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Show 100 <~-" Chua held his arm until the pain went away. "I'll watch where I run after this." The sagebrush and cactus gave way to a rough, red, rocky surface. The desert is beautiful, thought Chua. With each mesa they crossed and each canyon they climbed, the colors of the earth became redder and more golden. The sun went down, and the painter of the sky matched the sunset colors with that of the rocks. Red and gold colored the heavens aW as well as the earth. They gathered the pads from the prickly pear cactus. Toho sat on a rock and picked the spines off each pad, while Chua made a fire. He rubbed a stick on another piece of wood, back and forth, back and forth. It took a long time to get a spark to bum a dry piece of sagebrush. Chua blew on it. Then he added dry sticks and larger pieces of wood. The fire brightened and warmed the darkness. They heated their com cakes and roasted the prickly pear. Chua loved the taste of the cactus. The stickiness covered his fingers. He licked it off. The pads were crunchy and sweet. He ate until his belly was full. "The night is friendly," Toho said, as he spread his blanket on the ground. Chua lay beside him. He looked at the stars that splashed across the sky. "It's as if many glittering salt crystals have been thrown into the blackness. They shine as if they were painted there." He wondered if his father was looking at these stars. He felt peace when he thought of his father. The hoot of an owl lulled him to sleep. Each day was filled with stories. Sometimes they told legends, and often they made up adventures. Chua felt free. The desert was a giving place. |