Grace, Fallen from

Omniscience

12 OMNISCIENCE To฀shrink฀down฀and฀not฀be฀small but฀just฀to฀see฀again,฀he฀said฀ of฀the฀past,฀the฀past฀as฀broken฀mirror, as฀weird-looking฀stick because฀this฀was฀the฀woods, halfway฀through฀the฀hike. To฀refrain฀from฀the฀cheesy,฀the฀self-serving,฀from knowing฀too฀much.฀฀That฀voice,฀ his฀again.฀฀So฀there฀were฀rules.฀But฀how฀can฀we know฀too฀much,฀she฀said.฀฀Memory, she฀said,฀come฀on,฀it’s฀all฀about forgetting.฀฀Think฀of฀the฀things lost฀to฀make฀that฀box of฀odds฀and฀ends.฀฀They kept฀walking.฀฀Somewhere,฀a฀real฀road.฀฀They฀could hear฀it.฀฀He฀almost฀told฀her, you’ll฀test฀me฀now.฀฀You’ll฀ask฀me฀ how฀long฀did฀it฀take฀ to฀hold฀a฀pencil,฀to฀write฀the฀word fabulous฀or฀maybe฀just฀dog for฀the฀first฀time.฀฀And฀if฀he฀ shook฀his฀head—฀See?฀฀she’d฀say, see?฀฀I฀remember฀the฀fifth฀grade,฀he฀said,฀ those฀endless฀afternoons,฀don’t฀you?฀฀฀ Not฀one,฀she฀said.฀฀They฀got฀quiet,฀the฀river on฀their฀left฀now,฀the฀water too฀low.฀฀The฀whole฀world needed฀rain.฀฀But฀she฀flashed on฀that฀strange฀little storefront฀in฀Oregon฀once,฀ the฀counterman฀saying:฀฀why,฀there฀ you฀are!฀฀I’ve฀been฀waiting฀a฀decade for฀you฀to฀walk฀in฀here. 13 Then฀she฀was฀telling฀it,฀outloud,฀in฀the฀air.฀฀Probably฀฀ a฀pick-up฀line,฀he฀said.฀฀What฀ were฀you?฀฀20?฀฀22?฀฀Sudden฀click in฀her฀head,฀a฀double฀take,฀two exposures,฀one฀picture, the฀first฀shock฀of฀it฀back฀ from฀the฀photo฀lab: and฀here฀I฀thought ฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀ it฀merely฀some฀brilliant฀bit฀of฀the฀novel my฀life฀was฀writing.฀฀Did฀they฀pause? Because฀I฀hear฀him฀about฀to฀say:฀฀ so฀you฀kept฀it,฀that’s funny.฀฀They฀walked฀on.฀฀A฀field opened฀up.฀฀Is฀that฀ a฀song฀sparrow or฀a฀white-throat?฀฀he฀said.฀฀I฀can’t฀remember,฀she฀said,฀notes rushing฀downward฀but฀three฀clear hesitations฀before฀that฀great blurring.฀฀It฀got฀darker,฀ crooked฀ash฀and฀ivy,฀an฀overgrown฀ path฀where฀I฀stopped. Where฀the฀two฀of฀them kept฀going. ฀ ฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀ ...