Misplaced (59 page)

“Now
what?”
Easing
the
car
to
the
side
of
the
road,
V
ictoria
wondere
d
i
f
th
e
place
,
a
s
barre
n
an
d
stil
l
a
s
Mars
,
reminded
Khara of home.
“This,
”
Khar
a
proclaimed
,
he
r
fac
e
serious
,
“mus
t
b
e
the
Field of Offerings.”

“They
’
re gypsum dunes. What’s the Field of Offerings?”

“Th
e
firs
t
celestia
l
destinatio
n
o
n
th
e
journe
y
t
o
immortality.
It
is
the
only
place
where
the
ne
w
ly
deceased
may
contact
the living. Hurry,
w
e must get closer.”

V
ictoria had seen this look of pure stubbornness before, so
sh
e
sighe
d
an
d
turne
d
ont
o
th
e
two-lan
e
roa
d
tha
t
le
d
t
o
the
dunes. They stopped and got out. Beyond a chain fence, White Sands
National
P
ark
twinkled
brighter
than
fre
s
hly
fallen
s
n
o
w
unde
r
th
e
ful
l
moon
.
A
t
th
e
gate
,
Khar
a
stretche
d
he
r
hand
through and grabbed a handful of powdery sand.

“Th
e
par
k
i
s
close
d
fo
r
th
e
night,
”
V
ictori
a
muttered,
motionin
g
t
o
th
e
gate
,
bu
t
i
t
w
a
s
to
o
late
.
Khar
a
w
a
s
already
climbing
the
fence.
As
soon
as
she
dropped
to
the
ground,
she
ra
n
fo
r
th
e
closes
t
dun
e
an
d
leane
d
int
o
it
.
A
soft
,
whit
e
cascad
e fell o
v
er her shoulders and sifted through her spread fingers.

“It’
s
remarkable
,
isn’
t
it
?
I
t
feel
s
like—
y
es
,
I’
m
sur
e
o
f
it!
W
it
h
Nando
r
’
s
cuf
f
on
,
I
ca
n
fee
l
th
e
dune
s
s
w
ayin
g
e
v
e
r
so
slightly with the moon.”

W
atching her, shoes in hand,
V
ictoria felt ridiculous. “The dunes are still
w
arm from the sun, that’s all. But I suppose you could be right; millions of
y
ears ago, this
w
as an ocean.”

“Feel it for yourself,” Khara urged, removing the cuff.

“Oh
,
no
.
That’
s
th
e
las
t
thin
g
I
need,
”
V
ictori
a
retorted
,
backing a
w
ay.

“The sand will restore you,
V
ictoria.”

“No thanks.”

“I insist.
And then
w
e
’
ll be on our
w
ay.”

Exhaling
deeply,
she
rolled
her
e
y
es.
“Fi
v
e
minutes
and
not
a second more.
Agreed?”

P
alm
s
together
,
Khar
a
bo
w
e
d
slightly
.
“
A
s
yo
u
wish,
radiance.
”
Sh
e
race
d
u
p
th
e
sid
e
o
f
th
e
thirty-foo
t
dun
e
and
whe
n
she
’
d
reache
d
th
e
top
,
sh
e
bega
n
diggin
g
a
hol
e
that
resembled
a
burial
plot,
only
not
as
deep.
When
enough
sand
had
flown
through
the
air,
she
commanded
V
ictoria
to
join
her.

“I’
v
e made you a bed. Lie down. Lie here.”

“What are you up to?”

“I’
m
thinkin
g
o
f
you
.
Isn’
t
th
e
divinit
y
o
f
thi
s
plac
e
obvious?
W
e
wil
l
lea
ve
ou
r
sorro
w
an
d
suspicio
n
amon
g
billion
s
of
grains of sand.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Y
ou
cannot
accept
that
each
separate
element
of
nature
is
divine,
y
et
you
deify
a
single
human
abo
v
e
all
others
and
call
him the son of god?”

“Y
ou’
v
e
bee
n
spendin
g
w
a
y
to
o
muc
h
tim
e
wit
h
Father
Donato
.
I
though
t
we
agree
d
tha
t
yo
u
wouldn’
t
lea
ve
the
apartmen
t
alone
.
Y
o
u
ga
v
e
m
e
you
r
word
.
Didn’
t
I
explai
n
why
visiting the church
w
asn’t a good idea?”

“Y
o
u
als
o
mad
e
promises—amon
g
them
,
t
o
retur
n
before
noon each day. What will it cost you besides a few minutes?”

“Honestly, do you e
v
er lose an argument?”
An
imperious
smile
w
as
her
ans
w
er.
“Remo
v
e
your
clothes
and
feel
the
moonlight
on
your
skin.”
Her
voice
w
as
positi
v
ely
triumphant.

“Get lost.”

“Ar
e
yo
u
worrie
d
tha
t
th
e
moo
n
wil
l
se
e
yo
u
naked
?
Or
that
I
will
see
you?
Y
our
clothes
will
trail
sand
for
days,
but
do
whate
v
er you are most comfortable with.”

I
n
he
r
righ
t
mind
,
sh
e
woul
d
ha
v
e
stompe
d
bac
k
t
o
the
ca
r
an
d
w
aited—o
r
bette
r
y
et
,
lef
t
Khar
a
i
n
thi
s
immense
sandbo
x
wher
e
sh
e
seeme
d
totall
y
conten
t
an
d
dri
v
e
n
a
w
ay.
But
her
right
mind
seemed
so
long
ago.
V
ictoria remo
v
ed her slacks and blouse, and placed them neatly on the ground. Then she lo
w
ered herself into that sandy gra
v
e which, at that moment, felt like exactly the right thing to do.