Portrait of a Thief

by Grace D. Li

Who could determine what counted as theft when museums and countries and civilizations saw the spoils of conquest as rightfully earned?

“What’s wrong with wanting everything?” he asked. The lights flickered on. If anyone had walked into the museum now, all they would see were these two siblings, faces turned not toward each other but to the art surrounding them. “Nothing,” Irene said, but her voice was soft as a warning, “as long as you know how to get it.”