The birth of Nostriliza
My childhood was spent with two other girls, Naomi (my cousin) and Kirsty, and our amazing nanny Theta. Around the age of five, when reading forwards became boring, we began to read backwards. We became Imoan (rather unfortunate), Ytsrik*, and Nosila. Of course the name Nosila was enormously amusing to Imoan and Ytsrik, as it sounded like something to do with noses and snot (where’s that rolleyes emoticon when you need it?). Nosila became the even more amusing Nostriliza, just to make the nose connection clearer, and much teasing ensued. Fortunately I was able to shut them up by cleverly recalling that I had just read a story in the newspaper (a general source of TRUTH at that age) about Princess Nostriliza. She was a great beauty, and had a very nice nose.
* Side note: Ytsrik has a truly amazing ability to read backwards. She can read, in real time, whole backwards paragraphs. I’m sure this skill must be marketable somehow.
* Side note: Ytsrik has a truly amazing ability to read backwards. She can read, in real time, whole backwards paragraphs. I’m sure this skill must be marketable somehow.