easy to read,and once the machine began humming, it was as if she were playing a violin sonata. She was carriedaway in rhapsody, and when she had finished, she had produced seven marvelously colored chaircovers.“Hey, let’s do a fashion show!” the chair proposed, and Marie could feel the arms of the chairpicking up one of the outfits and slipping it on. When the chair gave a sign that it was ready, Mariestrolled over to the bathroom and turned around and around so she could see the chair in the mirror.“Oh, you look beautiful!” Marie said.“Thanks, but it was all you, and now we’ve got to get to work.”“To do what?”“Well, you don’t think I’m going to let my looks and your talents go to waste. We’re going to start arestaurant service for people who have trouble walking.”“What do you mean?”“Well, you know all those people who sit at home and can’t get out because they’re sick ordisabled or old. We’re going to pick them up, and you’ll carry them in me to the restaurant. Thenthey can be with other people for a while and have a meal on the house. We’ll call ourselves

theWalking Wizards!”“But I can’t carry anyone on my back,” Marie responded.“You’re carrying me.”“That’s different. You’re light. Or, at least I can’t feel you.”“Trust me,” the chair said firmly,Well, Marie had no other choice, and she carried the chair to Mar-cel, the owner of the restaurantwhere she worked.“Marcel,” the chair said, “We’re going to expand your business.”“Hey, you’re pretty cute,” Mar-cel replied, for the chair was dressed in flaming red and yel-low.“Now’s not the time for flirting,” the chair answered. “Here’s what we propose.”No sooner did the three finish their conversation than Marie set out and arrived at the apartmentof an old woman named Natalie. She was eighty-five years old, tiny like a mouse, and she rarely lefther apartment because she had difficulty walking without a cane.Marie knocked. The door opened.“Madame Natalie,” Marie said. “We’ve come to invite you to lunch.”No sooner said than Marie stooped down. The old woman sat down in the chair. And in a flashthey were at Marcel’s.“Madame, it’s a pleasure. We shall be expecting you for lunch every day.”The next stop for Marie and the chair was Fat Pierre’s home. He weighed lose to four hundredpounds. He was a young man,

She never knew how it had happened, but there was once a chair stuck on the back of a waitress. She jiggled, she jumped, she bucked and she kicked her heels like a

wild horse in a rodeo show. But nothing she did could help poor Marie get the chair off her back. She went to the best doctors, carpenters, detectives, midwives, and

plumbers in all of Paris, but nobody could help her. The chair stuck on her back, and everyone was afraid of tearing it off her back because she might die. After all, Marie

was a small young woman, somewhat on the skinny side. You might even call her frail or fragile. Perhaps that was because she was always running from table to table in

the restaurant where she worked. Perhaps it was because she never had time to eat a good meal. Marie never thought about it. She just worked as hard as she could. At first Marie thought she looked like a humpback, and she was ashamed of her chair,

but the chair was light as a feather, and she could barely feel it.

“Maybe something good will come of this,” Marie said to herself.

“Maybe if you dressed me up, you might learn a thing or two,” the

chair said to her.

“You can talk!” Marie said with astonishment.

“You can walk,” the chair said.

“Of course I can,” the waitress said. “Anyone can.”

“Hey, that’s not true. Not anyone can. There are a lot of old people

who can’t walk. What about

babies? What about people who have accidents? What about

people who are born differently?”

“All right, all right,” Marie said. “I get your point.”

“Well, if you get my point,” the chair said. “Get me dressed and do

something about it.”

“What would you like to wear?”

“Something with frills, and I like colors like aqua blue, jasmine

green, fire red, and chartreuse.”

“Are you a girl?”

“Does it matter?”









chair said to her.
























chair said to her.























“Maybe if you dressed me up, you might learn a thing or two,” the chair said to her.




“Hey, that’s not true. Not anyone can. There are a lot of old people who

can’t walk. What about babies? What about people who have acci-

dents? What about people who are born differently?”


“Well, if you get my point,” the chair said. “Get me dressed and do something about it.”


“Something with frills, and I like colors like aqua blue, jas-

mine green, fire red, and chartreuse.”









chair said to her.



















“You can walk,” the chair said








“Something with frills, and I like colors like aqua blue, jas-mine green, fire red, and chartreuse.”









chair said to her.


















chair said to her.


















chair said to her.


















chair said to her.
















