Base Nature (20 page)

“What a
r
e
y
o
u
,
re
ally?”

“A man.
A fast
h
e
aling,
n
o
sy,
b
a
r
ging-in-
t
o
-ch
e
ck
-
y
o
ur
-
win
d
o
ws
m
an,”
he
s
aid
and smil
ed
.
T
he
s
mile
d
i
d
n
’
t
t
o
u
ch
h
is
e
y
e
s.
He
was ly
i
ng.

L
iv
st
e
pp
e
d
t
o
him,
a
t
o
tal
l
y
f
o
re
ign
m
o
ve
o
n
h
e
r
pa
r
t
f
o
r
u
nfamiliar
m
e
n.
No matt
e
r
h
o
w
nice th
e
y
m
ight
app
e
a
r
.
“
T
hat
’
s
n
o
t
t
rue
.”
She t
o
u
ch
e
d
his
s
h
i
r
t,
r
ight
o
v
e
r the
place
s
he
had
dr
iv
e
n
h
e
r
tw
ee
z
er
s
i
nto
the
skin. “What a
r
e
y
o
u
?
W
ho
a
r
e
y
o
u
?”

He
t
oo
k
a
st
e
p
b
ack
de
spite
the
fact that
the
l
o
o
k
in
h
is
e
y
e
s
s
a
id
he
want
e
d
t
o
st
e
p f
o
r
wa
rd
.
M
ay
b
e
p
u
ll
h
e
r to
him.
W
hat
e
v
e
r
the l
o
o
k,
he st
e
pp
e
d
b
ack
and
g
r
i
n
n
ed
, sh
ru
gging
t
o
app
e
ar
n
o
nchalant.
“J
u
st
a
n
o
sy
n
e
igh
b
o
r
.
A
G
o
o
d Sama
r
itan.
A t
r
av
e
ling win
d
o
w ha
n
g
er
.
A
—”

L
iv
l
e
an
e
d
in
and
k
i
ss
e
d
h
im.
T
he
tingle
f
ro
m
wh
er
e
he
h
ad
t
o
u
ch
e
d
h
e
r
was n
o
th
i
ng
c
o
mpa
re
d
to
what
happ
e
n
e
d
with the
kiss. H
e
r
lips,
h
e
r
t
o
ng
ue
,
h
e
r
chin, all
d
o
wn
h
e
r
th
r
o
at f
e
lt
as
if it
spa
r
kl
e
d
with
a th
o
u
sand
h
o
t
l
ittle
l
ights.
L
ike
C
h
r
istmas lights
o
r fai
r
y
l
i
ghts.
O
r
y
o
u’
ve finally
l
o
st
y
o
u
r mind
.
Bu
t
she ig
n
o
re
d
that
n
a
sty
v
o
ice and l
e
an
e
d
i
nto
him
m
o
re
.
S
o
aking
u
p
the
b
ig
safe f
ee
l
o
f
h
im.
T
he p
r
o
t
e
ctive
vi
b
e
that s
ee
m
e
d
to
c
o
me
o
ff
him
like
a
b
aking
k
ind
o
f
h
e
at.
T
he
h
e
at
o
f
the
s
u
n
o
r a
s
u
mm
e
r
d
ay
o
r
a
wa
r
m
o
v
e
n
o
n
a
c
o
ld
ni
g
ht.
T
he
h
e
at
was
s
o
m
e
thing
that
she
was
n
o
t
u
s
e
d
to
bu
t

w
e
lc
o
m
e
d
with a
b
ig
o
p
e
n h
e
a
r
t.
“What a
r
e
y
o
u
? What? C
o
me
o
n, t
e
ll m
e
,
pl
e
as
e
.” “
I’
m y
o
u
r
n
e
igh
b
o
r
.”

