Base Nature (11 page)

Da
m
n. She
wa
s
n
’
t
s
u
pp
o
s
e
d
t
o
n
o
tic
e
.
I
t
was
r
a
r
e
f
o
r
h
u
mans to
n
o
tic
e
.
V
er
y
r
a
re
.

“I
th
i
nk
it
’
s
the
light.
M
ay
b
e
y
o
u
n
ee
d
a
st
r
o
ng
e
r
bu
l
b
.”
He
p
o
int
e
d
t
o
the
c
e
iling fan and
the
o
ne
s
o
ftly
g
l
o
wing
bu
lb
s
hap
e
d
like
a t
e
ar
dr
o
p.

“
N
o
.
T
h
e
y a
re
.
S
ilv
e
r
like
ch
r
o
m
e
.
S
i
lv
e
r
lik
e
, w
e
ll…silv
er
wa
r
e
.”

G
a
rre
t
t
c
o
u
ld
sm
e
ll
b
l
oo
d
and
he
f
r
o
w
n
ed
,
m
o
v
ing f
o
r
wa
r
d
t
o
ch
e
ck
h
e
r
o
v
er
. “H
e
y,
I’
m
G
a
rre
tt,
y
o
u
r
br
an
d
-
n
e
w shi
n
y n
e
igh
b
o
r
.
Ar
e
y
o
u
h
ur
t
th
e
n?”

“Sh
i
ny
silv
e
r
n
e
i
g
h
b
o
r
,”
s
he
said
bu
t
m
o
r
e
to
h
er
s
e
lf
than
h
im.
T
h
e
n
she sat
u
p st
r
aight. “K
e
vin
!
”

“
I
s that his nam
e
? H
e’
s
g
o
n
e
.”

“
Go
n
e
, h
o
w
?
” She
na
rr
o
w
e
d
h
e
r
e
y
e
s
at h
i
m and
p
u
ll
e
d
h
e
r
re
d
r
o
b
e
t
i
ght. “I
e
sc
o
r
t
e
d
h
im
o
u
t. H
e’
s
l
e
ft the
bu
il
d
ing.
L
ike
E
lvis
o
nly
n
o
t as
be
l
o
v
ed
.”

She smil
e
d
f
o
r a
split
s
e
c
o
nd
and he t
o
o
k
the
chance to
sq
u
at
d
o
wn
and give h
e
r
a vis
u
al
o
nc
e
-
o
v
er
.
A
small t
r
ickle
o
f
b
l
o
o
d
at
the
c
o
r
n
e
r
o
f h
e
r
m
o
u
th.
T
he
sm
e
ll fill
e
d
h
is h
e
a
d
.
H
e
r
b
l
o
o
d
,
h
e
r
wa
r
mth,
the
lav
e
n
der
,
the
i
n
nate
f
e
mal
e
n
e
ss
o
f
h
e
r
e
nti
r
e
be
ing. He
f
e
lt the
c
o
ld
u
n
u
s
u
al p
r
ickle
f
r
o
m
e
a
r
li
e
r
t
ur
n to
m
o
lt
e
n,
mall
e
a
b
le
want.

“S
ee
,
th
e
y
’r
e
silv
er!
”
Be
f
o
r
e
he
c
o
u
ld
re
act,
she sta
bb
e
d
him
in
the f
o
re
a
r
m
with s
o
m
e
thing
s
ha
r
p.
G
a
rre
t
t
th
re
w
his h
e
ad
b
ack
and
r
o
a
red
.