She never knew how it had happened, but there was once a chair stuck on the back

of a waitress. She jiggled, she jumped, she bucked and she kicked her heels like a

wild horse in a rodeo show. But nothing she did could help poor Marie get the chair

off her back. She went to the best doctors, carpenters, detectives, midwives, and

plumbers in all of Paris, but nobody could help her. The chair stuck on her back, and

everyone was afraid of tearing it off her back because she might die. After all, Marie

was a small young woman, somewhat on the skinny side. You might even call her frail

or fragile. Perhaps that was because she was always running from table to table in

the restaurant where she worked. Perhaps it was because she never had time to eat

a good meal. Marie never thought about it. She just worked as hard as she could. At

first Marie thought she looked like a humpback, and she was ashamed of her chair,




chair said to her.
























chair said to her.
















She never knew how it had happened, but there was once

a chair stuck on the back of a waitress. She jiggled, she jumped, she bucked and she kicked her heels like a wild horse in a rodeo show. But nothing she did could help poor Marie get the chair off

her back. She went to the best doctors, carpenters, detectives, midwives, and plumbers in all of Paris, but nobody could help her. The chair stuck on her back, and everyone was afraid of tearing it off her back because she might die. After all, Marie was a small

young woman, somewhat on the skinny side. You might even call her frail or fragile. Perhaps that was because she was always

running from table to table in the restaurant where she worked.

Perhaps it was because she never had time to eat a good meal. Ma-rie never thought about it. She just worked as hard as she could. At

first Marie thought she looked like a humpback, and she was ashamed of her chair, but the chair was light as a feather, and she could barely feel it.

“Maybe something good will come of this,” Marie

said to herself.

“Maybe if you dressed me up, you might learn a

thing or two,” the chair said to her.



“Of course I can,” the waitress said. “Anyone

can.”

“Hey, that’s not true. Not anyone can. There are a

lot of old people who can’t walk. What about

babies? What about people who have acci-

dents? What about people who are born differ-

ently?”


“Well, if you get my point,” the chair said. “Get

me dressed and do something about it.”


“Something with frills, and I like colors like aqua

blue, jasmine green, fire red, and chartreuse.”

She never knew how it had happened, but there was once a chair stuck on the back of a waitress. She jiggled, she jumped, she bucked and she kicked her heels like a wild horse in a rodeo show. But nothing she did could help

poor Marie get the chair off her back. She went to the best doctors, carpen-ters, detectives, midwives, and plumbers in all of Paris, but nobody could help her. The chair stuck on her back, and everyone was afraid of tearing it off her back because she might die. After all, Marie was a small young

woman, somewhat on the skinny side. You might even call her frail or fragile. Perhaps that was because she was always running from table to table in the

restaurant where she worked. Perhaps it was because she never had time to eat a good meal. Marie never thought about it. She just worked as hard as she could. At first Marie thought she looked like a humpback, and she was ashamed of her chair, but the chair was light as a feather, and she could

barely feel it.





barely feel it.


She never knew how it had happened, but there was once a chair stuck on the back of a waitress.She jiggled, she jumped, she bucked and she kicked her heels like a wild horse in a rodeo show. Butnothing she did could help poor Marie get the chair off her back. She went to the best doctors,carpenters, detectives, midwives, and plumbers in all of Paris, but nobody could help her. The chairstuck on her back, and everyone was afraid of tearing it off her back because she might die. After all,Marie was a small young woman, somewhat on the skinny side. You might even call her frail orfragile. Perhaps that was because she was always running from table to table in the restaurant whereshe worked. Perhaps it was because she never had time to eat a good meal. Marie never thoughtabout it. She just worked as hard as she could.At first Marie thought she looked like a humpback, and she was ashamed of her chair, but thechair was light as a feather, and she could barely feel it.“Maybe something good will come of this,” Marie said to herself.“Maybe if you dressed me up, you might learn a thing or two,” the chair said to her.“You can talk!” Marie said with astonishment.“You can walk,” the chair said.“Of course I can,” the waitress said. “Anyone can.”“Hey, that’s not true. Not anyone can. There are a lot of old people who can’t walk. What aboutbabies? What about people who have accidents? What about people who are born differently?”“All right, all right,” Marie said. “I get your point.”“Well, if you get my point,” the chair said. “Get me dressed and do some-thing about it.”“What would you like to wear?”“Something with frills, and I like colors like aqua blue, jasmine green, fire red, and chartreuse.”“Are you a girl?”“Does it matter?”

