Flickerings at the Bijou Theater: Flash Essays and Illumination

By Sue William Silverman

In third grade, I lived on the island of St. Thomas and often visited the duty-free jewelry shop in Beretta Center. Not to buy, but to admire. Once, standing by a display cabinet shimmering with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, I overheard a tourist say the word “bijou.” I didn’t know what it meant, but I never forgot the lovely soft “j” that launched the quick second syllable. The beauty of the word lingered. The images, the cool texture of those diamonds and rubies, l...