The girl was hanging by her hands from the railings of a ba1cony. The balcony was on the twelfth floor of the high- rise building next to his. His apartment was on the ninth ~ floor, and he had to look up to see her. It was half-past six in the morning. He had been awakened by the sound of an aircraft flying dangerously low overhead and had gotten out of bed to look. His sleepy gaze, descending from the blue sky which was empty of clouds, empty of anything but the 10 bright vanishing arrow orthe aircraft, alighted-at fim with disbelief the hanging figure