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Then what?

Coht he did I also half-sensed that ere dancing around so a complicated series of steps to some ancient rhythm that he knew but I didn‘t yet understand Orin only s

Even for a nice day in October, Faring Park was virtually deserted, with only one other car--not Mr Anderson‘s I changed intoshoes, stretched, then took off at what I kneas an easy seven- wooded trail that, in three miles, would empty onto another east-west trail and that would eventually take e of Mr Anderson‘s property Total distance, there and back, was a little shy of sevento his house, say--would add another four ether It was doable I just didn‘t know if I would

Likehas never been hard for me I don‘t listen to music when I run The ht, good and bad, oozes out in salty rivers After a while, there is nothing but the surge of my heart My , ski the earth I don‘t think; my head empties, and that is best of all

I met no one on the trail I knehen I‘d reached Mr Anderson‘s land because there were placards stapled to the trees: Private Property and No Trespassing I could‘ve continued The trail unfurled like a brown carpet I could run onto his property, loop around the lake, just happen to be passing by as he stepped onto his deck, a stea of coffee in hand, to admire the view Then he‘d do a double take and shade his eyes and his lips would curl in a happy, surprised grin:

Jenna, what are you doing out here? You ran how far? How fast? Your split was

my God, that’s terrific tiot a sec, co about how nice it’d be to have soreat time back to the car

f

That night, talking to et away,‖ she said They‘d made it to Bayfield too late for the last ferry to the island, so they were staying in town and just about to head out to their favorite restaurant ―I think we ht stay an extra few days You don‘t ht was: What about your boyfriend?

―Evan‘ll handle everything I haven‘t had a break in, well, I don‘t kno long

Thanksgiving‘s coet even crazier I need the time away‖

―I understand Don‘t worry about me I‘ll be fine There‘s plenty of food and whatever I need, I can always buy‖ I had a stash of birthday money I‘d planned to spend on so on ency cash‖ Moood driving to school?‖

―We‘re out for the week‖

―Oh‖ Pause ―Right I forgot‖

Big surprise there ―When do you and Dad think you‘ll be back?‖

―Is Thursday all right?‖ After I told her that Thursday was fine, Moain what I‘d done all day but then interrupted to say that Dad wanted to go eat ―And have his first martini,‖ she said ―Talk to you tomorrow‖

―Sure,‖ I said ―Tomorrow‖

25: a

Monday

There was no work I could pretend to have I ay ahead in all ot serious aboutto write about Alexis‘s book had arrived at the school library the day before break, and I had yet to crack the spine So I turned the radio to an NPR station--Mozart, I think--and settled onto theseat indry, a recap of what I already knew frole search with some anecdotes tossed in for interest Instead, the very first chapter was about the rescue of a feal lobster traplines off the coast of Canada near the St Lawrence Estuary By the ti had been struggling for hours to stay afloat Belugas travel in pods and her podh-pitched whistles as they circled their co beneath the feh to help without getting entangled themselves

The only way to free the whale was to cut the ropes and that as aren‘t huge, only fifteen feet when they‘re fully grown, but any given beluga h as much as three thousand pounds If the pod panicked when the divers got in the water, or the trapped fean to thrash, the divers wouldn‘t have a chance But if they didn‘t help, the fea would drown There really wasn‘t a choice While the Zodiacs took up positions between the pod and the trapped whale, Alexis and three other divers slid into the icy water As soon as they did, the trapped whale became virtually motionless, as if she knew she as circled, waited, watched Forcold, the divers hacked at the nylon rope, ht swarm in to protect their companion; that a moment‘s lapse in concentration or careless placeht injure thea was finally free, she blasted out of the circle of divers The pod chattered and whistled, and then all the whales converged on the divers so quickly there was no tiht they were toast