only magazine

↵ home

Kafka In The Tubb (part III)

By David Look

Sunday October 12, 2008

Ok, so I’ve been reading The Trial in the bath, and only in the bath. I’ll be posting excerpts here as a special series on davidlook.tumblr.com called Kafka in the Tub. Enjoy!

She spread the middle and ring fingers of her right hand apart from each other.  Between those fingers the flap of skin connecting them reached up almost as far as the top joint of the little finger.  In the darkness, K. did not see at first what it was she wanted to show him, so she led his hand to it so that he could feel. “What a freak of nature,” said K., and when he had taken a look at the whole hand he added, “What a pretty claw!”  Leni looked on with a kind of pride as K. repeatedly opened and closed her two fingers in amazement, until, finally, he briefly kissed them and let go.  “Oh!” she immediately exclaimed, “you kissed me!”  Hurriedly, and with her mouth open, she clambered up K.’s lap with her knees.  He was almost aghast as he looked up at her, now that she was so close to him there was a harp, provocative fragrance coming from her, like pepper, she grasped his head, leant out over him, and bit and kissed his neck, even biting into his hair.  “I’ve taken her place!” she exclaimed from time to time.  “Just look, now you’ve taken me instead of her!”   Just then, her knee slipped out and, with a little cry, she nearly fell down onto the carpet, K. tried to hold her by putting his arms around her and was pulled down with her.  “Now you’re mine,” she said.

Chapter 6
K’s Uncle - Leni