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Elsa drove on Now and again, the headlights shone onwhat they could, dragging wagons A boy on a bicycle had a shaggy gray dog in the basket between the handlebars

Four miles later, she turned onto a dirt road, past several jalopies that were parked for the night, ca well back from the road She turned into it and parked

“I’ll see if I can find us a rabbit,” Loreda said, taking the shotgun out of the rack

“Not tonight,” Elsa said “Let’s stay close together”

Elsa got out of the truck and reached into the bed for the supplies they’d brought with them In a nice, flat spot not far away fro a little of the wood and kindling they’d packed

“Do we get to sleep in the tent tonight?” Ant asked “We ain’t had a vacation before”

“Haven’t,” Elsa corrected autoht out two of their na and a half a loaf of store-bought light bread

“Bologna sandwiches!” Ant said

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nbsp; Elsa settled a cast-iron frying pan on the fire and put a scoop of lard in to sizzle, then peeled the yellow plastic casing away and cut thin slices of bologna froes so the meat wouldn’t curl up, she dropped two slices into the bubbling fat

Ant squatted on his haunches beside her, his hair as dirty as his face

In the black pan, the bologna popped bits of hot lard

Ant poked at the fire with a stick “Take that, fire!”

Elsa opened the packaged bread and took out thite slices, rihtless Mr Pavlov had begged theht bread for their trip His treat, he’d said She s the rings carefully onto a golden layer of oil, she then laid a crispy, browned slice of bologna on top

“Loreda!” she called out “Come on back Food’s ready”