Marie said it didn’t, and off she went with the chair on her back to the nearest department store.People didn’t seem to mind that she had a chair on her back, and Marie found that strange.“Can they see you?” she asked the chair.“People see only what they want to see,” the chair replied.Once they found the interior decoration department, Marie thought she could feel the chair smile.“What now?” she asked.“Well, let’s choose some material,” the chair said, and choose they did. There were all types oflinen, silk, and cloth, and the chair nudged her to pick out pink, yellow, and blue flower patterns andthen an intricate diamond shaped red, black, and green roll of wool, and finally she had to pick outsoft feather pillows in different colors. The bill came to $500, and Marie told the chair there was noway she could pay for all the materials.“Look into your purse,” the chair demanded.Marie stuck her hand inside and pulled out ten one hundred dollar bills.“Oh!” she almost fainted.“Stop that,” the chair said, “and pay.”“But what if somebody lost this money? What if it was stolen?”“I told you, good things happen in strange ways,” the chair said.Marie hesitated still, but finally she paid and rushed home as fast as she could. As she entered herone-room apartment, she almost stumbled over a sewing machine.“What’s this?” she exclaimed.“How do you think you’re going to make my outfits if you don’t have a sewing machine?”“But I can’t sew.”“You can now. Try it.”At first Marie was afraid of hurting herself with the needle, but the in-structions were easy to read,and once the machine began humming, it was as if she were playing a violin sonata. She was carriedaway in rhapsody, and when she had finished, she had produced seven marvelously colored chaircovers.“Hey, let’s do a fashion show!” the chair proposed, and Marie could feel the arms of the chair

The Waitressby Jack ZipesShe never knew how it had happened, but there was once a chair stuck on the back of a waitress.She jiggled, she jumped, she bucked and she kicked her heels like a wild horse in a rodeo show. Butnothing she did could help poor Marie get the chair off her back. She went to the best doctors,carpenters, detectives, midwives, and plumbers in all of Paris, but nobody could help her. The chairstuck on her back, and everyone was afraid of tearing it off her back because she might die. After all,Marie was a small young woman, somewhat on the skinny side. You might even call her frail orfragile. Perhaps that was because she was always running from table to table in the restaurant whereshe worked. Perhaps it was because she never had time to eat a good meal. Marie never thoughtabout it. She just worked as hard as she could.At first Marie thought she looked like a humpback, and she was ashamed of her chair, but thechair was light as a feather, and she could barely feel it.“Maybe something good will come of this,” Marie said to herself.“Maybe if you dressed me up, you might learn a thing or two,” the chair said to her.“You can talk!” Marie said with astonishment.“You can walk,” the chair said.“Of course I can,” the waitress said. “Anyone can.”“Hey, that’s not true. Not anyone can. There are a lot of old people who can’t walk. What aboutbabies? What about people who have accidents? What about people who are born differently?”“All right, all right,” Marie said. “I get your point.”“Well, if you get my point,” the chair said. “Get me dressed and do something about it.”“What would you like to wear?”“Something with frills, and I like colors like aqua blue, jasmine green, fire red, and chartreuse.”“Are you a girl?”“Does it matter?”Marie said it didn’t, and off she went with the chair on her back to the nearest department store.People didn’t seem to mind that she had a chair on her back, and Marie found that strange.“Can they see you?” she asked the chair.“People see only what they want to see,” the chair replied.Once they found the interior decoration department, Marie thought she could feel the chair smile.“What now?” she asked.“Well, let’s choose some material,” the chair said, and choose they did. There were all types oflinen, silk, and cloth, and the chair nudged her to pick out pink, yellow, and blue flower patterns andthen an intricate diamond shaped red, black, and green roll of wool, and finally she had to pick outsoft feather pillows in different colors. The bill came to $500, and Marie told the chair there was noway she could pay for all the materials.“Look into your purse,” the chair demanded.Marie stuck her hand inside and pulled out ten one hundred dollar bills.“Oh!” she almost fainted.“Stop that,” the chair said, “and pay.”“But what if somebody lost this money? What if it was stolen?”“I told you, good things happen in strange ways,” the chair said.Marie hesitated still, but finally she paid and rushed home as fast as she could. As she entered herone-room apartment, she almost stumbled over a sewing machine.“What’s this?” she exclaimed.




