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Of course, last ti a woman up a tree Now there is only a skinnyat his hands, which see on his knees, a pair of colossal, torpid spiders

"Hi," Annawake tries She stands with her own hands in her pockets, waiting for some kind of offer "I’m Annawake," she adds

"Oh, believehihts, very sloith a lot of effort, as if co out of hibernation "Where are my manners?" he says finally in a voice deep with despair, or the South

"Sit down here on this dirty old porch"

The stone step is broad and sluateway to some ancient wonder of the world When she sits, it bleeds coolness into her thighs, a feeling of da a couple of times, as if barely convinced that this is his actual name

"I heard your work yesterday From that tree"

"It terrified the birds, I hear I think I’ve found olf ball and flings it toward the cardboard owl in the treetops It in

"Maybe I liked your ht," she says She throws an apricot and hits the oith a loud pop, causing it to shudder and list on its branch

‘Jesus," he says Jax throws again, this ti for the trunk, and nicks the side Annawake follows quickly, hitting the spot where his shot bounced off

He looks at her sideways With his dark brows and glint of gold earring, he resembles a pirate "Is this one of those visitations? Are you about to reveal the h "I used to be kind of good at this throwing gaood at everything"

"If you are, I don’t want to hear about it"

"I don’t know theof your life"

"Good Because I’m not ready to hear it Takes the fun away, you know? Like when you’re reading a good book and soet hit by the train yet?’ "

Annawake smiles She’s noticed that the house is truly rundown by social-service standards, worse than sos she’s seen in the Cherokee Nation, and accepts that this could be used to her advantage Toward the west, the desert rises up to meet the splintered rock peaks of the Tucson Mountains Annawake shades her eyes to look at the descending sun It’s an effort for her not to shove the conversation forward "I can see why you’d want to live out here," she says

"Out of the city"

"Oh, well, that’s a very sad story I got kicked out of the city of Tucson They have an ordinance against Irascible Babies"