We could hear the rain, a rat in the crib, the empty barn vacant with horses.
How do you hold to dance do you hold like this
Oh
I used to hold like this you thought I wasn't strong enough didn't you
Oh Oh Oh Oh
I hold to use like this I mean did you hear what I said I said
oh oh oh oh
The road went on, still and empty, the sun slanting more and more.
Her stiff little Pigtails were bound at the tips with bits of crimson cloth.
A corner of the wrapping flapped a little as she walked, the nose of the loaf naked.
I stopped.
"Look here.
Do you live down this road?
We haven't passed a house in a mile, almost."
She looked at me, black and secret and friendly.
"Where do you live, sister?
Dont you live back there in town?"
There was a bird somewhere in the woods, beyond the broken and infrequent slanting of sunlight.
"Your Papa's going to be worried about you.
Dont you reckon you'll get a whipping for not coming straight home with that bread?"
The bird whistled again, invisible, a sound meaningless and profound, inflexionless, ceasing as though cut off with the blow of a knife, and again, and that sense of water swift and peaceful above secret places, felt, not seen not heard.
"Oh, hell, sister." About half the paper hung limp. "That's not doing any good now." I tore it off and dropped it beside the road. "Come on.
We'll have to go back to town.
We'll go back along the river."
We left the road.
Among the moss little pale flowers grew, and the sense of water mute and unseen.
I hold to use like this I mean I use to hold She stood in the door looking at us her hands on her hips
You pushed me it was your fault it hurt me too
We were dancing sitting down I bet Caddy cant dance sitting down
Stop that stop that
I was just brushing the trash off the back of your dress
You keep your nasty old hands off of me it was your fault you pushed me down I'm mad at you
I dont care she looked at us stay mad she went away We began to hear the shouts, the splashings; I saw a brown body gleam for an instant.
Stay mad.
My shirt was getting wet and my hair. Across the roof hearing the roof loud now I could see Natalie going through the garden among the rain.
Get wet I hope you catch pneumonia go on home Cowface.
I jumped hard as I could into the hogwallow the mud yellowed up to my waist stinking I kept on plunging until I fell down and rolled over in it "Hear them in swimming, sister?
I wouldn't mind doing that myself." If I had time.
When I have time.
I could hear my watch. mud was warmer than the rain it smelled awful.
She had her back turned I went around in front of her.
You know what I was doing?
She turned her back I went around in front of her the rain creeping into the mud flatting her bod ice through her dress it smelled horrible.
I was hugging her that's what I was doing.
She turned her back I went around in front of her.
I was hugging her I tell you.
I dont give a damn what you were doing
You dont you dont I'll make you I'll make you give a damn.
She hit my hands away I smeared mud on her with the other hand I couldn't feel the wet smacking of her hand I wiped mud from my legs smeared it on her wet hard turning body hearing her fingers going into my face but I couldn't feel it even when the rain began to taste sweet on my lips
They saw us from the water first, heads and shoulders.