"Here," Shasta said to Nesho, "let me take that basket. You have enough to carry with the baby." Thank you, dear," Nesho replied handing over the bask...t. "She is getting to be quite a little package nowadays. Thankfully she's asleep." That must be quite a fire if we can see it from here," Shasta whispered."Oh, aye," a male voice chuckled from somewhere behind them. "They was told to set a fire and a fire they did set. It's amazing what a few pots of oil on a wooden building will do. Can't say. "Oh dear."How are you, Mary. Such a long time..." Not too well, Eric. When can we get together to talk?"Wow, she was in a hurry."You tell me, girl." Now? I am in the city."Damn. What was going on? The clock said 5 p.m."Sure. Starbucks down here?"She already had hung up. I stared at the phone.She looked worse than Irene had these months. When I kissed her on the cheek, I felt a tremble.She sat down, arms tight, knees together, all closed up."What is wrong, Mary?" I asked. "You seem very. ”“Oh, okay ... Missed that angle.”“Yeah,” he said. “and for quite a while back, she’s been showing up at church with HIM. I guess that’s one reason that the preacher didn’t call down fire and brimstone about the fourteen year old getting married.”“They walk the walk,” I said.“Yep. If Cindy’s right...” he started.“And I’ve been told that Cindy’s ALWAYS right...” I laughed.“Yeah, that’s the safe way to bet. She says they’ve not gotten past vigorous hugs and kisses. She’s a virgin. He’s had his. A sharp sting hits the back of my skull, almost as one would expect a stapler to feel.Some more lotion is applied to my now bald scalp before something resembling a black and white rubber swimming cap is pulled tightly over my face. It has a mouth hole, a slightly moulded nose with 2 nostril holes and an opening for each eye. It is so tight over my head as i hear a zipper fastening, followed by a soft metallic click of a padlock. Soft touches are made along my spine, over where the zipper is,.