"You ain't got no business walking round these hills, miss." "Looka here who's talking. I got morebusiness here 'n you got. They catch you they cut your head off. Ain't nobody after me but I knowsomebody after you." Amy pressed her fingers into the soles of the slavewoman's feet. "Whosebaby that?" Sethe did not answer.

　　"You don't even know. Come here, Jesus," Amy sighed and shook her head. "Hurt?""A touch.""Good for you. More it hurt more better it is. Can't nothing heal without pain, you know. What youwiggling for?"Sethe raised up on her elbows. Lying on her back so long had raised a ruckus between her shoulderblades. The fire in her feet and the fire on her back made her sweat.

　　"My back hurt me," she said.

　　"Your back? Gal, you a mess. Turn over here and let me see." In an effort so great it made her sickto her stomach, Sethe turned onto her right side. Amy unfastened the back of her dress and said, "Come here, Jesus," when she saw. Sethe guessed it must be bad because after that call to JesusAmy didn't speak for a while. In the silence of an Amy struck dumb for a change, Sethe felt thefingers of those good hands lightly touch her back. She could hear her breathing but still thewhitegirl said nothing. Sethe could not move. She couldn't lie on her stomach or her back, and tokeep on her side meant pressure on her screaming feet. Amy spoke at last in her dreamwalker'svoice.

　　"It's a tree, Lu. A chokecherry tree. See, here's the trunk — it's red and split wide open, full of sap,and this here's the parting for the branches. You got a mighty lot of branches. Leaves, too, looklike, and dern if these ain't blossoms. Tiny little cherry blossoms, just as white. Your back got awhole tree on it. In bloom. What God have in mind, I wonder. I had me some whippings, but Idon't remember nothing like this. Mr. Buddy had a right evil hand too. Whip you for looking athim straight. Sure would. I looked right at him one time and he hauled off and threw the poker atme. Guess he knew what I was a-thinking.'"Sethe groaned and Amy cut her reverie short — long enough to shift Sethe's feet so the weight,resting on leaf-covered stones, was above the ankles.

　　"That better? Lord what a way to die. You gonna die in here, you know. Ain't no way out of it.

　　Thank your Maker I come along so's you wouldn't have to die outside in them weeds. Snake comealong he bite you. Bear eat you up. Maybe you should of stayed where you was, Lu. I can see byyour back why you didn't ha ha. Whoever planted that tree beat Mr. Buddy by a mile. Glad I ain'tyou. Well, spiderwebs is 'bout all I can do for you. What's in here ain't enough. I'll look outside.

　　Could use moss, but sometimes bugs and things is in it. Maybe I ought to break them blossomsopen. Get that pus to running, you think? Wonder what God had in mind. You must of didsomething. Don't run off nowhere now."Sethe could hear her humming away in the bus............