"Because they’re idiots," Talise growls.

Her mood is starting to worry me a little. Confused, I let the silence drag as we trudge up yet another flight of stairs.

The ladder to the attic clatters down. I flinch. One day we’re going to break that thing and then we’ll never be able to get away from the rest of our "family". When Talise practically storms up the ladder, I suggest tentatively, "Maybe we should be a little nicer to the ladder."

Talise mutters something unintelligible. I’m not sure if I want to know what it is.

My schoolwork is strewn across the floor. Feeling obliged to say something—anything, I observe, "So, ‘Action Will Be Taken’, Heinrich Böll… it’s a really active story there." Cringing at the forced optimism in my voice, I remind myself to never make small talk again.

"It’s a story about stupid people who are too stupid to care about the stupid stuff that’s right in front of them and too stupid to admit it." Talise yanks out some drawers and paws through the contents before smashing them shut. Is she looking for something? It looks more like she just wants to annihilate the world.

"Um, well…" Think of something clever of say, anything to say. "That’s certainly a refreshing take on Böll’s World War II satire." That sounded scholarly, right?

"The narrator is some guy during Germany’s Nazi regime," Talise snarls. "He tries to avoid knowing what his job is about by doing a bunch of useless stuff, but then his boss dies because the narrator hesitates. The narrator then mourns what happened and tries to be good and other stupid stuff. It’s about how if some ruthless guy comes to power everyone in the world will just turn a blind eye as he commits mass genocide," she explains as though Böll has personally offended her.

"And here I was thinking it was about stupid people who are too stupid to care about the stupid stuff that’s right in front of them and too stupid to admit it." At least now I have some understanding of the story despite my horrendously horrible English teacher. This evening hasn’t been a complete waste.

"Same difference."

"Aren’t you the one who hates that phrase?"