Base Nature (46 page)

A
nd
th
e
n
he was
c
o
m
ing
a
nd
she
was
lapping
at
him,
thinki
n
g
he
was
so
p
o
w
er
f
u
l and
y
e
t,
s
o
m
e
h
o
w, so
v
u
ln
er
a
b
l
e
.
M
ay
b
e
m
o
r
e
v
u
l
n
er
a
b
l
e
than h
er
.

*
*
*
*
*

“
H
o
t
f
o
o
d
i
s
t
o
tally
o
v
err
a
t
ed
,”
G
a
rre
tt
s
a
i
d
,
f
o
r
king
u
p
mic
r
o
wav
e
d
sc
r
am
b
l
e
d
e
ggs.

L
iv sn
o
r
t
ed
,
sp
r
aying
c
ru
m
b
s
f
r
o
m
a
r
o
o
m
t
e
mp
er
a
t
u
r
e
b
isc
u
it.
“
Ar
e
y
o
u
k
i
dd
ing?
A
ft
e
r
that,
I
c
o
u
ld
e
at
r
o
cks and
twi
g
s
and
b
e
happy.” She
sipp
e
d
h
e
r
c
o
ff
e
e
wa
t
ching him.

T
he
st
r
ange
l
o
o
k
o
n
his
face
had
vani
s
h
e
d
o
nce
th
e
y
w
er
e
dre
ss
e
d
and
m
o
ving a
b
o
u
t
the
kitch
e
n
in
d
o
m
e
stic
g
o
o
d
h
u
m
o
r
.
He
had
o
nly
s
ee
m
e
d
o
ff f
o
r
the
b
link
o
f a m
o
m
e
nt
and
th
e
n
he
was
fin
e
.
His
h
a
nd
came
d
o
wn
o
n h
er
s
and
he
sq
uee
z
ed
.
I
t
was
an aff
e
cti
o
nate
g
e
st
ur
e
a
nd
be
si
de
s
kind
o
f
t
ur
ning
h
e
r
o
n,
it
ma
d
e
h
e
r f
ee
l
g
o
o
d
.
L
iv sq
uee
z
e
d
b
ack.

A
n
o
th
e
r
lawn m
o
w
e
r
kick
e
d
o
n and
the
s
u
n was
s
t
ill
s
hining
in th
r
o
u
gh
the c
ur
tains
bu
t
n
o
t as
br
ight.
“S
t
o
r
m
’
s
c
o
m
i
ng,” he
sai
d
.

“
L
ast m
o
w
o
f the
s
e
a
s
o
n th
e
n,” she
la
ug
h
ed
.

I
n
th
e
ir
n
e
igh
b
o
r
h
oo
d
,
h
a
lf
the
f
o
lks w
er
e
o
l
de
r
a
nd
re
ti
r
e
d
and
th
e
ir
sch
edu
l
e
s
re
v
o
lv
e
d
a
r
o
u
nd
y
a
r
d
w
o
r
k.
Mr
.
S
c
o
tt
m
o
w
e
d
o
u
t
f
r
o
nt
o
n F
r
i
d
ays,
o
u
t
b
ack
o
n Sat
urd
ays,
h
an
d
l
e
d
w
ee
d
and
de
b
r
is
o
n
S
u
n
d
ays.
Mr
.
T
o
w
er
s
u
p
the
st
ree
t
m
o
w
e
d
the wh
o
le
y
a
r
d
o
n Sat
urd
ay,
w
eed
e
d
o
n
S
u
n
d
ay
and
d
id
“lan
d
scaping
and
u
pk
ee
p”
o
n
M
o
n
d
ay aft
er
n
oo
ns.

She
p
o
lish
e
d
o
ff
h
e
r
last
pi
e
ce
o
f
c
r
ispy
b
ac
o
n
and
w
o
n
der
e
d
n
o
w
w
hat?
A
ss
u
me the
d
ay was th
e
i
r
s?
A
ss
u
me
she
s
h
o
u
ld
g
o
?
Be
f
o
r
e
she
c
o
u
ld
a
sk him, the
d
oo
rbe
ll
r
ang.

“Sit tight.
M
ay
b
e
we
can
ru
n
u
p
to
the
fa
r
m
f
o
r
s
o
me
appl
e
s
and
that p
u
mpkin
pie th
e
y
m
ake
o
nce
a
y
e
a
r
.”
He
r
o
se
and
she
was
so
g
r
at
e
f
u
l
f
o
r
h
im
wanting
h
e
r
a
r
o
u
nd she
t
h
o
u
ght
sh
e’
d
f
o
ld
u
p
o
n
h
er
s
e
lf
r
ight
th
ere
.
She
was
n
e
a
r
ly
w
e
ak
with
re
li
e
f
that she
wasn
’
t
o
v
er
staying h
e
r
w
e
lc
o
m
e
.

L
iv
h
e
a
r
d
a
w
o
man
’
s
v
o
ice at
the
do
o
r
and t
ur
n
ed
.
S
he
sta
red
,
k
n
o
wing
she s
h
o
u
l
d
n
’
t
bu
t
d
o
ing
it
a
n
yway.
T
he w
o
man
’
s
p
r
o
file
was
re
gal
and
s
he
was
sta
r
ing
G
a
rre
tt
in the
e
y
e
,
s
o
she
was tall.
O
v
e
r
s
ix
f
oo
t. H
e
r
l
o
ng ch
e
stn
u
t
h
air
was
ti
e
d
in
t
o
a win
db
l
o
wn sin
g
le
br
aid
and
h
e
r
face
was
rudd
y
with the
O
ct
o
be
r
chill.

A
ft
e
r
a
br
isk
bu
t
aff
e
cti
o
nate
h
u
g,
th
e
y
s
p
o
ke
s
o
ft
l
y
at
the
d
oo
r
and
G
a
rre
tt
dr
o
pp
e
d
h
is h
e
a
d
,
st
e
pp
e
d
b
ack, l
e
t
h
e
r
in.

L
iv st
o
o
d
,
f
ee
ling
v
er
y
m
u
ch
o
u
t
o
f place
n
o
w.
She
p
u
t
h
e
r
napk
i
n
o
n
h
e
r
plate
and h
e
a
de
d
f
o
r
the st
e
ps.
“
E
xc
u
se
m
e
,”
she m
u
m
b
l
ed
.
“
I’
ll
go
u
p
an
d
…”
She
was
g
o
i
n
g
to say,
take
a s
h
o
w
e
r
bu
t
s
e
ttl
e
d
o
n, “
G
e
t
o
u
t
o
f
y
o
u
r
way.”