I Am Not Just What I Remember.

"don't Let Go!" He Orders. Harper's Hand Is Dry And Soothing, While Mine Is Sweaty With Fear. We've Never Held Hands Before. I Think About What It Means In The Village When Boys And Girls Only A Few Years Older Then Harper And Me Wander Around With Their Hands Clasped Together. They're Always Peering Dreamily Into Each Other's Eyes, Sneaking Sky Kisses...and Soon After, There's A Wedding.

...it’d Be Like Looking For A Needle In A Burning Haystack.' 'oh, I’ve Done That,' Mark Said Airily. 'it’s A Game We Used To Play, After We Got Rid Of All Our Livestock And Didn’t Need Our Hay No More. You Throw A Match Into The Haystack, Give The Fire A Three-second Head Start, And Begin Looking. You Can Find The Needle Every Time If You Work Quick

I Want To Live! Not Die, Not Hide, Live!

The Sudden Silence Is Horrifying, And It Seems To Catch My Mother Off Guard. A Tiny Whimper Escapes Her, The Sound Amplified In The Stillness. Surely, My Father Hears Her Now; Surely He And I Can't Go On Pretending She Isn't Crying.

That Porch Is A Happy-looking Place, And My Father - Burdened, Stoop-shouldered, Cadaverously Thin - Doesn't Seem To Belong On It.