“You can walk,” the chair said








“Something with frills, and I like colors like aqua blue, jas-mine green, fire red, and chartreuse.”





barely feel it.





barely feel it.

“May

be s

omet

hing

goo

d w

ill c

ome

of th

is,”

Mar

ie s

aid

to h

erse

lf.

“May

be if

you

dre

ssed

me

up, y

ou m

ight

lear

n a

thin

g or

two,

” the

cha

ir sa

id to

her

.

“You

can

talk

!” M

arie

sai

d w

ith a

ston

ishm

ent.

“You

can

wal

k,” t

he c

hair

said

.

“Of c

ours

e I c

an,”

the

wai

tres

s sa

id. “

Any

one

can.

”

“Hey

, tha

t’s n

ot tr

ue. N

ot a

nyon

e ca

n. T

here

are

a lo

t of o

ld p

eopl

e w

ho c

an’t

wal

k. W

hat

abou

t

babi

es?

Wha

t abo

ut p

eopl

e w

ho h

ave

acci

dent

s? W

hat a

bout

peo

ple

who

are

bor

n di

f-

fere

ntly

?”

“All

right

, all

right

,” M

arie

sai

d. “

I get

you

r poi

nt.”

“Wel

l, if

you

get m

y po

int,”

the

chai

r sai

d. “

Get

me

dres

sed

and

do s

omet

hing

abo

ut it

.”

“Wha

t wou

ld y

ou li

ke to

wea

r?”

“Som

ethi

ng w

ith fr

ills,

and

I lik

e co

lors

like

aqu

a bl

ue, j

asm

ine

gree

n, fi

re re

d, a

nd c

har-

treu

se.”

“Are

you

a g

irl?”

“Doe

s it

mat

ter?

”

“May

be s

omet

hing

goo

d w

ill c

ome

of th

is,”

Mar

ie s

aid

to h

erse

lf.

“May

be if

you

dre

ssed

me

up, y

ou m

ight

lear

n a

thin

g or

two,

” the

cha

ir sa

id to

her

.

“You

can

talk

!” M

arie

sai

d w

ith a

ston

ishm

ent.

“You

can

wal

k,” t

he c

hair

said

.

“Of c

ours

e I c

an,”

the

wai

tres

s sa

id. “

Any

one

can.

”

“Hey

, tha

t’s n

ot tr

ue. N

ot a

nyon

e ca

n. T

here

are

a lo

t of o

ld p

eopl

e w

ho c

an’t

wal

k. W

hat

abou

t

babi

es?

Wha

t abo

ut p

eopl

e w

ho h

ave

acci

dent

s? W

hat a

bout

peo

ple

who

are

bor

n di

f-

fere

ntly

?”

“All

right

, all

right

,” M

arie

sai

d. “

I get

you

r poi

nt.”

“Wel

l, if

you

get m

y po

int,”

the

chai

r sai

d. “

Get

me

dres

sed

and

do s

omet

hing

abo

ut it

.”

“Wha

t wou

ld y

ou li

ke to

wea

r?”

“Som

ethi

ng w

ith fr

ills,

and

I lik

e co

lors

like

aqu

a bl

ue, j

asm

ine

gree

n, fi

re re

d, a

nd c

har-

treu

se.”

“Are

you

a g

irl?”

“Doe

s it

mat

ter?

”





barely feel it.

Jack ZipesTh

e Waitress





barely feel it.

“May

be s

omet

hing

goo

d w

ill c

ome

of th

is,”

Mar

ie

said

to h

erse

lf.

“May

be if

you

dre

ssed

me

up, y

ou m

ight

lear

n a

thin

g or

two,

” the

cha

ir sa

id to

her

.

“You

can

talk

!” M

arie

sai

d w

ith a

ston

ishm

ent.

“You

can

wal

k,” t

he c

hair

said

.

“Of c

ours

e I c

an,”

the

wai

tres

s sa

id. “

Any

one

can.

”

“Hey

, tha

t’s n

ot tr

ue. N

ot a

nyon

e ca

n. T

here

are

a lo

t

of o

ld p

eopl

e w

ho c

an’t

wal

k. W

hat a

bout

babi

es?

Wha

t abo

ut p

eopl

e w

ho h

ave

acci

dent

s?

Wha

t abo

ut p

eopl

e w

ho a

re b

orn

diffe

rent

ly?”

“All

right

, all

right

,” M

arie

sai

d. “

I get

you

r poi

nt.”

