I take a deep breath and heave the cabbage as hard as I can at the sky. It rises, hangs for just an instant against the tree line, and falls. I run to catch it but can’t make it in time. it hits the dirt at the garden’s edge with a crack. The trees shiver in a disapproving wind. Annell had a better arm than I do. Her throws always rose high enough that the skies accepted her sacrifice. Why isn’t she here? Why did she have to leave instead of me?

I have thought of a thousand different names for our future children. Ever since our eyes first met. But right now, right at this moment when I should be the most happy, I am terrified. Terrified of the moment when Osarah and I will hunt down the animal that bears our child and kill it. Will my aim be good enough to wound it without hurting our child? Will my hands shake as I cut its belly open and pry the baby out of its innards, slick with blood?