Random House Publishing Group. Media The Water Dancer. Save Not today. Format ebook. Author Ta-Nehisi Coates. Publisher Random House Publishing Group. Release 24 September Search for a digital library with this title Search by city, ZIP code, or library name Learn more about precise location detection. View more libraries She wondered about that foreign word, the husky breath of it stealing into her veins.
She opened her eyes and screamed. A huge wolf crouched, prepared to leap. Bared fangs dripped white foam and a wild madness glistened in its eyes. A forest glen bled into a dense spread of trees. The fading sunlight turned the grass to a rippling gray sea.
A small boy cowered at the base of the largest oak, his terrified face locked on the growling animal. It was late spring, the fragrance of tilled earth and foliage wafting thick on the fierce wind, but the scent of fear cut through the heavy air. He squeezed her hand tighter.
Never, ever let go. You are a time dancer but you are untrained. If I am not with you to anchor you, you become one with the past. Do you understand, Jana? You will be lost in memory forever and not even I could find you. Never let go of my hand. We cannot interfere. We can cause no good or harm. We are merely watchers.
Her heart pounded. A huge man charged from the woods carrying a torch, his mouth opened in a bellow. Sparks flew and the scorched smell of hair exploded as he clubbed the wolf away from the child.
The wolf yelped, then turned as if to charge again. The man widened his stance and jabbed with the fire. The animal shied away but circled, looking for a new opening. Its haunches quivered with the need to attack. It feinted left. Huge and brawny, the man moved with the grace of a stag. He swiveled on one foot and swung the flaming stick again, this time catching the animal on the muzzle. A yelp bled to a whine and the wolf sped away. The man rushed to the child.
He held the torch high, jerked the boy to a stand and frantically searched him for wounds. How many times have I told you not to wander from the field? He could be no more than five. He was an old man when he told me the tale. It was so hard to imagine him as a child. Jana thought hard.
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