ā @relamb ā¤'d for a "teeny tiny" starter !
They did not go into town often. Packed into one of the white trucks in a way that always made her think of the small cans of sardines sitting untouched on the kitchen shelf. Which made her think of the keys and how when the driver took a turn too fast, God might decide to twist it and peel back the roof of the cab to shake them all loose.
Fortunately, He hadn't, yet, and she wondered if maybe He didn't like sardines either.
Something was happening in Fall's End, it was much busier than usual. She watched as the people who were smiling, stopped when they saw the truck, moving to the other side of the street. The driver, Isaiah, mumbled something, a verse or an irritated comment, as he navigated into an open spot beside a police cruiser. They weren't supposed to talk to people unless it was to share the Father's word, but the sheriff was standing in the shade of the grocers with one of the deputies, and she knew Isaiah couldn't resist. He'd grown up around Hope County, knew Whitehorse from way back. Secretly, Fox wondered if that's why he always offered to drive. He wasn't ready yet to let go of the life he had before. She never said anything to the Seeds because Isaiah was nice and sometimes he let her pick out chocolate on these rare trips. The others, however, she figured it was only a matter of time. There would be no more trips after that.
They spilled out of the car like sardines set free from a cage into a river of people. The others had their orders, their slips of paper with supplies written down, leaving her with Isaiah and Sheriff Earl and the one he introduced as Acacia. Her hair, hanging from it's pony tail, was the same color Fox always imagined that holy wood to be. It made her smile a little and emboldened her to speak where she was otherwise silent.
"How do you like Hope County?" She asked softly, gaze fleeting, not wanting to linger too long. "It is a good time of year, the end of summer."









