Base Nature (8 page)

N
o
thing.
N
o
s
o
u
n
d
,
n
o
whisp
er
s,
n
o
c
re
aks
o
f the
a
nci
e
nt
hallway f
l
oo
r
.
N
o
thing
at all,
as
if
n
o
thing
m
o
r
e
than
a
b
ad
dre
am
o
r a
sp
e
ct
e
r
h
ad
bee
n
in
h
e
r h
o
u
s
e
.
L
iv w
o
n
dere
d
f
o
r
a
br
i
e
f
m
o
m
e
nt
if
s
he
was
in
fact
ins
a
n
e
.
I
f
she had
i
magin
e
d
h
i
m
be
ing th
ere
.
She
sw
u
ng
the
d
oo
r
o
p
e
n
and
o
n
the
p
r
istine
ca
r
p
e
t
was a
s
m
oo
th st
o
ne
f
r
o
m
h
e
r ga
rde
n
o
u
t
f
r
o
nt.
His
l
ittle
way
o
f
a
ss
ur
ing
h
e
r
that
he
had in
dee
d
c
o
me
b
y.
T
hat
he had
bee
n
i
n h
e
r
h
o
u
se
and
she
ha
d
n
’
t
l
e
t him in.

L
iv kick
e
d
the
st
o
ne
t
o
the
si
d
e
o
f
the
hall and
p
ee
k
e
d
a
r
o
u
nd
h
e
r
bedr
oo
m
d
oo
r
. N
o
t
h
ing.
T
he
win
d
o
w was
n
o
w
r
ais
ed
.
Which m
e
ant
that
K
e
vin
h
ad
h
o
pp
e
d
e
asily
e
n
o
u
gh
o
n
t
o
the
b
anist
e
r
o
f
h
e
r
p
o
r
ch,
bo
o
st
e
d
hims
e
lf
o
n
t
o
the
s
mall
re
d
r
oo
f
and th
e
n p
u
sh
e
d
h
e
r
u
nl
o
ck
e
d
win
d
o
w
u
p.
L
iv
ru
sh
e
d
f
o
r
wa
r
d
and
p
u
sh
e
d
the
win
d
o
w
sh
u
t. She
h
e
a
r
d
h
im c
o
ming
be
f
o
r
e
she
c
o
u
ld
p
u
sh
it
b
ack
u
p
t
o
call
o
u
t f
o
r
h
e
lp.

F
i
r
st
she f
e
lt
h
is
b
ig
d
a
r
k
p
re
s
e
nc
e
,
th
e
n
the
v
i
br
ati
o
n
o
f
his
f
oo
tst
e
ps
o
n
h
e
r
o
l
d
, fa
de
d
c
o
u
nt
r
y
ca
r
p
e
t
be
f
o
r
e
he
hit
h
er
.
She
b
a
re
ly
g
o
t
to
t
ur
n.
She
d
i
d
n
’
t
g
e
t
to
wi
e
ld

h
e
r
de
a
d
ly
tw
ee
z
e
r
s
be
ca
u
se
K
e
vin
hit
h
e
r
with
a
s
o
lid
s
h
o
u
l
der
.
L
ike
the
f
oo
t
b
all play
e
r
he
u
s
e
d
to
be
.
L
ike
the
ang
r
y
m
a
n
he
was.
He
hit
h
e
r
i
n
the
be
lly
with
the
c
ur
ve
o
f h
i
s sh
o
u
l
de
r
and
ca
rr
i
e
d
h
e
r
d
o
wn
t
o
the
f
l
oo
r
with his
bu
lk.

L
iv
manag
e
d
o
ne
g
oo
d sc
re
am
be
f
o
r
e
he
s
h
o
v
e
d
h
is
palm
ac
r
o
ss
h
e
r
lips.
His
ang
r
y face
was
inch
e
s
f
r
o
m
h
er
s.
H
is
hand
c
o
v
ere
d
h
e
r
m
o
u
th
and
pa
r
t
o
f
h
e
r
n
o
se
and
he sai
d
,
“Hi
th
ere
,
L
ivvi
e
.
Did y
o
u
m
iss
m
e
?
I
m
iss
e
d
y
o
u
,
b
a
b
y.
Y
o
u
re
a
d
y
to
h
ave
s
o
me f
u
n?”

He
p
u
sh
e
d
at
h
e
r
r
o
b
e
and
L
iv
t
r
i
e
d
to
sc
re
am
bu
t
it
was
all
l
o
st
be
hind
a
b
ig, st
r
o
ng h
a
n
d
.