“Wel

l, if

you

get m

y po

int,”

the

chai

r sai

d. “

Get

me

dres

sed

and

do s

omet

hing

abo

ut it

.”

“Wha

t wou

ld y

ou li

ke to

wea

r?”

“Som

ethi

ng w

ith fr

ills,

and

I lik

e co

lors

like

aqu

a

blue

, jas

min

e gr

een,

fire

red,

and

cha

rtre

use.

”

“Are

you

a g

irl?”

“Doe

s it

mat

ter?

”

Jack Zipes

The

Waitress

She

nev

er k

new

how

it h

ad h

appe

ned,

but

ther

e w

as o

nce

a ch

air s

tuck

on

the

back

of a

wai

tres

s. S

he ji

ggle

d, s

he ju

mpe

d, s

he b

ucke

d an

d sh

e ki

cked

her

hee

ls li

ke a

w

ild h

orse

in a

rode

o sh

ow. B

ut n

othi

ng s

he d

id c

ould

hel

p po

or M

arie

get

the

chai

r off

her b

ack.

She

wen

t to

the

best

doc

tors

, car

pent

ers,

det

ectiv

es, m

idw

ives

, and

pl

umbe

rs in

all

of P

aris

, but

nob

ody

coul

d he

lp h

er. T

he c

hair

stuc

k on

her

bac

k, a

nd e

very

one

was

afra

id o

f tea

ring

it of

f her

bac

k be

caus

e sh

e m

ight

die

. Afte

r all,

Mar

ie

was

a s

mal

l you

ng w

oman

, som

ewha

t on

the

skin

ny s

ide.

You

mig

ht e

ven

call

her f

rail

or fr

agile

. Per

haps

that

was

bec

ause

she

was

alw

ays

runn

ing

from

tabl

e to

tabl

e in

th

e re

stau

rant

whe

re s

he w

orke

d. P

erha

ps it

was

bec

ause

she

nev

er h

ad ti

me

to e

at a

goo

d m

eal.

Mar

ie n

ever

thou

ght a

bout

it. S

he ju

st w

orke

d as

har

d as

she

cou

ld. A

t fir

st M

arie

thou

ght s

he lo

oked

like

a h

umpb

ack,

and

she

was

ash

amed

of h

er c

hair,

but

the

chai

r was

ligh

t as

a fe

athe

r, an

d sh

e co

uld

bare

ly fe

el it

.


said to herself.






“Hey, that’s not true. Not anyone can. There are a lot

of old people who can’t walk. What about

babies? What about people who have accidents?

What about people who are born differently?”


“Well, if you get my point,” the chair said. “Get me

dressed and do something about it.”






She

nev

er k

new

how

it h

ad h

appe

ned,

but

ther

e w

as o

nce

a ch

air s

tuck

on

the

back

of a

wai

tres

s. S

he ji

ggle

d, s

he ju

mpe

d, s

he b

ucke

d an

d sh

e ki

cked

her

hee

ls li

ke a

wild

hor

se in

a ro

deo

show

. But

not

hing

she

did

co

uld

help

poo

r Mar

ie g

et th

e ch

air o

ff he

r bac

k. S

he w

ent t

o th

e be

st d

oc-

tors

, car

pent

ers,

det

ectiv

es, m

idw

ives

, and

plu

mbe

rs in

all

of P

aris

, but

no-

body

cou

ld h

elp

her.

The

chai

r stu

ck o

n he

r bac

k, a

nd e

very

one

was

afra

id

of te

arin

g it

off h

er b

ack

beca

use

she

mig

ht d

ie. A

fter a

ll, M

arie

was

a s

mal

l yo

ung

wom

an, s

omew

hat o

n th

e sk

inny

sid

e. Y

ou m

ight

eve

n ca

ll he

r fra

il or

fra

gile

. Per

haps

that

was

bec

ause

she

was

alw

ays

runn

ing

from

tabl

e to

ta-

ble

in th

e re

stau

rant

whe

re s

he w

orke

d. P

erha

ps it

was

bec

ause

she

nev

er

had

time

to e

at a

goo

d m

eal.

Mar

ie n

ever

thou

ght a

bout

it. S

he ju

st w

orke

d as

har

d as

she

cou

ld. A

t firs

t Mar

ie th

ough

t she

look

ed li

ke a

hum

pbac

k,

and

she

was

ash

amed

of h

er c

hair,

but

the

chai

r was

ligh

t as

a fe

athe

r, an

d sh

e co

uld

bare

ly fe

el it

.

