“For t angrily, still ’s  it?” For alt a clear blue, tern of insects , everytrees, buildings, bushe moving brown masses.

    “If it doesn’t rain in t and keep tep doesn’t rain and  sunrise.”

    “e’re bound to  not t’s something.”

    Margaret roused ended s been crying, and fetcs oo exed to move. S to to rest.

    S listening. t one maize plant left, s one. t ting mac t ts  start all over again.

    , Margaret o be cra sened  told o defeat t  all time, patrolling to c in tcs—trencc. t ed every farmer to cooperate in a ing t attack locusts at t. talking as if t listened, amazed.

    In t, it ,  tled outside, except t sometimes a brancree could be heard crashing down.

    Margaret slept badly, in to yelloo tepood, outside, gazing doounded—and entranced, muc  looked as if every tree, every bus s o free t deinged gold light everywhere.

    S out to join tepping carefully among ts. tood and che sky was blue—blue and clear.

    “Pretty,” said old Stepisfaction.

    ell, t Margaret, , but not everyone  army fanning t dawn.

    Over tance, a faint red smear s teph.”

    And norees, from ts aking  maneuvering for takeoff as tried to see if t. A reddiseam  darkened.

    And as tted branced, t on tening, t but tree trunks. No green—notc up—as t to mass ender mealie plants, ark and bare. A devastated landscape—no green, no green anywhere.

    By midday, t flopped doing tins.

    “Ever eaten sun-dried locust, Margaret?” asked old Step time t