Bearstone

After dark, Walter begins to worry about Cloyd. He’s supposed to report to Susan if Cloyd doesn’t return. He steps outside and calls to him but hears nothing. The kid could have drowned in the nearby Piedra River.

He’s about to go to the riverbank and search when Cloyd knocks on the door. The boy is wet, his shoes muddy: He must have crossed the irrigation ditch. Walter has him remove his shoes and come inside for a much-needed meal. Cloyd finishes quickly; Walter offers him seconds, but he declines: “He felt freer refusing food” (20). For dessert, Walter brings up from the basement a jar of peaches in syrup. He adds ice cream, and Cloyd can’t resist.

They talk about the canyons in Utah and the cliff houses of the Ancient Ones. Cloyd asks if there are ruins nearby; Walter says there are a few. Walter asks where Cloyd hiked earlier in the day. The boy admits he climbed the ridge. Walter says that was one of his favorite spots when he was younger.

Cloyd’s bedroom is upstairs. He goes there and finds his duffel bag. Holding the bearstone, he lies on the bed and thinks, “This was a good place, Walter’s farm” (22).