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I can’t see, and then I can

Fundamental’s eye is wide open, white all around it, but he can’t see me A slick, dark capall uisce holds Fundaed tear like steah the salt water, smooth and purposeful It spares no attention for rasp and I, a ser in this world, am no threat

I need a breath I need asp and another one and another one But in front ofand thin The berries are hard and deadly in my hand I could watch it drown

But next to their two heads, I see the edge of Fundareat, brave heart pu pulse

There’s no saving hi born Fundamental, rare colt, so close to the water horses that he loves the ocean like I do

Colors without any name flicker at the corner of my vision

I have to leave him behind

CHAPTER NINETEEN

PUCK

Finn and I both wait up for Gabe that night I boil beans -- infernal beans, it feels like that’s all we eat -- and siets here Finn messes over the hile I cook, and when I ask hi about a stor sky is clear except for soh, far out at the horizon There’s no sign of foul weather Who knohy Finn does any of the things he does I don’t even try to talk hi

We wait and wait for Gabe,and then si I wish I could tell Finn what it is that’s eating me, but I can’t tell hi at his arer than usual

"What do you think," I ask casually, turning the little butter bowl around and around again, so that the owl painted on the side looks atthe Morris -- why are you laughing?"

He rattles at one of the panes experi?"

"I uely I think, now, that he is using the s as an excuse to stare outside for signs of Gabe "I don’t want it to be out there when the stor it What do you think?"

"Well, I guess that depends on e’re selling it"

"To get Dove better food during training"

There is an agonizingly long pause before Finn responds During the pause, he taps his finger all along the edge of a pane of glass before leaning in to peer at the join between glass and wood fro with his weatherproofing before continuing the conversation

Finally, he says, "Is better food that expensive?"

"Do you see alfalfa growing on this island?"

"It depends," Finn says "I don’t knohat alfalfa looks like"

"Like the inside of your dusty head Yes, it’s expensive It co at him It’s not his fault that I’et to confront hiht about Malvern’s appearance at the house I can’t stay up for hi back to the beach again

Finn lookselse we can sell, like the useless chickens that spendbefore we can kill them for dinner The whole lot of therain

"Will it make her faster?" Finn asks

"Racehorses should eat racehorse food"

Finn casts a glance toward our dinner, beans with a lump of bacon donated by Dory Maud "If that’s what it takes"

He sounds like I’ve asked hi But I kno he feels He loves the Morris like I love Dove, and ill he have left if he doesn’t have the car to putter over? Just the s, and we only have five of theh o on "We’ll have enough to buy two of theine stops on the first one"