Whether Love Of Friend, Love Of Country,

Tragedy Was A Big Social Event, And Everyone Wanted In On It.

One Day When I Was Fourteen, I Told Charlie That I Hated Mother. “don’t Hate Her, Jo,” He Told Me. “feel Sorry For Her. She’s Not Near As Smart As You. She Wasn’t Born With Your Compass, So She Wanders Around, Bumping Into All Sorts Of Walls. That’s Sad.” I Understood What He Meant, And It Made Me See Mother Differently. But Wasn’t There Some Sort Of Rule That Said Parents Had To Be Smarter Than Their Kids? It Didn’t Seem Fair.

I Shut The Bathroom Door And Caught Sight Of My Face In The Mirror. I Had No Idea How Quickly It Was To Change, To Fade. If I Had, I Would Have Stared At My Reflection, Memorizing It. It Was The Last Time I Would Look Into A Real Mirror For More Than A Decade.

I Left The Jutra To Chop Wood. I Began My Walk Through The Snow, Five Kilometers To The Tree Line. That's When I Saw It. A Tiny Silver Of Gold Appeared Between Shades Of Gray On The Horizon. I Stared At The Amber Band Of Sunlight, Smiling. The Sun Had Returned. I Closed My Eyes. I Felt Andrius Moving Close. "i'll See You," He Said. "yes, I Will See You," I Whispered "i Will." I Reached Into My Pocket And Squeezed The Stone.

What Do You Do With All This Bank, Josie? Be A Lot Easier If You Just Lifted Your Skirt.” “the Only Reason I’d Lift My Skirt Is To Pull Out My Pistol And Plug You In The Head.