Rugged Stories

6. Farmed Out The farm is dark and silent. The light I saw comes from a lamp atop a huge empty barn with a corrugated roof. The other buildings slump around me. Some are ancient, some more modern although those are shabbier. There is a thick, fertile smell of hay. The silence unnerves me, even as I stand panting in the courtyard. “Hello?” I call. This is ridiculous – I am calling like I don’t want to disturb anyone out of...