Jáchym Topol: A Little Honey (excerpt in English)

A Little Honey

Winter breathes its last gasp, leaving mounds of black ice and frozen
chunks on the sidewalks. The sun occasionally climbs above the city
now, edging across the glassy sky.
The curtains here are always shut, except for a narrow crack. The
sun’s rays pour into the room in a single spot. She says they’re easier
to catch that way.
She keeps a mirror in bed, the little kind girls use to look at the
tip of their nose.
She uses it often these days. Sometimes it slips beneath her pillow
or gets lost in the blankets. That’s all right. She always manages to
dig it out somehow.

Translated by Alex Zucker
(source: Vilenica Almanac 2015)