Verdigris Ravine Three snakes are beginning to nest in your voicebox.

His choice of words prompted a sharp inhale from Towhee. She didn’t want to think of it that way. Whatever had come out of her body hadn’t looked anything like a child. It hadn’t been like Blackbird and Butterfly at all. Those names still brought a small ache to her chest, even now.

Evidently the green mixture would help her recover. Towhee threw him a grateful look and a nod of understanding. Infections could be deadly and this one had been pretty gnarly. She thought she was out of the woods now but she had a significant recovery ahead of her.

Good advice, doc, she said. I’ll make sure to follow it. Gonna rest now, as a matter of fact, she announced wearily, tacking on a final, Thanks, before she sprawled again, closing her eyes against the desert sun.