“J
e
s
u
s
Ch
r
ist,
w
o
man! What
was
that
f
o
r
?”
He
ha
d
n
’
t
m
e
ant
it
t
o
s
o
u
nd so
h
a
r
sh.
E
v
e
n
with
the
b
l
eed
ing
and
e
v
er
ything,
he
d
i
d
n
’
t
want
to
sca
r
e
h
er
.
Bu
t
s
he
was
sca
red
, the
sm
e
ll
o
f h
e
r
f
e
ar
was n
e
a
r
ly ch
o
k
i
ng him. “H
e
y,
I’
m
s
o
rr
y.
Cl
e
a
r
ly y
o
u’r
e
a
b
it…”

“
T
h
e
y
’r
e
b
l
u
e
n
o
w,”
s
he
sai
d
.
Bu
t
she
c
r
a
b
-
walk
e
d
a
l
ittle
fa
r
th
e
r
aw
a
y
f
r
o
m him.
Ou
t
f
r
o
m
u
n
de
r
him
re
ally,
a
s h
e’
d
bee
n
l
e
ani
n
g
o
v
e
r
h
er
. She
b
ack
e
d
u
p, t
u
gging
h
e
r
r
o
b
e
f
r
o
m
wh
er
e
it
had
s
nagg
e
d
o
n
h
i
s
b
oo
t.
He l
e
t
h
e
r
g
o
as
far as
she want
ed
.
G
a
rre
tt had
a
f
ee
ling
that
was
the
p
o
int.
She
want
e
d
to
make
s
ur
e
that
he
wa
s
n
’
t
as
d
ang
er
o
u
s as the
a
ssh
o
le
h
e’
d
j
u
st t
o
ss
e
d
ou
t.

“What a
re
?”
He
was so
c
o
nf
u
s
ed
.
A
nd
b
l
eed
ing.
Bu
t
the
fl
o
w was
s
l
o
wi
n
g
and
s
o
o
n the
skin w
o
u
ld
be
gin
t
o
k
nit.
T
h
e
n sh
e’
d
s
ee
.
G
a
rre
t
t
h
urr
i
ed
ly
p
u
ll
e
d
his shi
r
t
sl
ee
ve
d
o
wn
o
v
e
r
the
w
o
u
n
d
.

“
Y
o
u
r
e
y
e
s.
T
h
e
y
’r
e
b
l
u
e
n
o
w.
T
he
si
l
v
e
r
is g
o
n
e
.”

“
To
ld
y
o
u
.” He
smil
e
d
and
s
t
oo
d
, g
i
ving h
e
r
the
space
he
c
o
u
ld
t
e
ll she
n
eed
e
d
.

“
Bu
t
th
e
y
w
er
e
si
l
v
er
.
I
k
n
o
w
th
e
y
w
ere
.”
She
f
r
o
wn
e
d
and
sta
r
t
e
d
t
o
stan
d
.
H
e
r l
e
gs
s
h
oo
k
as
d
id h
e
r
han
d
s.
G
a
rre
tt
o
ff
er
e
d
h
e
r
his
a
nd
aft
e
r
a
m
o
m
e
nt
’
s
h
e
sitati
o
n,
she t
o
o
k it. “D
o
n
’
t
y
o
u
w
a
nt
a
b
an
d
ag
e
?”

“
F
o
r
what?”

G
a
rre
t
t
sta
re
d
at
h
e
r
pale
f
u
ll
lips.
He
w
o
u
ld
f
o
c
u
s
o
n
h
e
lpi
n
g
h
e
r
and
the
d
ang
e
r she had
j
u
st
bee
n
in.
He w
o
u
ld
f
o
c
u
s
o
n
w
h
o
that
b
ig
m
e
an
g
u
y
h
ad
bee
n.
He w
o
u
ld f
o
c
u
s
o
n
m
aking
h
e
r
f
ee
l
safe
and in
c
o
nt
r
o
l.
What
he
w
o
u
ld
n
o
t
f
o
c
u
s
o
n
was
the
mild wa
r
mth
that
s
ee
m
e
d
to
c
o
ur
se
u
p
his
a
r
m and
the
twitch
o
f
e
xcit
e
m
e
nt
in his
be
lly.
He c
er
tainly
w
o
u
ld
n
o
t
l
e
t
hims
e
lf
c
o
nsi
de
r
the
br
i
e
f
bu
t
e
xplicit
m
e
ntal
image
o
f
h
aving h
e
r
that flash
e
d
th
r
o
ug
h his min
d
. He
sh
o
o
k h
i
s h
e
a
d
,
plast
er
ing
a
s
mile
o
n his fac
e
.