2 We put our bags in the room, then walked down the road, hoping to find someplace to eat. We passed two mobile homes, a house the color of a school bus, a long driveway that curved back into the woods. After maybe half a mile we came to a store with a portable sign that read FURLOW'S COKE TWO 4ONE LOTTERY. There weretwo gaspumps out front, both with plastic bags over the handles, and there were cars and trucks parked everywhere, but we went inside and found only a girl working the register and a boy who seemed to be her boyfriend, from the way they whispered back and forth, the way he leaned over the counter and touched her. The girl said, "Welcome to Furlows, y'all." She had short brown hair, and bright red splotches spotted her face and neck. The boy pulled back and turned away, started to examine the rows of candy bars next to the counter. My mother spoke to the girl, then pointed to a sign offering different kinds of biscuit sandwiches, aswell as barbecue or hot wings. "Pick out what you want for supper," she told me. "I think I'd better get a few things for the room." I walked down the first aisle, then came back to the counter, 9 We put our bags in the room, then walked down the road, hoping to find someplace to eat. We passed two mobile homes, a house the color of a school bus, a long driveway that curved back into the woods. Mter maybe half a mile we came to a store with a portable sign that read FURLOW'S COKE TWO 4 ONE LOTTERY. There were two gas pumps out front, both with plastic bags over the handles, and there were cars and trucks parked everywhere, but we went inside and found only a girl working the register and a boy who seemed to be her boyfriend, from the way they whispered back and forth, the way he leaned over the counter and touched her. The girl said, "Welcome to Furlow's, y'all." She had short brown hair, and bright red splotches spotted her face and neck. The boy pulled back and turned away, started to examine the rows ofcandy bars next to the counter. My mother spoke to the girl, then pointed to a sign offering different kinds ofbiscuit sandwiches, as well as barbecue or hot wings. "Pick out what you want for supper," she told me. "I think I'd better get a few things for the room." 1walked down the first aisle, then came back to the counter, 9 where I saw a bowl filled with wooden animal figures—dogs and cows, but mostly fish. A hand-lettered sign taped to the bowl read "Good Luck Charms." I picked up a fish no more than an inch long. "There's a retarded man that lives down on the creek that makes them," the girl said. "Carves them with his pocketknife. He brings them up here, and we sell them for him. He dont make but fifty cent on each one." I pulled out two quarters and handed them toward the girl. "No, itstwo-fifty," shesaid. "But hedon't makebut fifty cent. It ain't fair, I know. I told Mr. Furlow, but he don't care. And the man that carvesthem, he cant talk or understand what you say to him either one, so he takeswhat you givehim. It's apity. He's a real nice man. He wouldn't hurt a soul, I don't believe, but it scaresthe devil out of you to look at him. His face is all burned and scarred up, and one of his eyes is missing, and the first time he come in here, I run into the back of the store, but Mr. Furlow made me come out front again, and then he told me all about him. He seems like a sweet man, justscary." My mother set a can of bug spray, a can of Lysol, a roll of paper towels, and a screwdriver onto the counter. I asked her what the screwdriverwasfor. "We'll see," she said. The girl started ringing up our purchases and bagging them. She handed me the carving. "Here you go," she said in a soft voice. "I hope that brings you some really good luck." I never believed the little fish had anything to do with luck, but I did start...