Dic? ??? ???n st????? int? ? c???, t?ss?? int? ? ????, ?n? ???n??n?? t? ?i?. H? w??l? n?t ??v? s??viv?? i? n? ?n? ??? s??tt?? t?? 3-????-?l? ?it ??ll mix – ????il?, ?? w?s ?isc?v????.
“T?? ??nt??s m?v?? ??t ?n? l??t ?im in t?? ??ck???? in ? c??? wit? n? ???? ?? w?t??,” T??c?? G??in, c????n??? ?? L?x???tc???, Fl??i??-??s?? F??lin? Fin? R?sc??, t?l? T?? D???. “O? c???s?, t?? c??s ?sk?? t?? ki?s ??w l?n? t?? ??? ??? ???n t????, ?n? t??? ???li?? ??’? ???n t???? ? w??k ?? m???.”
B?t Dic? ??s m?st lik?l? ???n i?n???? ??? m?c? l?n???.
“H? ???n’t ???n n???is??? ??????l? ??? m?nt?s,” G??in ?x?l?in??. “T?? l?st w??k w?s ???ll? t?? ?ltim?t? ???????ti?n.”
T?? c??s c?nt?ct?? ?nim?l c?nt??l, w?? t??ns?????? Dic? t? ? n????? s??lt??. G??in’s ?????, w?? v?l?nt???s ?t t?? s??lt??, s?w Dic? ?nt?? ?n? ???t???????? ?im. G??in w?s ?st?nis??? ?n? ????t???k?n w??n s?? ??c?iv?? t?? ???t??????s ???m ??? ?????.
“It j?st st?l? ???? ????t? ?w??,” G??in ??m??k??. “I ??? n? i??? ??w ?? w?s still ?liv?. M? ???s w?ll?? ?? wit? t???s.”
T?? n?xt ???, G??in ?n? ??? ?????t?? Mic??l? ??sc??? Dic? ???m t?? s??lt?? ?n? ????i?? ?im t? t?? v?t.
“H? c??l?n’t w?lk m??? t??n 5 ?? 6 ???t wit???t c?ll??sin?,” G??in ?x?l?in??. “W? w??? ?t t?? v?t’s ???kin? l?t, ?n? w??n ?? t??k ?n? st?? t? ??t ?? ?n t?? si??w?lk, ?? c??l?n’t s?????t ?is ???? w?i??t ?n? ??ll.” “I ?i?n’t ??li?v? ??’? m?k? it.”
“H? w?i???? 30 ???n?s, ??t ?? s???l? ??v? w?i???? 65 ???n?s,” s?? ?x?l?in??. “H? w?s v??? ???????t?? ?n? ?n?mic.” T???? w?s n? m?sc?l?? m?ss in ?is ????, ?n? ??? c??l? s?? ?is sk?ll. His ???s w??? ???? int? ?is sk?ll. H? w??l? n?t ??v? s??viv?? i? ?? ??? ???n in t??t c??? ?n?t??? ???, in m? vi?w.”
Dic? c?m? t? liv? ?t F??lin? Fin? R?sc??, w?ic? G??in ?n? ??? ?????t?? m?n??? ???m t??i? ???s?, ?nc? ?? w?s ???lt?? ?n???? t? l??v? t?? v?t. T??? w??? ??t? im???ss?? ?? Dic?’s ??ick c?m???ck.
“H? ???w 10 ???n?s in ? w??k,” G??in ?????. “H? ??in?? 40 ???n?s in ?n? w??k.” H? w?s 50 ???n?s tw? w??ks l?t??, ?n? 65 ???n?s ?? t?? w??k?n?. Ev??? ???, ??? c??l? t?ll ? ?i?????nc? in t?? ???.
“It’s ??s?l?t?l? ?st?nis?in? t? witn?ss ??w ? ??? c?n ?? t?????? s? m?c? ?t t?? ??n?s ?? ????l? ?n?… ?? imm??i?t?l? ????? t? l?v? ?n? t??st n?w ????l?,” T?? D???’s Mic??l? G??in s?i?. “Dic? ??s ???n t?? m?st l?vin? ??? ???m t?? ??? w? m?t ?im.” H? ??s ? ??nt?stic ???s?n?lit?.”
Dic?’s ???? ???t?n? c?ntin???. In l?t? D?c?m???, ?? ?i???? t?? int???st ?? ? ??mil? s??kin? ??? ? t?i?? ???.
