Carrie sometimes told them. She was their amulet encompassing as she could conscience and record, hope, uncertainty. She did not need to speak. 1 need not offer tales and drums on storming nights but those without compasses sometimes do it anyway.
        Esme(e) rounded on us, faced us, fists to hips defied us to fail her, to withstand her; it was the same; her cause was just; she made it so if it had not been so before, and we could no longer tell.
        Then the mellow sea of light pervading meadow and sky alike was galvanized to spurs and stars of churning incandescence orbiting the glowing globe about her, evanescence coalesced in her and burst scintillating outward to surround us and ignite the sheltering trees with her passion which knew no borders, none at all, of distance, time, substance, phase, none at all, of speech, desire, intent, view.
        Esme(e) faced us, "We can save her!" and did not doubt it.
        Violet regarded her unmoving. Gently knew her, knew the selfish nugget deep within this 1 time Esme(e) selfish and she would fail, she would lose. Violet knew it sadly, gently, and would not have altered Esme(e)'s words applying them to her sister for they could not but fail.
        They must.
        They could not fail Esme(e) whatever the cost.
        Whatever she asked.
        But what she asked.