S H E L L E Y H R D L I T S C H K A
10
He has balanced a tower of stones in a way that looks impos-
sible. They should just topple over.
He starts working on something I recognize—an
inuksuk, a figure of a human made from stones. That’s when
I make the connection. He must be the same guy who has
been building inuksuit near Unity. Celeste and I discovered
the rock men—as we called them—on the beach and liked
them so much that we began building our own. Soon there
was a whole community of them.
I stand and walk toward him. He turns when he hears the
stones crunch under my feet.
A friendly smile lights up his face. “You must be from
Unity,” he says, taking in my long-sleeved shirt, pants and
lace-up shoes. His comment isn’t derogatory, just curious.
“Was,” I say for the second time that afternoon. “Not
anymore.”
He tips his head but doesn’t say anything else, just returns
to building his inuksuk.
“Are you from Springdale?” I ask.
“My parents live here now, but I didn’t grow up here. I’m
just staying with them until I figure out what to do next with
my life.” He reaches for a rock. “What about you? Are you still
in school?”
“No. Construction. I don’t know what I’m going to do
next either.”
“There are so many options, aren’t there?”
I can only shrug.
“What do you like doing?” he asks.