Jack Zipes

The

Waitress

She

nev

er k

new

how

it h

ad h

appe

ned,

but

ther

e w

as o

nce

a ch

air s

tuck

on

the

back

of a

wai

tres

s. S

he ji

ggle

d, s

he ju

mpe

d, s

he b

ucke

d an

d sh

e ki

cked

her

hee

ls li

ke a

wild

hor

se in

a ro

deo

show

. But

not

hing

she

did

co

uld

help

poo

r Mar

ie g

et th

e ch

air o

ff he

r bac

k. S

he w

ent t

o th

e be

st d

oc-

tors

, car

pent

ers,

det

ectiv

es, m

idw

ives

, and

plu

mbe

rs in

all

of P

aris

, but

no-

body

cou

ld h

elp

her.

The

chai

r stu

ck o

n he

r bac

k, a

nd e

very

one

was

afra

id

of te

arin

g it

off h

er b

ack

beca

use

she

mig

ht d

ie. A

fter a

ll, M

arie

was

a s

mal

l yo

ung

wom

an, s

omew

hat o

n th

e sk

inny

sid

e. Y

ou m

ight

eve

n ca

ll he

r fra

il or

fra

gile

. Per

haps

that

was

bec

ause

she

was

alw

ays

runn

ing

from

tabl

e to

ta-

ble

in th

e re

stau

rant

whe

re s

he w

orke

d. P

erha

ps it

was

bec

ause

she

nev

er

had

time

to e

at a

goo

d m

eal.

Mar

ie n

ever

thou

ght a

bout

it. S

he ju

st w

orke

d as

har

d as

she

cou

ld. A

t firs

t Mar

ie th

ough

t she

look

ed li

ke a

hum

pbac

k,

and

she

was

ash

amed

of h

er c

hair,

but

the

chai

r was

ligh

t as

a fe

athe

r, an

d sh

e co

uld

bare

ly fe

el it

.


said to herself.






“Hey, that’s not true. Not anyone can. There are a lot

of old people who can’t walk. What about

babies? What about people who have accidents?

What about people who are born differently?”


“Well, if you get my point,” the chair said. “Get me

dressed and do something about it.”






Jack Zipes

The

WaitressS

he n

ever

kne

w h

ow it

had

hap

pene

d, b

ut th

ere

was

on

ce a

cha

ir st

uck

on th

e ba

ck o

f a w

aitr

ess.

She

jig-

gled

, she

jum

ped,

she

buc

ked

and

she

kick

ed h

er h

eels

lik

e a

wild

hor

se in

a ro

deo

show

. But

not

hing

she

did

co

uld

help

poo

r Mar

ie g

et th

e ch

air o

ff he

r bac

k. S

he

wen

t to

the

best

doc

tors

, car

pent

ers,

det

ectiv

es, m

id-

wiv

es, a

nd p

lum

bers

in a

ll of

Par

is, b

ut n

obod

y co

uld

help

her

. The

cha

ir st

uck

on h

er b

ack,

and

eve

ryon

e w

as

afra

id o

f tea

ring

it of

f her

bac

k be

caus

e sh

e m

ight

die

. A

fter a

ll, M

arie

was

a s

mal

l you

ng w

oman

, som

ewha

t on

the

skin

ny s

ide.

You

mig

ht e

ven

call

her f

rail

or fr

agile

. P

erha

ps th

at w

as b

ecau

se s

he w

as a

lway

s ru

nnin

g fro

m

tabl

e to

tabl

e in

the

rest

aura

nt w

here

she

wor

ked.

Per

-ha

ps it

was

bec

ause

she

nev

er h

ad ti

me

to e

at a

goo

d m

eal.

Mar

ie n

ever

thou

ght a

bout

it. S

he ju

st w

orke

d as

ha

rd a

s sh

e co

uld.

At f

irst M

arie

thou

ght s

he lo

oked

like

a

hum

pbac

k, a

nd s

he w

as a

sham

ed o

f her

cha

ir, b

ut th

e ch

air w

as li

ght a

s a

feat

her,

and

she

coul

d ba

rely

feel

it.

