THE DYING OF THE SUNSHE FELT the heat become more intense, she pebbled cartroad bite into her calloused feet. She seemed to have forgotten about everything
except the sun crawling through the thinning banana grove, flickering through the wilting fronds, creeping after her. She increased her pace and, running, even stumbled. But the sun outpaced her,
and had settled triumphantly upon her hut before she reached the foot of the bamboo stairs. Beads of sweat dripped from her hair; her kimona was drenched at the back.
Under the shed that hung over the stairs, she felt briefly at ease. But the dying sun stole through the slits in the nipa shed. Hurriedly she wiped her face. She remembered again.
“I told them so! I told them so!”
Her eyes smarted. She touched her lids and felt her fingertips