L
iv
f
e
lt
the
p
u
ll
o
f
want.
N
o
t
n
o
r
mal
want,
like
any
w
o
man
f
ee
ls
bu
t
s
o
m
e
thing m
o
r
e
t
oo
.
S
o
m
e
thing
b
igg
er
.
S
o
m
e
thing that
n
e
a
r
ly
f
e
lt
l
ike
it was
i
n
de
p
e
n
de
nt
o
f h
er
. H
e
r
h
an
d
s
s
m
oo
th
e
d
o
v
e
r
the
ha
r
d
l
i
n
e
s
and
plan
e
s
o
f
h
is
ch
e
st.
He
ma
d
e
a s
o
u
n
d
,
way
d
o
wn
i
n
h
i
s
ch
e
st
like
he was
t
r
ying
to
bur
y
it.
She
nipp
e
d
at
his
b
o
tt
o
m
lip
and
p
u
sh
e
d h
e
r
p
e
lvis
to
the f
r
o
nt
o
f
h
i
s
d
a
r
k
br
o
wn
c
o
rd
s.
“
I’
m
s
o
rr
y,”
she said and
d
i
d
n
’
t
k
n
o
w why.
“
I’
m
s
o
rr
y.”
She
k
i
ss
e
d
h
im
ha
rder
,
p
u
shi
n
g
the
f
r
o
nt
o
f
h
e
r
t
o
the
ha
r
d
r
i
d
ge
o
f his
c
o
ck.
A small
pa
r
t
o
f
h
e
r
re
j
o
ic
e
d
at
the
s
mall
b
it
o
f
e
vi
de
nce
that
he want
e
d
h
er
.
A
t l
e
ast
o
n a physical l
e
v
e
l.

“W
h
y
a
r
e
y
o
u
s
o
rr
y?”
T
h
at
n
o
ise
in his ch
e
st
h
ad
t
ur
n
e
d
f
r
o
m
a
ru
m
b
le
and
a g
r
o
wl to
a
dee
p,
ch
o
k
e
d
m
a
sc
u
line
v
o
ic
e
.
F
o
r j
u
st
a
s
e
c
o
nd she
f
e
lt
him
k
i
ss
h
e
r
b
ack.
She
f
e
lt the
sm
a
ll
p
u
ll
o
f
his
lips
at
h
er
s
as
he
k
iss
e
d
h
er
.
His
b
ig
han
d
s
tangl
e
d in
h
e
r
l
o
ng
hair and
he
p
u
ll
e
d
h
e
r
f
o
r
wa
r
d
j
u
st
a
b
it
u
sing
h
e
r
l
o
cks
a
s
a l
e
a
d
.
S
he
whimp
er
e
d
bu
t
n
o
t f
r
o
m f
e
a
r
,
f
r
o
m n
eed
.

He
l
e
t
h
e
r
g
o
.
T
o
o
k a st
e
p
b
ack.
Br
o
ke
the
sp
e
ll.

“
I’
m
s
o
rr
y
be
ca
u
s
e
I
d
o
n
’
t
k
n
o
w
why I
d
id that,”
s
he sai
d
.
L
iv
t
o
u
ch
e
d
h
e
r lips
l
ike may
b
e
th
e
y
might
t
e
ll
h
e
r
the
s
e
c
r
e
t
a
s
to
what
had p
r
o
p
e
ll
e
d
h
er
.
“
T
hat
’
s
n
o
t
l
i
ke
m
e
.
I’
m
n
o
r
mally…”

He
st
ro
k
e
d
the
r
a
d
iat
o
r
and
s
he
c
o
u
ld
t
e
ll
it
was simply
to
give
h
is
h
a
n
d
s s
o
m
e
thing
t
o
d
o
.
T
h
at
t
o
u
ch
e
d
h
e
r
f
o
r
s
o
me
re
as
o
n. “
N
o
r
mally what?”

“
A
f
r
ai
d
,”
she
bre
ath
e
d
.
I
t
was
e
asy
t
o
a
d
mit
it
to
G
a
rre
tt.
“
I’
ve
bee
n
af
r
aid
f
o
r
a l
o
n
g tim
e
.
A
nd
m
o
st m
e
n sca
r
e
m
e
.” She
twist
e
d
h
e
r
fing
er
s
i
n h
e
r
sw
e
at
er
.
“A
l
o
t.”