I wondered if the sight of my bare back was as uncomfortable for him as the sight of his was for me. I'd been scrubbing my arms and my face under the cold water from the tap for five minutes when I heard Theo clear his throat behind me. It was still hard to have eyes on my skin, even harder than grabbing Sher's hand or Frances's shoulder. Most people in town knew what kind of animal I was, and if they didn't they wouldn't learn from seeing me with my head under the tap. I took a deep breath as I pulled my wet shirt off and approached the pump behind the machine shop. 'If I find Theo, I'll send him over with some towels.' She looked at me again. 'Mags put her foot down after Theo left spare parts on the cushions,' Sher told me. 'You think oil stains don't improve the furniture?' I grinned and shook my hair out like a dog.

'If you can clean yourself up enough to sit on real furniture, I'll get some tea and scones from Mags,' Sher offered, reaching a hand out to help me up. 'I can't do a thing with this until LeRoy brings me a new belt, or a ten foot lever and an immovable fulcrum to get this nut off.' I planted my boots in the cold muck under the generator and slid out to face her. 'Oh, hell, I wanted to talk to the both of you.' 'Oh, he was,' I said, giving up on the pulley nut and using my wrench as a hammer, 'but he was so hung over he couldn't swear right, so I sent him away before he spoiled my fun.' 'I thought Theo was going to help you before he went back to the Underbridge,' she said to my feet. I was swearing at the generator in the shed the next day when Sherrea came to find me. 'I didn't ask,' I told her, and took the beer she held out to me. 'She'll be over in the square, too, setting up for the whoop tonight.'įrances stuck her head out of the kitchen as the stranger turned away. 'I'm looking for Sherrea - I need to talk to her about zebras.' He grinned back at me and shook his head. 'Hey! Looking to trade? They're all up in the square.' I set my empty beer down on the porch and lifted a hand back. 'Hey'dho!' a stranger said, lifting his hand up to me.

Bone Dance by Emma Bull