Lise takes girl for a walk in the long dry fields, bringing a matchbook, a torch, and a can of gasoline with her. It's a fine sunny day out here, and girl often stoops down to break a brittle stalk of some dead weed. Lise walks stiffly, sharply, as she is accustomed to; girl skips and hops, laughs or smiles. Girl is dressed thinly, in a t-shirt and shorts. Lise wears chartreuse over red.

``Is it the right place yet, Lise?''

``No.''

They walk further, Lise slightly ahead, choosing directions. The exact center is somewhere near here. It's just a question of spiraling inward toward it.

``When are we getting to the right place?''

``Soon.''

Lise makes the circles smaller. It's right there in the exact center; we just can't see it from here through the weeds.

``Why are we going around and around?''

``Aren't.''

``Are too.''

Lise lets it go. They walk on, girl continuing to bounce, Lise continuing to decide on the right circle for the next go-round. Perhaps if we angle away a little this time. Now we angle back in. We will approach by degrees.

``Lise, what are the matches for?''

``Fire.''

``Why do we need a fire?''

``Burn.''

``Burn what?''

It's been days now. Girl hasn't lost her energy, but she's impatient. Lise feels it closer; we're getting closer. Just a minute or a lifetime more, and we'll be there. The can of gasoline seems lighter every time.

And like that, Lise stops.

``Here.''

It's the exact center. Lise knows it. Girl doesn't.

``I don't see anything! Are you sure it's here?''

``Yes.''

Lise looks into girl's eyes for the first time.

``Sit.''

Girl sits. ``Are you sure it's here?''

``Yes.''

``Now I have to stay perfectly still, right?''

``Yes.''

Girl stays perfectly still as Lise lights the torch and pours the gasoline. She watches as girl, staying perfectly still, burns. She removes the chartreuse, then the red, and lies down, the flames growing out of the weeds, surrounding her. ``Looks like rain,'' she says, staring up at the sore dry clouds as the thick white globules start to fall.

It's a coarse rainy day out here--