“Every morning she turned on the radio lent by one of her roommates, Maria da Penha, turning it on as low as possible so as to not disturb the others, turning it on to Clock Radio, which broadcast ‘the right time and culture,’ and no music, just dripping in sound of falling drops — each drop a minute that passed. And especially this station used those drops of minutes to run ads — she loved ads. It was the perfect station because also amongst the drops of time it gave short teachings about things she might one day need to know. That’s how she learned that the Emperor Charlemagne was called Carolus in his own land. Admittedly she never found any use for this information. But you never know, patience always patience always pays off in the end. She’d also heard that the only animal that doesn’t mate with its own offspring is the horse.”
Note used in the 102nd paragraph of The Hour of the Star. The handwriting is by Clarice.