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Nine

Declan

I grindthe hit of flavor and slight burn Eclipse Polar Ice Had a sleeve of eight that I found in my pocket I’ve chewed three since she told me to fuck off

That was co at ot it on the power-saver et about it

Eighteen ht

Sun will rise at seven

On the list of my worst fuckups, where does this one rank, I wonder as I sit beside the streaest one, a cruel voice whispers I inhale slowly and rubeyes I can’t think about that shit now

I’d say this probably ranks below the time I was ninety feet under the ocean in the Maldives and lost my scuba tank Earned myself a helicopter ride to a hyperbaric chamber Below that…but probably above the Encierro three years ago, when I tried to jue a bull and ended up with nineteen stitches in my calf Spent the Barcelona portion of that trip laid up, but being stuck inside a fucking cave is definitely worse Siren’s right—it’s not even a cave; it’s like a fucking rabbit burrow

I blow h my nose

Never been a fan of being stuck places Not since…I shake my head

Once, when I was fourteen, the mast broke off of a sailboat Nate and I had taken out on Lake Constance The motors blew a fuse, so we drifted around for half a day before another boater came up on us I’m not sure if this is worse than that Too soon to say

I look overI’ about the “tracker” First, what is a tracker? She’d have towith GPS, and that shit doesn’t work out here

I splash some water on my face and turn around to face her Before she went to sleep, she disappeared behind the rock pile with her dry clothes, and I caht make her feel more comfortable When she came back around the pile, she stood and stared at

I walked over to her, wanting to reassure her somehow, but woman seemed to read my mind She said, “Just don’t”

I think of her so back to the bags I don’t think she’s awake Hasn’t htly she looks almost kid-sized I can’t see her face, just a bunch of penny-red hair spread over a blow-up pillow