Base Nature (95 page)

He pass
e
d
two
o
th
e
r
ro
o
ms.
O
ne
paint
e
d
what
had
o
nce
bee
n
a
br
ight
white and n
o
w was
a
d
i
r
ty
wa
te
r
c
o
l
o
r
.
T
he
o
th
e
r
had
bee
n
pla
i
n,
u
tilita
r
ian
whit
e
,
n
o
w
stain
e
d with
m
o
ld
and
m
il
de
w
f
r
o
m the
place
wh
er
e
the
r
oo
f had
cav
e
d
a
b
it
f
r
o
m wa
te
r
d
amag
e
.

G
a
rre
t
t
st
e
pp
e
d
i
nto
the
ro
o
m and
she
was sitting
o
n a
s
mall
bed
,
st
r
ipp
e
d
b
a
r
e
o
f
bedd
ing.
T
his
r
oo
m had
bee
n
y
e
l
l
o
w.
T
he
y
e
a
r
s
had
w
o
r
n
it
t
o
the
c
o
l
o
r
o
f
b
il
e
.
“
T
h
i
s was
m
y
ro
o
m
o
nc
e
,”
L
iv
sai
d
, t
ur
ning
a
l
o
ng pi
e
ce
o
f hair
a
r
o
u
nd
h
e
r
in
de
x
fi
n
g
e
r
l
i
ke she might
ya
n
k
it
o
u
t.
“
T
his
i
s
wh
er
e
the
b
ad
be
gan,”
she
s
ai
d
.
S
he
la
u
gh
e
d
a
nd
it
was the
s
o
u
nd
o
f a h
e
a
r
t
bre
aking
d
o
wn.

G
a
rre
t
t
w
e
nt
t
o
h
er
,
dr
o
pp
e
d
to
his kn
ee
s,
laid
h
i
s
h
e
ad
in h
e
r
l
ap.
“
I
t
’
s
o
k
a
y,
L
iv. W
e’
ll
w
o
r
k it
o
u
t. I
p
r
o
mis
e
.”

“Can
y
o
u
sm
e
ll the
b
l
o
o
d
a
nd
f
e
ar
a
nd
a
n
g
e
r
h
ere
?”

G
a
rre
t
t
n
o
dde
d
bu
t
stay
e
d sil
e
nt.
S
he
n
eede
d
to
g
e
t
this
o
u
t.
T
his
w
o
u
ld
e
v
e
nt
u
ally
e
at
h
e
r
l
i
ke
s
o
me
a
li
e
n
d
is
e
ase
if
s
he
d
i
d
n
’
t
ta
l
k n
o
w.

“I
can
sm
e
ll
it
n
o
w.
Bu
t
y
o
u
k
n
o
w,
I
thi
n
k
I
c
o
u
ld
sm
e
ll
it
th
e
n
t
oo
.
J
u
st
in
a
d
iff
ere
nt
way.”

He
st
ro
k
e
d
h
e
r
calv
e
s,
w
e
t
f
r
o
m the
r
ain,
d
i
r
ty
f
r
o
m the
chang
e
.
She
s
h
iv
er
e
d
a
b
it and he
sat
u
p,
p
u
lling
the
b
lank
e
t
a
r
o
u
nd
th
e
m
b
o
th.
She t
o
u
ch
e
d
his
ch
e
st,
hiss
ed
, sta
red
.
“
G
a
rre
t
t
!
Y
o
u’r
e
b
l
eed
ing
w
o
r
s
e
.
I
th
o
u
ght
y
o
u
s
h
o
u
ld
b
e
h
e
al
e
d
b
y n
o
w.”

“
I
t
’
s
a
ll the
chan
g
ing, it
bur
ns
t
o
o
m
u
ch
e
n
er
gy.
I’
ll
b
e
f
i
n
e
.
K
ee
p
g
o
ing.”

She
p
o
int
e
d
t
o
wa
r
d
the
o
nce
w
h
ite
r
o
o
m h
e’
d
pass
e
d
bu
t
th
e
n p
u
ll
e
d
h
e
r
hand
b
ack into
the wa
r
mth
o
f
the
b
lank
e
t.
“H
e’
d
hit
h
e
r
in
th
ere
.
H
e’
d
c
o
me h
o
me
f
r
o
m
w
o
r
k, ang
r
y
a
nd f
ru
st
r
a
t
e
d
an
d
…what
e
v
e
r
the h
e
ll
p
e
o
ple l
i
ke that
f
ee
l
and h
e’
d
sta
r
t
dr
inking.”

G
a
rre
t
t
h
ad
h
e
a
r
d
this st
o
r
y
be
f
o
re
.
Pe
o
ple
w
h
o
h
ad
e
n
de
d
u
p
with
the
pack,
e
ith
e
r as
the
o
ccasi
o
nal
cha
n
g
e
ling
o
r as
mat
e
s,
t
o
ld st
o
r
i
e
s
like
t
h
is.
V
i
o
l
e
nc
e
,
b
l
oo
d
, w
e
akn
e
ss,
a
bu
s
e
.
He p
u
ll
e
d h
e
r in,
f
e
lt
h
i
s
b
o
d
y
re
sp
o
n
d
ing
to h
e
r
be
ing
so n
e
a
r
.
He ig
n
o
re
d
it,
that
c
o
u
ld
b
e
lat
er
.
N
o
w
was
imp
o
r
tant.
A
ll
that
matt
ere
d
was
h
e’
d
f
o
u
nd h
e
r
and
she
kn
e
w
that he
was th
er
e
n
o
w.
W
o
u
ld
alwa
y
s
b
e
th
ere
.
N
o
matt
e
r
what.

“
T
hat
’
s n
e
v
e
r
g
oo
d
,” he
sai
d
, p
r
o
mpting.

“
O
h,
s
o
m
e
tim
e
s
sh
e’
d
dr
ink
t
o
o
.
A
nd
th
e
y
’
d
g
o
at
e
ach
o
th
er
,
v
erb
ally,
I m
e
an.
Bu
t wh
e
n
it came
to
hitting. He
alwa
y
s—” she
br
o
ke
o
ff, h
e
r
la
u
ght
e
r
ha
r
sh.

“He always?”
G
a
rre
tt
p
u
t
h
i
s
han
d
s
l
o
w
o
n
h
e
r
b
ack,
h
o
l
d
i
n
g
h
e
r
h
e
at
t
o
his.
T
he
b
lank
e
t
sm
e
ll
e
d
l
i
ke
plastic
b
ag
and
du
st.
Bu
t
it
was
wa
r
m
and
s
he
was
s
af
e
.
Be
y
o
nd that, th
e
y
c
o
u
ld
w
o
r
k it
o
u
t.

“He
always had
the
u
pp
e
r
han
d
, is what I
was g
o
ing to
s
ay.
I
sn
’
t
that f
u
nny?” “
N
o
.”

“I k
n
o
w,”
she
s
igh
e
d
and
G
a
rre
t
t
c
o
u
ld f
ee
l
h
e
r
t
e
a
r
s
falli
n
g
o
n
h
is
ch
e
st.
“
A
nd n
o
w
I’
m
b
ack
h
er
e
be
ca
u
se
I’
ve
d
o
ne
s
o
m
e
thing
e
q
u
ally
b
a
d
.
E
q
u
ally
h
o
rr
i
b
l
e
.
I
kill
e
d
a man.”