Summary

In Chapter 1, Zorrie Underwood was troubled by her age. She had "been known throughout the county as a hard worker," and was frustrated with her tiring body (3). One day after falling in the garden, she lay on the daybed and slept. She had begun syncopating her routine with "regularly scheduled naps" (4). When she woke up, she looked at the empty bed beside her and felt an unfamiliar longing.

After Zorrie's parents died, she moved in with her aunt. Her aunt was bitter, often cruel to Zorrie. The one happy thing in Zorrie's life was school. She especially loved her teacher Mr. Thomas and the "the stories he told" his students (5). When Zorrie was not at school, she was at home helping with the animals, "or the cooking or the sewing" (6). Sometimes her aunt talked about the past or sang songs about love.

When...