Base Nature (134 page)

Be
n
be
nt
his
h
e
ad
a
nd
f
r
o
wn
ed
.
“Hmm.
G
i
ve
me
o
ne m
o
r
e
p
u
sh,
M
iss
L
iv.”
He g
r
o
p
ed
,
g
r
appl
e
d
and
h
e
ld
u
p
a sq
u
i
r
ming
bu
n
d
le
o
f
sc
re
aming
b
a
b
y.
A
f
e
w
s
nips
and he
y
e
ll
e
d
t
o
h
is
f
r
i
e
n
d
.
“C
o
me
and
c
o
ll
e
ct
y
o
u
r
y
o
u
ng
o
n
e
,
Da
d
!
H
urr
y
u
p,
y
o
u
g
o
o
f, h
e’
s
k
icking m
e
. Has his fath
er’
s
st
re
ngth.”

Cal
e
b
G
u
stafs
o
n l
e
t
o
u
t an
e
a
rd
r
u
m
-
pi
er
cing
c
r
y as his fath
e
r
came
to
c
o
ll
e
ct him.
L
iv
r
ais
e
d
h
e
r
h
e
ad
to
s
e
e
and
G
a
rre
tt
br
o
u
ght
the
b
o
y
d
o
wn
f
o
r
his
m
o
t
h
er
.
Be
n

^{sank
b
ack
d
o
wn
o
n his s
t
oo
l.
“
N
o
w to
de
al with the
aft
erb
i
r
th.
A
n
d
,
o
h—”}

“
O
h?”
G
a
rre
tt
sai
d
,
n
o
t
re
ally
payi
n
g
att
e
nti
o
n.
H
is
e
y
e
s
w
er
e
l
o
ck
e
d
o
n
his
b
o
y and his
wif
e
.
E
ach
o
f
th
e
m
e
y
e
ing
the
o
th
e
r
with
a
l
o
o
k
o
f
m
u
t
u
al
a
d
mi
r
ati
o
n
and l
o
v
e
.
O
r
s
o
it
app
e
a
r
e
d
.
T
h
e
y
w
er
e
the
m
o
st
be
a
u
tif
u
l
p
e
o
ple
in the
w
o
r
ld
to
him. He
th
o
ug
ht he
m
ight
dr
o
p
de
ad
o
f p
ure
,
u
na
du
lt
er
a
t
e
d
l
o
ve
r
ight th
ere
.

“
H
o
w y
o
u
f
ee
ling,
L
iv?”
Be
n ask
e
d
s
o
ftly.

She
pa
u
s
ed
,
f
r
o
wn
ed
,
“C
r
ampy. R
e
ally,
re
ally c
r
ampy
a
nd
o
h
G
od
—” “Y
e
ah, p
u
sh f
o
r
m
e
,
sw
ee
th
e
a
r
t,”
Be
n sai
d
.

L
iv
d
i
d
,
g
r
ipping
G
a
rre
t
t
’
s
waiti
n
g
han
d
,
e
y
e
s
wi
de
,
br
o
w
p
o
pping
o
u
t in
a f
re
sh c
r
o
p
o
f sw
e
at.
“
Be
n?”
s
he
g
a
sp
ed
.