She gripped her distended abdomen as another pain
tore through her lower body and shimmied down her
thighs. When it was over， she panted laboriously， like a
wounded animal， trying to garner strength for the next
assault， which she knew would seize her within minutes.
Undoubtedly it would come， because she didn t think she
would be allowed to die before the baby was born.
She shivered convulsively. The rain was cold， each
drop a tiny needle that pricked her skin， and it had soaked
through the tattered dress and the few undergarments she
had managed to hold together with clumsy knots. The rags
clung to her like a damp shroud， a cloying weight that
anchored her to the marshy ground as securely as did the
relentless pain. She was chilled to the bone， but perspira-
tion had clammily glazed her skin after endless hours of
painful labor.
When had it begun? Last night just after sunset.
Through the night， the ache in the lower part of her back
had intensitled until it crawled farther around her middle to
twist her womb between angry fists. Cloud-obscured skies
made it difficult to determine the time of day， but she
guessed it to be midmorning by now.
She concentrated on the leafy pattern of the tree limbs
against the gray sky overhead as the next contraction wrung
her insides.
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