@@@@@She begrudged me every
@@@@@She begrudged me every mouthful,
threatening me that we would want it much more tomorrowBut I'd already given her so much
today that I was in no mood to listenI drank when I was thirsty, which was most of the time
My legs moved me forward without any thought on my partThe crunching rhythm of my steps
was background music, low and tedious
There was nothing to see; one twisted, brittle shrub looked exactly the same as the nextThe
empty homogeny lulled me into a sort of daze–I was only really aware of the shape of the
mountains' silhouettes against the pale, bleached skyI read their outlines every few steps, till I
knew them so well I could have drawn them blindfolded
The view seemed frozen in placeI constantly whipped my head around, searching for the
fourth marker–a big dome-shaped peak with a missing piece, a curved absence scooped from its
side that Melanie had only shown me this morning–as if the perspective would have changed
from my last stepI hoped this last clue was it, because we'd be lucky to get that farBut I had a
sense that Melanie was keeping more from me, and our journey's end was impossibly distant
I snacked on my granola bars through the afternoon, not realizing until it was too late that I'd
finished the last one
When the sun set, the night descended with the same speed as it had yesterdayMelanie was
prepared, already scouting out a place to stope'll want to stay as far from the cholla as possibleYou toss in your sleep
I eyed the fluffy-looking cactus in the failing light, so thick with bone-colored needles that it
resembled fur, and shudderedou want me to just sleep on the ground? Right here?
You see another option?She felt my panic, and her tone softened, as if with pityook–it's better
than the carIt's too hot for any critters to be attracted to your body heat and –
“Critters?” I demanded aloudCritters?”
There were brief, very unpleasant flashes of deadly-looking insects and coiled serpents in her
memorieshe tried to soothe me as I arched up on my tiptoes, away from anything that
might be hiding in the sand below, my eyes searching the blackness for some escapeothing's
going to bother you unless you bother it firstAfter all, you're bigger than anything else out
h