āDid you know I can stare at an eclipse without wearing those ridiculous glasses?ā
āI assumed.ā
āYes,ā August sat among a patch of sunflowers, staring at the dirt while I weeded around the strawberries.
āYou ok?ā
āCan I be?ā
āI drew the Five of Wands for you today. Scattered sticks, fractured mind. Somethingās working against you, probably youāre working against yourself.ā I sat back on my haunches and threw some crabgrass into a bucket. August looked up at me.
āThereās so much I can do. Iāve only scratched the surface. I want to learn it all, but,ā he dropped his head and shook it. I heard him sigh, a hollow sound, like the wind through a cavern, āthereās no guide. Iām flailing around in the dark.ā
āCan I help?ā I shouldnāt have asked. I already give him everything.
āYou can let me feed off your energy. Like I do with the cats and birds.ā He stood up, āI donāt kill them now, I learned how to take just enough. They recover quickly.ā In a second he was next to me, his icy hand on my cheek.
I ran. It was a stupid thing to do, but I ran.