Nobel Lecture By Toni Morrison Novels & Stories

I turned him out, my eyes fixed on the stained glass window above his head, watching the colors shift as clouds passed over the sun. "And this year's recipient of the Morrison Scholarship for Excellence in Literary Studies is..." I held my breath. "Emily Stone." The auditorium erupted in applause. I sat frozen, my hands gripping the armrests, my heart stopped in my chest. I had won. I had actually fucking won.

"Need to... tell you..." "What, Mom?" "Not done. One more... thing. Aurora must... ask..." "Ask what?" But the clarity faded. Ava slipped back into her fog, leaving Hope with another cryptic message. That evening, Hope gathered the family. "Mom had another moment. She said Aurora needs to ask something. That there's one more thing." "Ask what?" Aurora wondered. "She didn't say. But every time Lily left a mystery, the answer revealed itself when we were ready." The Nobel ceremony was set for December 10th in Oslo. The foundation had four months to prepare. Media requests flooded in. Documentary crews wanted to film the journey. World leaders requested meetings.

“The International Humanitarian Award, Mrs. Wolfe. The ceremony will be held in Stockholm next month, and we would be honored to have you deliver the keynote address to world leaders.” After I hang up, I sit in stunned silence for several minutes. The International Humanitarian Award—the same recognition given to Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, and other people who actually deserved it. “Em?” Mel appears in my doorway, carrying what looks like another stack of interview requests. “You look pale. Is everything okay?” “I just received a call from the Nobel Committee.” She drops the papers. “The Nobel Committee?” “International Humanitarian Award. Stockholm ceremony. Keynote address to world lea

Zara opens her folder and looks out at the audience. “Thank you. Um, before I begin with the scientific stuff that may make you fall asleep, I just wanted to address what Jasper said.” Zara clears her throat and looks down at her folder. I hold my breath, praying that she doesn’t get too scared, and walk offstage. When she looks up, she is a little teary-eyed, but composed. “I found out about two and a half hours ago that I became a Nobel Prize Laureate in two categories. I, um, I was unaware that they even nominated me for such a prestigious honor until Mister and Mrs. Mason told me today. I want to say thank you to all the people who felt my work was worthy enough to even consider the nomi