She edged around the broken glass, and the blackened phone that lay on the table. Glancing at the boy, she picked it up, just to make sure it was dead, and tried to dial again. He seemed to know what she was doing, and waited in the doorway for her. She felt a pang of guilt. It was silent.
“Wow.” She thought. “I just came to the neighbors’, broke their stuff and now I’m leaving. I am a jerk.” She put the phone back and walked outside. The boy stood on the top of the stairs, surveying the land around him. It was bare, with tall brown grass and mesquite growing thinly everywhere. There was searching, narrow look in his emerald eyes. She walked straight past him to the mule, and turned to him. He looked back at her with a vacant look in his eyes. She motioned for him to follow, and mounted up. He approached, and looked confused, she moved her foot aside for him to use the stirrup, and pointed behind the saddle. After a couple of somewhat embarrassing looking fails, he got up and behind the saddle. She nudged Shad with her heels and he reluctantly jolted forward. She felt the boy halfway fall backwards and he caught her on the shoulder. She looked back and grinned at him, he looked sheepish and dropped his hands to his lap. They rode in silence. There was no point in trying to talk, they couldn’t understand one another anyway. Things were starting to get awkward, as they walked along the trail in silence, complete strangers walking the same trail towards the same destination. All of a sudden, she felt him sliding, and she let out a half scream and pulled up sharp on the reins, as he crumpled into the dust, unconscious once more.
…..
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