The Last House on Needless Street

by Catriona Ward

I ate a pickle and now I feel a lot better.

I judge people two ways—on how they treat animals, and on what they like to eat. If their favorite food is some kind of salad, they are definitely a bad person. Anything with cheese, they are probably OK.

The young feel pain intensely, I think, because they don’t know yet how deep it can go.