Chapter II . . .

-"When we found her, she was all black."<br/> -"What's her name?"<br/> -"Ruby."	"Before we found Ruby, my people were lost. We were no more than nomads and our numbers were dwindling fast. But the tree we found her under..it had what we needed to flourish Here. Here, where before, there was nothing but desert."	"She leads a group of us back to that same tree at the start of each new season. We tried once to find it on our own, but it's never There."
"I don't know what we'd do without her..."	The people in this town have been more than hospitable toward me--they seem genuinely happy with my presence. I don't think think they get many outsiders. The man who has taken me in acts as a sort of leader Here. He has a young daughter--five--who seems particularly astounded by my camera. She has an imaginary friend named Hailee. She swears this friend is real...	-"Papa says Ruby is the reason we all can smile. He says that life here is a blessing, and we should be thankful to the Clouds for all that we have been given."<br/> -"And what do you think?"<br/> -"I think he misses Mum."
"It may seem nice now, but the season is nearly over. I worry sometimes because I know horses don't live forever...even Ruby. And I won't live forever. So where does that leave my daughter?"	-"Have you thought about leaving this place?"<br/> -"We'd have to cross the desert again...I can't put my people through that. ..I can't put her through that."	"Papa's organized an assembly in town..."
"...He left earlier this morning, while I was still sleeping. I think it must be important."	"Since everybody appears to be accounted for, I will begin with the most regrettable yet urgent news, as I feel there is little time for delay. The rumors I'm sure some of you have heard...they are true. Ruby appears to be suffering some illness. As yet, we have been unable to abate its effects."	*frantic commotion <br/> <br/> -"What does this mean??"<br/> -"Is she gonna be alright?"<br/> -"It means we may have to start thinking seriously about our options... ...about how we're going to survive."
-"Hailee says things will get better again, but I'm not sure I believe her this time."<br/> -"Does Hailee usually tell the truth?"<br/> -"Only when she thinks it'll cheer me up."	-"You're up early."<br/> -"Oh, 'morning. Yeah..makes for a better picture."<br/> -"Hailee wants to know how you ever have any fun, if you're always just looking at things."<br/> -"Sometimes it's just as fun to stand back and let things happen."<br/> ...<br/> -"Hailee doesn't understand."<br/> -"She'll understand some day."	“The other animals have been acting strange since yesterday. And the weather is at all sorts of odds…and Ruby…she can barely stand now, much less keep her head up.”
-“So do you have have a plan?” <br/> -“A group of us has decided to look for that Tree..one last time. There’s really no other way.” <br/> -“And what if it’s not there?” <br/> -“Then may the Clouds be gentle going.”	"It's been settled. We leave tomorrow at dawn."	Most everybody who had opted to stay home was still asleep when we left this morning. But as we made our way past the town limits, a familiar face came running out of the shadows. Her expression was solemn, but with eyes red from the tears she had clearly been trying to hide. She placed something cold, metal, in the palm of my hand and closed my fist around it. She told me it belonged to Hailee but that Hailee wanted me to have it now..for good luck.
It's like an ocean of sand out here. A few days have passed and, already, most of the other have turned back. I can't say I blame them. The idea that anything could survive out here, let alone a tree, seems impossible. But we haven't given up yet. I can't help thinking Hailee would be proud.	...It's just the girl's father and I Out here now. But we're almost back to the town. Had we more water and food, we might've pushed on, but I'm not sure it would've helped any...<br/> We tried..we really did. But I fear it's hopeless without Ruby. And to think..none of This will be here by the end of the next season. I wish there was more I could do for these people...	I've been going through some old photos, from when I first arrived here, in this peaceful little town in the middle of the desert. I guess, if nothing, these photos will always remind me of a brighter and livelier Place...before Ruby got sick, and before the future got to seeming so bleak.
		-"But there it is!"<br/><br/> And sure enough, there it was. If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I might not have believed it. And right at the edge of town, of all Places.<br/><br/> -"Our footprints are all around Here. We musta' walked by it a hundred times before we even left town!"<br/> -"But how is that possible?"<br/> -"Perhaps because we've been looking in the wrong Places."
-"You're back!"<br/> -"Yes, and with good news!"<br/> She was already smiling as she ran out to greet us, though I could tell something was off. <br/> -"We knew you'd find it! <br/> -"How's Ruby holding up?"<br/> Her smile quickly faded. <br/> -"...Ruby...she's gone...she didn't wake up this morning."<br/> And that's when I felt my own smile fading.	Ruby was cremated today as the sun began to set. This was a ritual for all of the deceased, and a way for the townspeople to pay tribute and thanks to the Clouds for their gift of life. The smoke of the ashes, I'm told, would eventually find its way into the Upper Spheres, where the Clouds could receive it and breathe it once more into new life. <br/> Before the ceremony began, I caught a glimpse of Ruby, now motionless, yet noble as I had ever witnessed her...(continued)	She was completely white now--though not pale in the slightest. She was, in fact, the color of the Clouds. And I couldn't help but smile. Not because I was happy to see her go; but because I knew things would work out for my friends. Ruby had served her purpose, and the Tree would never again go unnoticed. The townspeople say to thank the Clouds, but I choose to believe in the townspeople. But who knows...perhaps, after all, the Clouds had had their say. Who am I really to judge?