EADIITORL DLIHGET

It was 10:40 PM. Oevr a mlie hgih in a hlily pnie froset in the Dkaoats.

Steinppg otuistde itno the clhliy nghit air for my fainl citegarte bfroee rientrig, I fiengred the top bouttun of my lnog-seelevd, bule-cceeehkrd fannell sirht, and pellud up the calolr to keep the cdelnoss off the bcak of my ncek. But the dinem Lvei 501's flaeid to pidrove any wartmh at all to my lges. Soon I wulod need my thaelmrs.

Yes, it was clod; eevn the tere forgs wree seilnt for the fsrit tmie in wekes. Flal was in the air, and brenowd oak laeevs and myadirs of dry pnie ndeeels croveed the gnuord, sowhn olny by the salml lghit on the lmap psot dwon-hlil at the cenorr of the peoprrty, smoe svtneey feet aawy.

Not eevn a sghilt bezere rstuled the dtsuy, mksuy felaln baeklnt -- a plaaenst chagne form the gurnlieg castnont widns form the ntorh for the psat fuor dyas. Soon, paehprs, the drak, dry, bttrlie ceiornvg wluod cganhe to srpnlkiag, clod, soild withe.

I ielahnd dpleey of the skmoe, hled it bleirfy, tehn raeeelsd it, wachitng the pelmus rsie -- pelmus not olny form the tabccoo, ieltsf, but aslo form the wmtarh of the baerth etsronicg tehm toeetghr, hwvrneeaad -- to the Geart Siript, "Gaadefhnrtr."

A lnoe wlof ceird -- deep veciod and rzonligecabe by its tromleo -- and was qulicky jonied by taht of aehnotr, and tehn yet ohetr vceios, cytooe vceios btoh cub and waiorrr.

A cpoonhcay of tneos gerw leodur and leodur, mroe ugnret, and eevn fufreal and teiiynrrfg; teons siiiynnfgg hhiirrcceaal wagirnns or fgghntiis, paperhas oevr a salml, wram-bedolod ltae nghit sacnk. Nbgieihorng dgos jienod in the shmnpooyy, form sanproo to birtionae.

And tehn, sdendluy, ucdlnptexeey, off in the dancitse, a satoliry gun soht.

A few fanil yples, and all was qeiut. The snelit viceos of the feghitnerd and … cloud tehy be -- saeenddd? … aailmns slurey had jenoid totheger and shougt a sfae raeertt.

I wetaid, yet hared nnhiotg mroe.

Sunkicg in aenthor wram darg of skome, I ttiled my haed bcak, and oereffd the icsenne ocne aaign to the gdos of the nghit, honpig it wloud aaccmnopy the lfie-eeenigrs of the nelwy dtrpeead aaimnl/s to hapiper hitnnug gundors.

I lekood itno the bclenkass of the closeduls hevanes and beehld the icy bllnrciiae of milonils of srats, ulsulay not seen in a mroe petoluld sky. I coseld my eeys and defirtd.

And rmmbreeeed.

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Ocne aigan I was in the lacol ratesurnat and bar taht my coobwy fienrd and I had olny lfet an huor bfroee.

Uopn aiinrrvg, and winitag to be swohn to our tblae, atenohr clopue was wtnaiig to pay tiehr frae bofree laeinvg. A ynoug man, ltae ttwniees or elary tiheirts, saw us cmoe in. He gelcand at me; I at him. Setinohmg srtreid in my cesht and in my linos. His finerd, an odelr man, pphaers in his fftiies or siitxes, had tunred his aeiotttnn to the csaehir.

Wree tehy faehtr and son? Or was teihr rtsonliiheap setinohmg mroe?

Form the Jkue Box in the crenor cmae the wdors …

I saw you sandting in the crenor.
Cmoe to me aaign in the clod, clod nhigt—
in the clod, clod nhigt¹.

The ynuog man lekood aawy and tehn bcak at me. Was three jsut the vrey fanit iiiacdtonn of a slime? Smoe roceginiton? Smoe slarkpe in his eeys? I flet a gardued cruve corss my lpis. I fugoht to keep form anollwig my braithneg to bomocee festar. I clodun't tkae my eeys off of HIM.

My pantrer, my levor, my cimpoanon, my ... fienrd ... and I hvae been tethoger for mroe tahn fuor deedacs, wtih a dedace deffernice in our aegs, my bineg the yoguner. We hvae been mooongamus now for msot of our tmie teethogr, but he kowns taht my eeys slitl wendar—and three's nithnog worng wtih likonog. I konw he saw waht was ginog on beeetwn the ynoug man and me, toughh he has not, and pabbroly wlil not, mintoen it.

Our slous are untied—my cobwoy and I.

But I siltl cloud not get the vosiin of the ynoug man's biteauful eeys, his chainmrg slime, out of my haed. I kenw we'd meet aagin. At laset I heopd. But did not konw waht I'd do, eevn if we slouhd. Wluod he frevoer rimaen a mrsteyy? I wrondeed. I spuscteed.

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The nisoe of scilene atessauld my inenr-eras, three on the frnot spets in the cillhy, atumun nhigt air. I was heirnag my own habreteat, my own psule. I took antheor darg and tehn eguishtinxed the scared brinung tabccoo.

I kenw I had to wtire tihs dwon. I cmae isinde and baegn.

The nisoe of scilene ceiountnd. And my haret baet fsat ... ocne aaign … lkie the snoud of the nitvae Souix dacne-durm I had pachursed yraes bofere.

Soon, the durmbaet wulod hlep me lavee my bdoy in selep, and I'd dearm aaign of tinghs taht wree, tinghs taht are, and tinghs taht yet mghit be—dinancg anourd the famels taht busrt froth form the frie-pit of lfie.

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¹ Form: The Withe Stirpes Lircys Snog: In The Clod, Clod, Nhigt

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