Jack Zipes

The

Waitress

She

nev

er k

new

how

it h

ad h

appe

ned,

but

ther

e w

as

once

a c

hair

stuc

k on

the

back

of a

wai

tres

s. S

he ji

g-gl

ed, s

he ju

mpe

d, s

he b

ucke

d an

d sh

e ki

cked

her

hee

ls

like

a w

ild h

orse

in a

rode

o sh

ow. B

ut n

othi

ng s

he d

id

coul

d he

lp p

oor M

arie

get

the

chai

r off

her b

ack.

She

w

ent t

o th

e be

st d

octo

rs, c

arpe

nter

s, d

etec

tives

, mid

-w

ives

, and

plu

mbe

rs in

all

of P

aris

, but

nob

ody

coul

d he

lp h

er. T

he c

hair

stuc

k on

her

bac

k, a

nd e

very

one

was

af

raid

of t

earin

g it

off h

er b

ack

beca

use

she

mig

ht d

ie.

Afte

r all,

Mar

ie w

as a

sm

all y

oung

wom

an, s

omew

hat o

n th

e sk

inny

sid

e. Y

ou m

ight

eve

n ca

ll he

r fra

il or

frag

ile.

Per

haps

that

was

bec

ause

she

was

alw

ays

runn

ing

from

ta

ble

to ta

ble

in th

e re

stau

rant

whe

re s

he w

orke

d. P

er-

haps

it w

as b

ecau

se s

he n

ever

had

tim

e to

eat

a g

ood

mea

l. M

arie

nev

er th

ough

t abo

ut it

. She

just

wor

ked

as

hard

as

she

coul

d. A

t firs

t Mar

ie th

ough

t she

look

ed li

ke

a hu

mpb

ack,

and

she

was

ash

amed

of h

er c

hair,

but

the

chai

r was

ligh

t as

a fe

athe

r, an

d sh

e co

uld

bare

ly fe

el it

.

Jack Zipes

The

WaitressShe never knew how it had happened, but there was once a chair stuck on the back of a waitress. She jig-

gled, she jumped, she bucked and she kicked her heels like a wild horse in a rodeo show. But nothing she did could help poor Marie get the chair off her back. She

went to the best doctors, carpenters, detectives, mid-wives, and plumbers in all of Paris, but nobody could

help her. The chair stuck on her back, and everyone was afraid of tearing it off her back because she might die.

After all, Marie was a small young woman, somewhat on the skinny side. You might even call her frail or fragile.

Perhaps that was because she was always running from table to table in the restaurant where she worked. Per-haps it was because she never had time to eat a good meal. Marie never thought about it. She just worked as

hard as she could. At first Marie thought she looked like a humpback, and she was ashamed of her chair, but the chair was light as a feather, and she could barely feel it.

Jack Zipes

The








Jack Zipes

The








Jack Zipes

The

Waitress



chair said to her.
















Jack Zipes

The

Waitress

She never knew how it had happened, but there was once a chair stuck on

the back of a waitress. She jiggled, she jumped, she bucked and she kicked her

heels like a wild horse in a rodeo show. But nothing she did could help poor Marie get

the chair off her back. She went to the best doctors, carpenters, detectives, midwives,

and plumbers in all of Paris, but nobody could help her. The chair stuck on her back, and ev-eryone was afraid of tearing it off her back be-

cause she might die. After all, Marie was a small young woman, somewhat on the skinny side.

You might even call her frail or fragile. Perhaps that was because she was always running from

table to table in the restaurant where she worked. Perhaps it was because she never had time to eat

a good meal. Marie never thought about it. She just



chair said to her.
















The

Waitress

She never knew how it had happened, but there was once a chair stuck on

the back of a waitress. She jiggled, she jumped, she bucked and she kicked her

heels like a wild horse in a rodeo show. But nothing she did could help poor Marie get

the chair off her back. She went to the best doctors, carpenters, detectives, midwives,

and plumbers in all of Paris, but nobody could help her. The chair stuck on her back, and ev-eryone was afraid of tearing it off her back be-

cause she might die. After all, Marie was a small young woman, somewhat on the skinny side.

