Fever Dream

Carla takes Nina and Amanda back to her house. They move slowly, and Amanda has trouble remembering all the details. David helps her fill in the blanks. She gets out of the car and sees that the wet patches on Nina’s dress have dried. Carla carries Nina inside, and Amanda is forced to follow, pulled by the rescue distance. She wants to leave but doesn’t have the will or energy to do anything but sit down. Carla bustles around making tea, and Amanda remembers the first time she met Carla. The older woman had been carrying two full water buckets past the house. She told Amanda that the tap water smelled strange that day and it was better not to drink it. Amanda had already drunk some of the water and given some to Nina when they arrived. 

Looking out the window, Amanda sees the little graves where David buried the ducks. There are 28 of them. Carla follows Amanda’s gaze and tells the other woman she is careful not to step on them when she hangs the laundry. She tells Amanda how much she misses David and that she has searched all of the nearby children for her son’s missing spirit.