Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen is set in the extreme heat of the month of August.

It was a hot day in August.
It was so hot, if you stood still too long in the vacant lot, the sun bouncing off a chunk of broken glass or metal could fry a patch on your hide.
So hot, if you were packing candy, you had soup in your pocket by two o'clock.
So hot, the dogs were tripping on their own tongues.