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Alexander was in the darkening woods collecting kindling Tatiana called for him, but he did not answer She wanted to see him before she ran quickly to Naira’s On the bench she set out for him a plate of warm fried potatoes, two tomatoes, and a cucury Near his plate she left a cup of sweet black tea, and next to it a cigarette and a lighter

Tatiana’s funny husband had lost interest in funny things He had interest in s wood That’s all he did now Smoked for himself, chopped wood for her They continued to occasionally wake before dawn and go fishing when the Kao silently and sleepily to their rock in the secluded river pool, just to the side of their clearing Alexander was right, of course It was the best ti They would catch half a dozen trout in four or five minutes He would leave them alive in the net basket lowered from a poplar branch into the river Then he would so back to bed

After he smoked and swam, Alexander would come back to bed, and Tatiana, as always, would receive hi waited for him, listened for him, prayed for him She was immoderately excited by him He owned her However Alexander wished to offer her his remarkable crown, Tatiana would take, even if it ith ice at dawn

But whereas before, Alexander had been delighted in his perceivedher with his liun to touch her as if she were scalding hot, as if he were burning himself on her He was drawn to the fire, he could not help but touch her, yet he touched her now as if he knew that the burns he was inflicting on himself would scar him for life, if they didn’t kill him first

What happened to the Shura who used to chase her and grab her and knock her down to the ground and lick her and tickle her? What happened to the Shura who needed to ht so he could look at her? Where was he, the laughingman, the brash man, the careless man? Gradually he seemed to have been drowned and resurrected as the Alexander who did little but smoke and chop wood and watch her

Sometimes when Tatiana was abundantly asleep, all tucked in to him, comforted and at peace, she would suddenly be woken up in the darkest night by Alexander She wouldn’tawake, unable to breathe, suffocating her, e the breath out of her body She would hear his broken gasps, feel his lips rubbing against her hair, and wish she could stop breathing per his to down her cheeks

Behind her she heard hi somewhere?"

Alexander was too stealthy a soldier Quickly she wiped her eyes, cleared her throat, and said, "Hang on, I’;her head to hi and covered ood chips "Collectingto pound "Howto need?" She stood and stepped up to Alexander "M," she ht of hi onions for the potatoes You know onions"

"I see only one plate Are you going so

"Of course, not," said Tatiana, clearing her throat

"Letup barefoot to Alexander, feeling vulnerable and aroused "I always feel so tiny when you’re in your boots," she whispered, gazing up at him

Alexander’s whole body claht hand gripped her bottom, his body was on her and in her, around her and over her She could not twitch without hi to him cogling through his love for her, struggling through his need for her By now she understood: Alexander knew his own strength very well

Underneath him Tatiana pressed her lips to his collarbone "Oh, ShuraI need you sohard not to cry

His voice cracked "I’, soldier," she whispered "I’ wave start to flood her, and she bit herher as taut as he did, for he stopped ht, opening her hands and pleading for hientle and bruising, rhyth onto me, until he exhausts hi regret

It was evening Tatiana was looking unblinking at Alexander lying on his stomach, his face to her, his eyes closed She was quietly by hi to determine if he was asleep She didn’t think so Every fourth breath or so, Alexander would shudder, as if he were thinking Tatiana didn’t want hi Slowly she drew sers Alexander murmured and turned his face away froive hi his upper ar her palm over his hard shoulders She squeezed hi one eye "You kno to give aonly his skivvies She hopped on top of hies?"

"What do you iven lots of et his attention "Yes Ready? Rail tracks, rail tracks," Tatiana began, with her fingertips tracing two long parallel lines down his spine,from his neck to the top of the elastic on his shorts

"Rail ties, rail ties" She drew short perpendicular lines across

"Here co line down

"And it spills all the grain" Her hands tickled his back

Alexander laughed, his head on his hands

Tatiana had an urge to kiss hiame

"The chickens coers

"The geese come, and they pinch it" She pinched hie is this?"

"The children come, and they step on it!" She pounded his back with the pal me?"

"The robbers come, and they salt it, and they pepper it, and they eat it," she squealed, tickling hiht with pleasure She couldn’t resist, she bit his back He was just too gorgeous lying under her, twitching fro tickled As she bit hirain," Tatiana said, pecking at Alexander with her fingers "Here comes the zookeeper"

"Oh, no, not the zookeeper," said Alexander