Uncle Abe tells me, "I "xpecting you"re eager to nip off on some adventure by yourself. You"re learning fast, but like I told you before, these things take practice, or you can find yourself in mighty trouble. That means, this first lesson, I"ll be taking us. Scoot closer."
Abe is sitting on the ground, his back still against one of the stones. I move closer, both scared and eager.
Abe is short. The top of his head comes to my forehead. His feet at the end of his short, bowed legs rest just below my knees. I"m so used to being the little one—at home and at school—and Abe always seeming larger than he is; this takes me by surprise.
"First thing you be learnin" is that you wanna leave your body somewhere it won"t fall or slip off and come to harm."
He looks at me all serious like. "And i
