Gare de Lyon
Once upon a time, not so very long ago, there was a wicked fairy whose curse had been broken. She was most put out by this. It had been a good curse, one of her best, and the young girl who had broken it had… Read more »
Author Archives: Catherine
Pantin
It was a damp, chilly day, just after Christmas, and those who were unfortunate enough still to be out in it were walking briskly, heads down and hands huddled into their coat pockets, eager to return to their homes. A few people were still out and about near the… Read more »
Mairie de Saint-Ouen
Paris can be terribly humid in June. The temperatures are not so very high, but there are days when the air itself becomes oppressive, sucking energy from one’s body with every step. Inevitably, it is always on such days when the rubbish collectors choose to go on strike, rendering… Read more »
Boissière
Yes, that is a black pudding attached to my nose. You may laugh now. Really, I mean that. Laugh now, and laugh long and well, and be sure to make the most of it, because this is the only chance you will get. Everyone gets the opportunity to laugh… Read more »
Mairie d’Issy
Neither of the LeBruns have ever been particularly artistically inclined. Madame’s mémère did fine embroidery, and had tried to teach her granddaughter, but Madame had never had the patience to learn. Nor did she have a gift for painting, though she quite liked pottery, the one time she tried… Read more »
Les Sablons
There was nothing there but a flash of yellow close to his ankle. He remained motionless for a moment. He did not cry out. He fell as gently as a tree falls. There was not even any sound, because of the sand. The little prince had been very certain that… Read more »
Buttes Chaumont
Prince Charming was kidnapped on a Tuesday. Cinderella was sitting in the solar with her step-sisters, sewing the final beads onto her wedding dress, when the messenger burst in, red-faced and breathless. He fell to the floor at her feet, in a posture of desperation. “The Prince has been taken!”… Read more »
Mairie des Lilas
Paris is all apartments, really. Very nice apartments, in some cases – positively luxurious, if you live in the wealthier arondissements, the 16th, say, or the 8th. And there are some lovely places in the Latin Quarter or the Marais, or the up near the Canal Saint Martin in… Read more »
Porte de Pantin
It was Christmas Eve, and Elaine was not having fun. First, her favourite toyshop down in the Rue de Turenne had sold out of the puzzle she had wanted to get her niece for Christmas, and she had been forced to buy the doll instead. Her niece was ten,… Read more »
Bonne Nouvelle
Mary’s mother has taught her to be wary of angels. “Fear not,” Anne says. Her Aramaic is slow, and strangely accented, but she has told this story so often that it comes without pause or hesitation. “He told me that, when I first saw him. ‘Fear not, for you… Read more »