Seven days later I still haven’t heard any word from Aaron or about his wellbeing. It was after the third day of hearing no news that I began to worry. The last memory I have of Aaron is his hand reaching out to me while his other holds onto a shaking branch above the water. Many times the thought has entered my mind that Aaron may have fallen into the water too. Each time this thought runs through my mind, I instantly become ill, and I find it impossible to breathe. I cannot even fathom the idea of Aaron’s life ending in the creek because of my stupidity. How could I put his life in danger for a damn cow? Today the nonviable, Beth, has taken me to the same hot spring I bathed in before the grouping ceremony which occurred months earlier so I can soak my body for a few hours. The h
