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You seen what Pa’s up to? I says to Lugh

He don’t raise his head Jest starts hahten it

I seen, he says He did it yesterday too An the day before

I seen, he says He did it yesterday too An the day before

What’s al that about? I says Goin right, then left, over an over

How should I know? he says His lips is pressed together in a tight line He’s got that look on his face agin The blank look he gits when Pa says somethin or asks him to do soh! Pa lifts his head, shadin his eyes I could use yer help here, son!

Foolish old ives the metal sheet a extra hard whack with the hammer

Don’t say that, I says Pa knohat he’s doin He’s a star reader

Lugh looks at me Shakes his head, like he cain’t believe I jest said what I did

Ain’t you ggered it out yet? It’s al in his head Made up There ain’t nuthin writ en in the stars There ain’t no great plan The world goes on Our lives jest go on an on in this gawdfersaken place An that’s it Til the day we die I tel you what, Saba, I’ve took about al I can take

I stare at hiht now, son!

Lugh swears unner his breath He throws the hammer down, pushes past me an pratikal y runs down the ladder He rushes over to Pa He snatches the sticks froround They scat er al over

There! Lugh shouts There you go! That should help! That should awdam rain come! He kicks Pa’s neept spel circle til the dust ies He pokes his nger hard into Pa’s chest Wake up, old onna coonna die too if we stay here Wel , guess what? I ain’t doin it no more! I’m out a here!

I knew this would come, says Pa The stars told h’s arer backwards

Yer crazy, you know that? Lugh shouts it right in his face The stars told you! Why don’t you jest try listenin to what I say fer once?

He runs ofI hurry down the ladder Pa’s starin at the ground, his shoulders slumped

I don’t unnerstand, he says I see the rain comin… I read it in the stars but … it don’t come Why don’t it come?

It’s okay, Pa, says Emmi I’l help you I’l put ’em where you want She scrabbles about on her knees, col ectin al the sticks She looks at hih didn’t ht on past ’earden

He sits on the ground, in the middle of the swirlin pat erns, the squares an circles an lit le paths made from al di erent stones, each their own shade an size Every last tiny pebble set out by Ma with her own hands She wouldn’t al ow that anybody should help her

She careful y laid the last stone in place Sat back on her heels an solden hair in a braid over one shoulder

There! You see, Saba? There can be beauty anywhere Even here An if it ain’t there, you can make it yerself