As Trn rose for the lamp the boy tugged the covers over his head. As he did every night now, this metamorphosis, nature inverted, a chrysalis of bedclothes. You could have said anything else. You could have said that was a problem of subtraction you couldn’t do in your head.

I hope you’re not chewing your nails there.

No.

What’s that squelching sound I hear?

My tongue’s feeling for my spit makers.

            Trn stayed his hand, prolonged the light for them both a few moments more. No map in the world had a space for their country now. Vague beneath the blanket he stroked the pegs of the spine, the ribs, the unfledged blade of shoulder. In the dark he sat a while longer, a hand poised over the little cradle of bones. How could anything I might ever do possibly be enough?

Whispering, Good dreams, I love you, he rose to leave in the dark.

***

He counted them but they were the same flight of seventeen he always trudged up to the flat, a hollow sound in the dark of the stairs, as if each step beneath the scuff of his soles were empty stone. He pulled his fingers one by one out of the gloves, on the landing unlaced his boots, came in quietly shutting the door.

            From the kitchen door Alena leaned out into the hall, her eyes bearing on his.

            He went in very well, Trn said.

            She pursed her lips and was gone. He hung his coat, scarf over that, hat last, coupled gloves in his coat pocket.

            Is your father up? 

            She said, I don’t know.

            At the counter she rolled dough for dumplings.

            We talked on the way again about Adam, Trn said. I think he’ll be fine.

            And what makes you think that?

            I told him Adam was upset about his father.

            Her shoulders worked her elbows like pistons, the red embroidered hem of the apron leaping.

            And when we are upset, I told him, angry at the world because we can’t be angry with the person who’s upset us, we often launch our anger anywhere because we hurt everywhere, so we think it doesn’t matter.

            And what did Aleks say?

            He listened, Trn said. He didn’t say much but I think he understood.

            She glanced over her shoulder.

            And the next time Adam pushes him down and kicks him, everything will be fine.

            I told him to keep away from Adam.

            But who’s going to tell Adam to keep away from him? Tell Adam that he’s only angry with the world?

            If it happens again I will speak to the teacher.

She lifted and slapped the dough against the counter, arched her weight to flatten it with the heels of both hands.