tION by Doris Lessing February 26, 1955
t year as t gat too bad. Sters like to kno a simple t, born and broug got. teping. Margaret ill did not understand altoget. But sting to learn ticed t for all Riceps, t go bankrupt. Nor did t very ricably.
t rise up to— country, cold and dusty in er, but no monteamy t rose in , soft iful it -green folds and ry beneatains lying sy miles off, beyond t used to it. One does not look so muc ty. So t evening, locusts are expected, coming doinct o look about trees. Insects, s Ric mountaintop. “e s in seven years,” one said, and ts do.” And this season!”
But t on as usual, until one day, ead for tepopped, raised ed. “Look, look!” ed. “they are!”
Margaret to join t t came ts from tcood and gazed. Over tain reak of rust-colored air. Locusts. they came.
At once, Riced at tep to beat ty ploo summon t moments of crisis. to tore to collect tin cans—any old bits of metal. t of ting at ting excitedly. Soon to tephem orders: hurry, hurry, hurry.
And off tes Margaret could see t ed field. tcivated soil, ced up t leaves onto to make t c-colored still, s as selepo say, Quick, quick, s! Old Smiten to t your fires started! For, of course, , it o play fair. Everyryside, t anselepood cs. trange darkness, for t fire, comes doorted—a t orange. It oo, orm. ts . Noo tself.
Margaret ep, finis every leaf and blade off t it’s only early afternoon. If tle sometle going. It’s ty his.”
So Margaret to tcoked up ter. Noin roof of tcs, or a scratcin slope. of ting and banging and clanging of a rol tins and bits of metal. Stepiently ed rol tin ea—, s, and orange-colored—and anoter. In time, old y years back, en out, made bankrupt by t armies. And till talking, ed trol cans, one in eac cornerops, and jogged off doo to ty laborers.
By nos looked out and sas, and s eet into it; s every ures, looking at o ed legs. S and ran to t ing, and ten iron from t, all trees ill, clotted s, ted to to be moving, s cra all, so toains, it o driving rain; even as scted out s. It ed blackness. tree dotled o ts, a man came running. More tea, more er supplied t toked and filled tins ernoon and ts had been pouring across overhead for a couple of hours.
Up came old Steps underfoot ep, locusts clinging all over at t topped briefly, ily pulling at ts and to t-free living room.
“All t,” he said.
But till beating, till sing, and Margaret asked, “, then?”
“t settling. to settle and lay.