In this light, the
leaves of the plants shone so green they almost hurt
Lina's eyesOn the days when she'd come here with her
I father, Lina had spent hours wandering along the

I gravel paths that ran between the vegetable beds, snifff'
ing the leaves, poking her fingers into the dirt, and
I learning to tell the plants apart by their look and smell
ft There were the beans and peas with their curly tenf
drils, the dark green spinach, the ruffled lettuce, and
the hard, pale green cabbages, some of them as big as a
newborn baby's headWhat she loved best was to rub
the leaves of the tomato plant between her fingers and
breathe in their pungent, powdery smell

A long, straight path led from one end of the
building to http://www.enluxury.com/categorys_92_Coco-Chanel-Shoulder-Bag_1.html" target="_blank the otherAbout halfway down the path,
Clary was crouching by a bed of carrotsLina ran
toward her, and Clary smiled, brushed the dirt from
her hands, and stood up


59



Clary was tall and solid, with big hands and
knobby knucklesShe had a square jaw and square
shoulders, and brown hair cut in a short, squarish way
You might have thought from looking at her that she
was a gruff, unfriendly person--but her nature was
just the oppositeShe was more comfortable with
plants than with people, Lina's father had always said
She was strong but shy, a person of much knowledge
but few wordsLina had always liked herEven when
she was little, Clary did not treat her like a baby but
gave her jobs to do--pulling up carrots, http://www.muluxury.com/category_3_Chloe_1.html" target="_blank picking
bugs off cabbagesSince her parents had died, Lina
had come many times to talk to Clary, or just to
work silently beside herClary was always kind to her,
and working with the plants took Lina's mind off her
grief

"Well," said ClaryShe smiled at Lina, wiped her
hands on her already grimy pants, and smiled some
moreFinally she said, "You're a messenger

"Yes," said Lina, "and I have a message for youIt's
from Arbin Swinn'Please add four extra crates to my
order, two of potatoes and two of cabbages"I can't do that" she said"At least,
I can send him the cabbages, but only one small crate
of potatoes

"Why?" asked Lina

"Well, we have a sort of problem with the
potatoes


60



"What is it?" asked http://www.culuxury.com/scategory_28_Omega-Watches.html" target="_blank LinaClary had a habit of
answering questions in the briefest possible wayYou
had to keep asking and asking before she would believe
you really wanted to know and weren't just being
politeThen she would explain, and you could see how
much she knew, and how much she loved her work

"I'll show you," she saidShe led the way to a bed
where the green leaves were spotted with blackI haven't seen it beforeWhen you dig up the
potatoes, they're runny inside instead of hard, and they

; stinkI'm going to have to throw out all the ones in this

bedThere are only a few beds left that aren't infected

Most people in Ember had potatoes at every

I meal--mashed, boiled, stewed, roastedThey'd had

\ fried potatoes, too, in the days http://www.naluxury.com/categorys_92_Coco-Chanel-Shoulder-Bag_2.html" target="_blank before the cooking oil
ran out

| "I'd hate it if we couldn't have potatoes anymore,"

I Lina said

I "I would, too," said Clary

* They sat on the edge of the potato bed and talked

for a while, about Lina's grandmother and the baby,
about the trouble Clary was having with the beehives,
and about the greenhouse sprinkler system"It hasn't
worked right since Clary hesitated and glanced

; sideways at Lina"For a long time," she saidShe didn't

I want to say "since your father died" Lina understood
that"I should go," she said"I have to


61



take Arbin Swinn the answer to his message

"I hope you'll come again," said Clary"You can
come whenever you can come any time Lina said
thank you and turned to http://www.naluxury.com/categorys_2_Gucci-Purse_1.html" target="_blank g