C20 TWENTY

The Soft Phrase of Peace

BELETH

Rude am I in my speech, And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace.

— William Shakespeare, Othello

TWO MONTHS LATER

BELETH SAT UNDER the weeping willow tree watching his tiny granddaughter throw stones into the lake. Her chubby little hands worked so hard to get the stone to skip, but they all just sunk gracelessly into the placid water.

Still