Summary

"Sewing for the Heart" – The narrator, a bag maker, arrives at the hospital and asks for the cardiac ward. The narrator hears Dr. Y. being paged on the loudspeaker, and learns he has not shown up for work that morning. The narrator considers her own life, living alone in a small apartment above her shop, and having only herself to worry about. The narrator explains that she loves bags because all they do is hold and do what is expected of them, and have no intentions or desires of their own. The narrator recounts how a large customer born with a heart outside her chest wanted a beautiful and carefully-constructed bag for her heart. The narrator reveals that the woman is a singer who performs locally.

The narrator also reveals her own pet hamster has...