The Valkyries Read Online Free PDF

grow in their souls.
    “Let’s take off our clothes,” Paulo said.
    “But someone might be watching,” Chris said automatically.
    Paulo laughed. They could see for miles around them. The day before, when they had been out walking all morning and afternoon, only two carshad passed—and, even then, they had heard the sound of their approach long before the cars had appeared. The desert was the sun, the wind, and the silence.
    “Only our angels are watching,” he answered. “And they’ve already seen us naked many times.”
    He took off his shorts and his shirt and the canteen, placing them all in the bag.
    Chris struggled to keep from laughing. She took her clothes off too, and in a few moments they were two people crossing the Mojave in their sneakers, their hats, and their sunglasses—one of them carrying a bag. Anyone watching would find it hilarious.

Chapter 11
     
    T HEY WALKED FOR HALF AN HOUR. THE car was still just a point on the horizon, but—in contrast to the lake—it was growing in size as they approached it. They would be there in a short while.
    Suddenly, Chris felt tremendously tired.
    “Let’s rest for a few minutes,” she said.
    Paulo stopped immediately, saying, “I can’t carry this bag anymore. I’m really tired.”
    How could he not be able to carry the bag? Even with everything it held, it couldn’t weigh more than six or seven pounds.
    “You have to carry it. The water’s in there.”
    Right, he had to carry it.
    “Well then, let’s get going,” he said irritably.
    Everything was so romantic just a few minutes ago,
thought Chris. And now he was irritated. Well, forget it. She was tired, too.
    They walked a bit farther, and their exhaustion worsened. If it were up to her, nothing more would be said—she didn’t want to make things worse.
    What a dope,
she thought. To get angry in the midst of such beauty, and right after they had been talking about such interesting things as…
    She couldn’t remember, but it wasn’t important. She was too tired to think now.
    Paulo stopped and put the bag down in the sand. “Let’s rest,” he said.
    He didn’t seem irritated now. He must be getting tired, too. Just like her.
    There was no shade. But she needed to rest.
    They sat down on the hot sand. The fact that they were naked and that the ground burned their skin didn’t matter. They had to stop. Just for a while.
    She remembered what they had been discussing: horizons. She noticed that now, even without wanting to, she had the feeling that her soul had grown. And it seemed like her second mind had stopped working altogether. She didn’t think of melodies or repetitious things, and she didn’t even care if someone was watching them walk naked across the desert.
    Nothing was important. She felt relaxed, un-worried, free.
    They sat there for a few minutes in silence. It was hot, but the sun didn’t bother them. If it started to, they had plenty of water.
    He stood up first.
    “I think we had better keep walking. It’s not far to the car now. We’ll rest in the air-conditioning when we get there.”
    She was sleepy. She just wanted to nap for a bit. But she got up, anyway.
    They walked a bit farther, and now the car was getting close. Not more than ten minutes to walk.
    “Since we’re so close, let’s sleep for a while. Five minutes.”
    Sleep for five minutes? Why would he say that? Was he reading her mind? There couldn’t be any problem with sleeping for just five minutes. They could get a good tan, as if they’d been to the beach.
    They sat down again. They had been walking for half an hour, not counting their pauses. Why couldn’t they just sleep for five minutes or so?
    They heard the sound of a motor. Half an hour earlier, she would have leaped up and dressed in a hurry. But now, so what? It didn’t matter at all. Let anyone look who wants to look. It didn’t make any difference to her. She just wanted to sleep.
    Paulo and Chris watched calmly as a truck drove down