@@@@@The water and the cooler night air were
@@@@@The water and the cooler night air were making us lucid, something we did not wantWe rolled
over, to bury our face against the sand againWe were so tired, past the point of exhaustion and
into some deeper, more painful stateSurely we could sleepAll we had to do was not thinkWhen we woke, it was still night, but dawn was threatening on the eastern horizon?the
mountains were lined with dull redOur mouth tasted of dust, and at first we were sure that we
had dreamed Uncle Jeb's appearanceOur head was clearer this morning, and we noticed quickly the strange shape near our right
cheek?something that was not a rock or a cactusWe touched it, and it was hard and smoothWe nudged it, and the delicious sound of sloshing water came from insideUncle Jeb was real, and he'd left us a canteenWe sat up carefully, surprised when we didn't break in two like a withered stickActually, we
felt betterThe water must have had time to work its way through some of our bodyThe pain
was dull, and for the first time in a long while, we felt hungry againOur fingers were stiff and clumsy as we twisted the cap from the top of the canteenIt wasn't
all the way full, but there was enough water to stretch the walls of our belly again?it must have
shrunkWe drank it all
