Heat came down in wave upon wave where he lived, and the most common plant was the sand burr. All he had for company were the periwinkle flowers, kept from the sun by shades made from a blanket. In the evening he would talk to the flowers as he rubbed a curative lotion into his cracked hands. The flowers knew his history, but never would they tell it. His secrets rested safely in the periwinkle flower bed.