Winfield broke a tule and twisted it free, and he put the white pulp in his mouth and chewed it. They walked into the water and stood quietly, the water about the calves of their legs.
“We got the desert yet,” Ruthie said.
“What’s the desert like?”
“I don’t know. I seen pitchers once says a desert. They was bones ever’place.”
“Man bones?”
“Some, I guess, but mos’ly cow bones.”
“We gonna get to see them bones?”
“Maybe, I don’ know. Gonna go ’crost her at night. That’s what Tom said. Tom says we get the livin’ Jesus burned outa us if we go in daylight.”
“Feels nicet an’ cool,” said Winfield, and he squidged his toes in the sand of the bottom.
They heard Ma calling, “Ruthie! Winfiel’! You come back.” They turned and walked slowly back through the reeds and the willows.