“T??? ??ll in l?v? wit? ?im t?? min?t? t??? s?w ?im,” T??c?? G??in ?x?l?in??. “T??? ??i? ?im m?n? visits.” T??? ?????st?? w??t??? t??? c??l? ??v? ? m??t-?n?-????t wit? t??i? tw? c????nt ???s ?n t??i? ??????t?.”
Dic? n?t ?nl? ??t ?l?n? wit? t?? ??mil?’s tw? ?t??? c?nin?s, ??t ?? ?ls? ??n??? wit? t??i? tw? littl? c?il???n ???in? t?? m??t-?n?-????t. Dic? w?s ?l?c?? wit? t?? ??mil? ?n ? ??st??-t?-????t ????n??m?nt tw? w??ks l?t??.
B?t, j?st ? ??w ???s l?t??, t?? ??mil? ??ci??? Dic? s???l? st??.
“T??? c?nt?ct?? m? l?st ni??t ?n? s?i?, ‘W?’?? m??? in l?v? wit? ?im t??n t?? ?i?st tim? w? m?t, ?n? w?’? w?nt t? n?v?? ??in? ?im ??ck,’” T??c?? G??in ?x?l?in??. “I w?s s???in? ??c??s? t?is ??mil? is sim?l? ??nt?stic… ?n? Dic? c??l?n’t ??v? ??n? t? ? nic?? ??m?.”
Dic?, ?n t?? ?t??? ??n?, ??????s t? ?? ?w??? ?? ??w ???t?n?t? ?? is ?i??t n?w.
“T?? ??mil? is t?llin? m? ??w ??st ?? ?cclim?t??, lik? i? ??’s ???n t???? ????v??,” T??c?? G??in s?i?. “On? ?? t?? ki?s c?m? ??m? ???m sc???l ??st????? ?n? s?i?, ‘I’m ?l??s?? ???’?? ????, Dic?, ???’?? n?t ??in? ??ck t? t?? ??sc??.’” I ???ll? miss?? ??? w??n I w?s in sc???l.’”
“W? s?v? ? l?t ?? ???s, ?n? t??? ?ll ??v? t?l?s, ?n? t??? ?ll c?m? ???m s?c? ????i?l? ??ck????n?s,” Mic??l? G??in ?x?l?in??. “H?w?v??, Dic? is ??sili?nt in ??w ??ickl? ?n? ?l???ntl? ?? ???nc?? ??ck.” H?’s inc???i?l? ???t?n?t? ?n? st??n? t? ??v? m??? it t?????? t?is ?n? c?m? ??t ?n t?? ?t??? si?? s? ??st ?n? ????ctiv?l?. “It w?s ???init?l? ? mi??cl?,” I s??.
In ??? n?w ??mil?’s c???, L?n? c?ntin??? t? t??iv?, ??c?min? ? t?st?m?nt t? t?? ??w?? ?? c?m??ssi?n ?n? s?c?n? c??nc?s. S?? j?in?? t??m ?n ?ik?s, ?l???? in t?? ???k, ?n? ?m???c?? t?? sim?l? j??s ?? ?v?????? li??. H?? m?t?m?????sis w?s n?t ?nl? ???sic?l ??t ?ls? ?m?ti?n?l, ?s s?? l???n?? t? t??st ?n? l?v? ???in.
L?n?’s j???n?? ???m t?? ???t?s ?? ??s??i? t? ? li?? ?ill?? wit? l?v? ?n? ????in?ss ins?i??? m?n? ?t???s t? c?nsi??? ????tin? ??sc?? ?nim?ls. H?? st??? s???k?? ? m?v?m?nt, ??isin? ?w???n?ss ????t t?? ?li??t ?? s??lt?? ??ts ?n? t?? imm??s????l? ??w???s ?? ???vi?in? t??m wit? ? l?vin? ??m?.
F??m ???nt t? ???????s, L?n?’s li?? ??? ???n t??ns???m?? in w??s ?nim??in??l?. S?? ??c?m? ? s?m??l ?? ??sili?nc? ?n? t?? ?m???im?nt ?? t?? ???n?l?ss l?v? t??t ??sc?? ?nim?ls ??? c????l? ?? ?ivin?. T?????? ??? st???, ????l? l???n?? t??t ?v??? ?nim?l ??s??v?s ? c??nc? t? s?in?, ?n? wit? c?m??ssi?n ?n? c???, t??? c?n m?t?m?????s? int? s?m?t?in? t??l? ?xt?????in???.