Nell ran upstairs, tripping over her long skirts a couple of times, and 
left the Primer in her little nook. Then she climbed back on Eggshell with 
Rita. They rode over a little stone bridge above the waterwheel and through 
the woods, until Nell could hear the faint afflatus of the security aerostats. 
Eggshell slowed to a walk and pushed gingerly through the field of shiny 
hovering teardrops. Nell even reached out and touched one, then snapped her 
hand back,
even though it hadn't done anything except push back. The reflection of her 
face slithered backward across the surface of this pod as they went by.