The boy has resumed his seat on the rock, now dangling his legs over the edge. I watched her turn her cards over, rake in another pot, and lean back watching the new deal.
The back doors swung open and shut. Women and children hastily packed clothing and food and were led into the mountains.
This, cross knew, was the bureau of statistics, and these plates were the electric filing cabinets that yielded their information at the touch of a button, the spelling out of a name, a number, a key word.