I
started to pick blackberries, even though the Tupperware and the bramble were
both quite large. Oh well, I thought, It's like eating the whale, one bite at a
time. Thinking of this analogy, I couldn't help but pop a few into my mouth.
They were sweet and succulent.

I kept
picking, and pretty soon, I had filled the bowl to the brim. I was worn out,
and I needed to rest. I looked for a good place, and found one when I spotted a
large boulder off to my right. I walked over to the stone and leaned on it. I
set the bowl on the stone and relaxed.

I thought of
my situation at home. It was pathetic. I really didn't have much to do. Even
when I did have free time, I found it hard to enjoy myself. I did have fun
sometimes. My father suggested that I go down to the Capitol and sit in the
People's Gallery in the House. There I would make rude gestures at
Representatives I didn't like until either they got really irritated or I was
asked to leave. My father said he did it when he was a kid, when it was easier
to get away with.

I had been
standing there for a few minutes and felt better. I looked over to my right,
and saw a clump of grass with a hole behind it. I became curious, and walked
over to it. It was about four centimeters across. I had a special interest in
wildlife, so I naturally wondered lived there. I heard a faint scream.

"My
children! Save my children!"

In a flash
of red, I was flung backward, and enveloped by the blackness of unconsciousness.