Base Nature (74 page)

e
n
er
gy.”

“Y
e
s,
M
o
m,”
G
a
rre
tt
sai
d
, g
r
inning.

I
n
m
o
m-
m
o
de
,
s
he
swa
t
t
e
d
him
with
a
th
r
o
w
pi
l
l
o
w
a
nd
th
e
n
b
o
u
n
de
d
u
p
the st
e
ps.
K
e
lly
was
e
asily
in h
e
r
mi
d
-
s
ixti
e
s
bu
t
s
he
m
o
v
e
d
l
i
ke
a
tw
e
nty-y
e
a
r
-
o
l
d
. “
M
ay
b
e that
was
why
I
chang
e
d
h
er
.
Had
t
o
,”
G
a
rre
tt
said
to
hims
e
lf.
“I
c
o
u
l
d
n
’
t
wa
t
ch
h
e
r g
r
o
w
o
ld
and
d
ie
and
l
o
se
h
er
. I
c
o
u
l
d
n
’
t face
an
o
th
e
r
l
o
ss.”

He
wasn
’
t
imm
o
r
tal
bu
t his
l
ife
span
w
o
u
ld
b
e
s
i
gnificantly
l
o
ng
e
r
than
L
iv
’
s.
Pr
o
b
a
b
ly
b
y at
l
e
ast half a
d
o
z
e
n
de
ca
de
s.
T
o
o
many
de
ca
de
s
to
b
e
wit
h
o
u
t
h
er
.

G
a
rre
t
t
h
e
a
r
d
the
d
o
g
that
liv
e
d
n
e
xt
d
oo
r
to
L
iv
b
a
r
king
l
i
ke
ma
d
.
He
l
o
o
k
e
d
o
u
t the
win
d
o
w
a
s the
s
h
o
w
e
r
came
o
n
u
pstai
r
s.
N
o
s
o
u
n
d
s
f
ro
m
L
iv.
H
o
p
e
f
u
lly
she
w
o
u
ld sl
ee
p
l
o
ng
and w
e
ll.
H
e
r
b
o
d
y
n
eede
d
that
m
o
r
e
than
e
v
er
.
T
wice
dur
ing
the night
h
e
r
b
o
d
y
had c
o
nt
o
r
t
ed
,
h
o
v
er
ing
r
ight
o
n
the
ed
ge
o
f
shifti
n
g.
H
e
r
m
u
scl
e
s,
b
o
n
e
s
and sin
e
w
d
o
ing
a
painf
u
l
d
anc
e
,
ca
u
ght
in
lim
b
o
.
S
he
had cl
u
tch
e
d
at
him,
p
u
lli
n
g
his
f
ur
, g
r
ipping
h
im
cl
o
se
and
s
o
m
e
tim
e
s
painf
u
l
l
y
ha
rd
.
He
had
st
a
y
e
d
v
igilant and
re
a
d
y
t
o h
e
lp
h
e
r
if she
n
eeded
.
Mo
stly she
j
u
st
n
eede
d
h
i
s p
re
s
e
n
c
e
.

A
s
he
wa
t
ch
ed
,
K
e
vin,
he
o
f
the
a
lpha
t
e
mp
e
r
and
br
ain-
de
ad
ways,
came
a
r
o
u
nd the
si
d
e
o
f
L
iv
’
s
h
o
u
s
e
.
He
b
ang
e
d
o
n
e
v
er
y
do
o
r
and
win
d
o
w
with
a
stick
f
r
o
m
the f
r
o
nt
ya
rd
.
He
d
id
h
is
be
st
to
p
ee
r
into
the win
d
o
ws,
c
u
pping
his
b
ig
han
d
s
a
r
o
u
nd his
b
ig
st
u
pid
face
and
st
r
aining
to
s
ee
.
G
a
rre
tt
sw
o
r
e
he
c
o
u
ld
sm
e
ll
the
o
ily
stink
o
f the
o
th
e
r
m
a
n
’
s
br
ava
d
o
.
Pr
o
b
a
b
ly
s
o
.

U
pstai
r
s,
L
iv
t
o
ss
ed
,
c
r
i
e
d
o
u
t
s
o
ftly.
E
v
e
n
he
had
b
a
re
ly
h
e
a
r
d
it. She
was
ca
u
ght
i
n s
o
me
k
ind
o
f
dre
am
that ma
d
e
h
e
r
a
n
xi
o
u
s.
A
l
m
o
st
as if the
m
e
m
o
r
i
e
s
o
f the
man
n
o
w stalki
n
g
a
r
o
u
nd h
e
r h
o
u
se
h
ad s
ee
p
e
d
i
nto
h
e
r sl
ee
ping
f
o
r
m
to ha
u
nt
h
e
r simply
be
ca
u
s
e
he
was h
ere
.