The Mighty Red

by Louise Erdrich

Kismet knew she’d gotten the truth and was trying to think what to do with it. Gary was appalled he’d told the truth and afraid of what she would do with it.

‘It’s not real dirt. It’s that dirt.’ Winnie pointed out into the field. ‘This is sugar beet dirt. Don’t you see? To plant anything else we have to get a pile of real dirt.’ ‘Dirt’s supposed to grow anything,’ said Kismet. ‘Regular soil dirt, sure, but this is sugar beet dirt, like I said. Diz and Gusty get this fertilizer that helps the dirt work for the seed. The seed is fixed up so the beet won’t die when it’s sprayed for weeds. Also, bugs. See, it’s all a system they have with the companies.’

Practically everything she and the Geists did, and even her mother’s job, was destroying what she had just witnessed, the joinery of creation.