body was half asleep. Yet she made it roll and wallow and try to make God look down and hear her cries.
Sleep must have fallen heavily on her for she saw her own soul, walking in and out among the pines trying to find the way home. It was dark and a high wind from the sea lashed the treetops. Unex called her, but when she turned her head to find him she saw an open grave. Her naked soul stepped down into it. Unex spoke:
"Looka dat white cloth on de ground."
There it was, right at her feet.
"You done give your soul for dat." He began weeping. "You see dem stripes on de cloth, enty, Si May-e?"
There they were, ten stripes red like blood across the width of white cloth.
"Dem scarlet stripes is Jedus' blood. Every sin you had laid a open cut on Jedus' back."
Mary counted them again. Ten scarlet stripes were there.
"You had nine chillen, enty, Si May-e?"
She had.
"All was born in sin, enty?"
She bowed her head low. But she had only nine children. Why were there ten stripes?
"Seraphine had a sin child, Si May-e."
She had.
