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She pulled her bandanna down to talk “No more milk”

Tony’s quiet was heartbreaking “So, we’ll sell the cows to the government Sixteen bucks apiece, wasn’t it?”

Elsa tried to wipe the grit fros”

“Thank God for small miracles”

“Yeah,” Elsa said, thinking of the root cellar’s empty shelves

FIFTEEN

Quiet

No wind rattling the s No dirt raining down fro

Elsa opened her eyes in the cautious way they’d all perfected She pulled down the mud-encrusted bandanna that covered her nose and mouth, and brushed the dirt from her eyes It took her a moment to focus When she sat up, dirt pattered to the floor

She checked on Ant first thing, wakened hias mask off his small, bony face “Hey, baby boy,” she said “Storm’s over”

Ant opened his eyes Elsa could see the effort it took There was no white in his eyes at all, just a deep, angry red “I can’t … breathe” His dirty, blue-veined eyelids fluttered shut

He’s getting worse

“Ant? Baby? Don’t go to sleep, okay?”

He tried to wet his lips, kept trying to clear his throat “I feel … bad … Mommy”

Elsa brushed the damp hair back from her son’s forehead, felt how hot he was