It's summertime on the flats. Flies buzz inside homes, slamming against windows—buzz, thud, buzz
thud. If they don't find a way out, their perfect upside-down
carcasses will line the window sill. Janie has been thinking about
putting the dead flies into a jar.
Outside, Tree feels like
an old person whose bones ache before the rain. But it isn't raining.
Far from it. The heat and lack of water in mid August is causing
debilitating exhaustion. Parched, its leaves hang listless like dried
tongues. Beneath the surface, roots go into a state of stasis to
conserve energy. Not so for the sapling that grew outside tree's
canopy and whose leaves are brittle, curled and brown.
