It’s raining on the roof, thought Pablo. The last snow is melting and the earth is beginning to open. Soon the breeze will be warm and the smells will be sweet. It was a long winter, but the cabin was cozy with Bonny and Ditto and a cellar of food. And the crackling fire. What a pleasant place to be, on the edge of spring in the rain, in the warmth of our cabin.
And they said, “Speak to us of beauty.”
And Blurtso replied,
“The horizon is red, and night is falling.”
I can hear the last train… the night animals will be out. Tomorrow I’ll see their tracks in the snow. It must be exciting, moving quietly, feeling the pulse in your temples, seeing the hills in the grey light, and hearing the slender sound of the creek…
Maybe I should go for a walk.
The ice is melting… it will soon be spring.
Pablo? What are you doing? Please come back to bed…
That was the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever eaten, said Blurtso. Yes, said Bonny, the Main Street Café is a fine café.
What are you looking at? said Harlan. There’s a crack in one of the window panes, said Blurtso. Is there? said Harlan. Yes, said Blurtso, a hairline crack in the bottom-right corner of the left door. So there is, said Harlan. It makes you think about the rest of the glass, said Blurtso, and the other panes that are still intact. Yes it does, said Harlan. Glass is an amazing thing, said Blurtso. It’s made of sand, said Harlan. Is it? said Blurtso. Yes, said Harlan, quartz sand that has been heated to over 4,000 degrees fahrenheit. I didn’t know that, said Blurtso. Glass is often overlooked, said Harlan. Yes it is, said Blurtso, until it has a crack. Do you think it should be replaced? said Harlan. I don’t know, said Blurtso, the windows are laminated so it probably won’t spread. Oh yes, said Harlan, I forgot. And we might miss the crack, said Blurtso, when it’s gone. Yes, said Harlan, and lose our appreciation for the panes that are not cracked.