Interview with the Perfumer’s Apprentice

I: Tell me about the dreams.

Girl: They were just dreams. Kinda scary. Kinda boring after I woke up for awhile. I’m making a perfume. Wanna smell?

I: Sure. Wow. What’s in there?

Girl: Oh, all kinds of stuff. Audrey says that the best perfumes are made of a variety. Gross stuff and good-smelling stuff. The gross stuff is the secret. People think they don’t wanna smell like it, but really they just don’t wanna smell only like it. People wanna smell like a lot of things all at once, even if it’s only got the one name.

I: Audrey, your aunt?

Girl: Uh-huh. She makes really fancy perfumes. She’s got little bottles of different kinds all locked up in boxes on the wall, and she won’t let anyone else sniff them. Except for me.

I: You must be very special. Tell me about your perfume.

Girl: It’s called “Ampersand.”

I: Like the symbol?

Girl: Uh-huh. It means “and.” I don’t want people to think there’s only the sweet-smelling stuff in here. Everyone likes to forget about the parts they don’t want to think about.

I: Like what?

Girl: Like, most perfumes come from dead things. Dead animals. Dead plants. You know the smell musk?

I: I’ve heard of it. Comes from a deer, right?

Girl: The musk deer. It comes from the males, from their glands. People kill them…