You might even call her frail or fragile. Perhaps that was because she was always running from

table to table in the restaurant where she worked. Perhaps it was because she never had time to eat

a good meal. Marie never thought about it. She just

Jack Zipes

The

Waitress

She never knew how it had happened, but there was once a chair stuck on the back of a wait-

ress. She jiggled, she jumped, she bucked and she kicked her heels like a wild horse in a rodeo show. But nothing she did could help poor Marie get the chair off her back. She went to the best doctors, carpenters, detectives, midwives, and

plumbers in all of Paris, but nobody could help her. The chair stuck on her back, and everyone was afraid of tearing it off her back because she might die. After

all, Marie was a small young woman, somewhat on the skinny side. You might even call her frail or fragile. Per-haps that was because she was always running from

table to table in the restaurant where she worked. Per-haps it was because she never had time to eat a good meal. Marie never thought about it. She just worked as

hard as she could. At first Marie thought she looked like a humpback, and she was ashamed of her chair, but the

“Maybe something good will come of this,”

Marie said to herself.

“Maybe if you dressed me up, you might

learn a thing or two,” the chair said to her.

“You can talk!” Marie said with astonish-

ment.“You can walk,” the chair said.

“Of course I can,” the waitress said. “Any-

one can.”

“Hey, that’s not true. Not anyone can.

There are a lot of old people who can’t

walk. What about

babies? What about people who have ac-

cidents? What about people who are born

differently?”

“All right, all right,” Marie said. “I get your

point.”“Well, if you get my point,” the chair said.

“Get me dressed and do something about

it.”“What would you like to wear?”

“Something with frills, and I like colors like

aqua blue, jasmine green, fire red, and

chartreuse.”



The

Waitress

She never knew how it had happened, but there was once a chair stuck on the back of a wait-

ress. She jiggled, she jumped, she bucked and she kicked her heels like a wild horse in a rodeo show. But nothing she did could help poor Marie get the chair off her back. She went to the best doctors, carpenters, detectives, midwives, and

plumbers in all of Paris, but nobody could help her. The chair stuck on her back, and everyone was afraid of tearing it off her back because she might die. After

all, Marie was a small young woman, somewhat on the skinny side. You might even call her frail or fragile. Per-haps that was because she was always running from

table to table in the restaurant where she worked. Per-haps it was because she never had time to eat a good meal. Marie never thought about it. She just worked as

hard as she could. At first Marie thought she looked like a humpback, and she was ashamed of her chair, but the

Jack Zipes

The

Waitress

She never knew how it had happened, but there was once a chair stuck on the back of a waitress. She jig-














one can.”



walk. What about



differently?”







chartreuse.”



The

Waitress

She never knew how it had happened, but there was once a chair stuck on the back of a waitress. She jig-







Jack Zipes

The

Waitress

She never knew how it

had happened, but there was once a chair stuck on the back of a wait-

ress. She jiggled, she jumped, she bucked and she kicked her heels like a wild horse in a rodeo

show. But nothing she did could help poor Marie get the chair off her back. She went to the best doctors, carpenters, detectives, midwives, and plumbers in all of Paris, but nobody could help her. The chair stuck on her back, and everyone was afraid of tearing it off her back because she might die. After all,

Marie was a small young woman, somewhat on the skinny side. You might even call her frail or fragile. Perhaps that was because she

was always running from table to table in the restaurant where she worked. Perhaps it was because she never had time to eat a good

meal. Marie never thought about it. She just worked as hard as she could. At first Marie thought she looked like a humpback, and she was ashamed of her chair, but the chair was light as

a feather, and she could barely feel it.








one can.”



walk. What about



differently?”







chartreuse.”



The

Waitress

She never knew how it had hap-pened, but there was once a chair stuck on the back of a waitress. She

jiggled, she jumped, she bucked and she kicked her heels like a wild horse in a ro-deo show. But noth-

ing she did could help poor Marie get the chair off her back. She went

to the best doctors, car-penters, detectives, mid-wives, and plumbers in all of Paris, but nobody could

Jack Zipes

The

Waitress

She never knew how it had happened, but there was once a chair stuck

on the back of a waitress. She jiggled, she jumped, she bucked and she

kicked her heels like a wild horse in a rodeo show. But nothing she did

could help poor Marie get the chair off her back. She went to the best

doctors, carpenters, detectives, midwives, and plumbers in all of Paris,

but nobody could help her. The chair stuck on her back, and everyone

was afraid of tearing it off her back because she might die. After all, Ma-

rie was a small young woman, somewhat on the skinny side. You might

even call her frail or fragile. Perhaps that was because she was always

running from table to table in the restaurant where she worked. Perhaps

it was because she never had time to eat a good meal. Marie never

thought about it. She just worked as hard as she could. At first Marie

thought she looked like a humpback, and she was ashamed of her chair,


The

Waitress

Documents

IDEAS