Page 213 - The Grotesque Children's Book

Aurelio: I hate you. Listen. What’s Santi trying to tell us with the image of him looking into
Tozzo: an octagonal room, spying on alchemical secrets?
Aurelio:
Tozzo: Um. Thinking....
Aurelio:
Tozzo: Take your time.
Aurelio:
Tozzo: He’s saying one day while he was on his scaffold, looking down, he overheard
Aurelio: some alchemical conversation he shouldn’t have?
Tozzo:
Aurelio: I think they killed him because he heard something.
Tozzo:
Aurelio: Makes no sense, Aurelio. How could he have written this book after they killed
Tozzo: him?
Aurelio:
He must have written it before.
Tozzo:
Aurelio: He must have. See, now you’re beginning to talk logically.

He must have known they were about to kill him. I think, I think this book will tell
us who killed him.

Meaning...the Demon of Gold killed him?

(sighs; ignores last remark) There’s all that 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 stuff, and blue-
red-green nonsense that’s telling us something.

It’s telling us how to turn people into gold.

No. What does she say, the girl?

Carola?

(finding the right passage in the book) Celia. Citia. She says “I love your
enthusiasm for symbols.” She’s talking to me, Aurelio. She’s saying “interpret the
symbols, Aurelio.” She says, “I’m just beginning. This is the Alpha of my making
symbols.” There’s something there. It doesn’t make sense by itself. “The Alpha of
my making symbols.” That’s not even proper grammar. It’s supposed to stick out.
Just like “stipulate.” Stipulate is: “Aurelio! Here’s a message for you.” And the
message is --

(interrupting, tired of Aurelio monopolizing the conversation) You’re an alpha at
making symbols!

Maybe. Though I don’t know what that means.

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