Trade em. Youd be surprised the things peoplell give for fresh-pick berries.

I guess so. Listen, I been meanin to ask you what statere we in?

Little girl, on your travels you happen to notice some dead people walkin around? What state are you in? Id say you are in a state of denial.

His hacking laughs turns into a cough. She takes a deep breath and waits for the mans fit to pass.

Im just kiddin you. Were in Alabama. Just outside Union Springs.

Alabama? Dang. I thought we got further.

Where you coming from?

We were in Georgia a couple days ago. Its slow goin the roads you got here are a mess.

Ill write a letter to our congressman.

Then something occurs to him, and he looks around the side of the house in the direction where Maury continues to chop wood.

You keepin an eye on that retard?

Hes all right. He does what hes told.

Albert leans forward.

Listen up to what I told you before, he says. I dont know if you quite got it. You come inside with me for a little bit, you can have all the berries you want.

Yeah, I heard you the first time. Ill pass.

He leans back to indicate the conversation is over.

Suit yourself, he says. You best get back in that field if you wanna be done by noon.

She didnt think it would be so difficult, picking the berries, but the plants are thorny and if she pulls at the berries too hard they crush to purple sap in her hands. She picks on, crouching like a toad among the bushes. By noon she is stained sapphire all over and when she sucks the blood from her pricked fingertips, it tastes like iron and bingberry mixed.

She goes back up to the porch for the last time.

There, she says. Thats ten tubs.

Good work, he says. That ones yours.

What you mean that one?

She looks down and the other nine she lined up before are gone.

You said for every five tubs I picked I got to keep one. I picked ten tubs. What you tryin to pull? And wheres the eggs you promised for Maury choppin that wood?

Freckled Albert squints at her.

I dont care for the way that retard chops. I wanted em chopped bigger.

She brushes the hair back from her forehead and licks her lips.

Open up your ears now, Albert, she says. You wanna listen to what Im tellin you and what Im tellin you is this: youre makin a mistake.

Again Albert laughs until the cough overtakes him and he hunches over, his body cramped and twisted. When he looks up again his eyes are circles of red.

What you gonna do, girl? You gonna get your retard to stomp me?