The Weight of All Things

About a week after the funeral, one of the guerrilleros arrives at the rancho with news of an incoming Army assault. Dolores immediately orders everyone to pack up and leave as quickly as possible. Dolores tells Tata that if he and Nicolás stay behind, the army will treat them as sympathizers because it is so apparent that the guerrilleros have been using the rancho. Even so, Tata decides to stay and hide in the cave. Nicolás says goodbye to Carmen, the cook, and she gives him a pot of beans and tortillas. She wishes that he would come with them and they are sad to say goodbye. Nicolás and Tata stand and watch as the guerrilleros walk away into the forest. Nicolas sees that they have left behind a faded bedsheet, covered in red roses. The sight of the sheet makes him very sad. Once they have left, Tata and Nicolás stock their cave with water and food and cover the entrance with tree branches. Tata ties leather around the dog’s mouth to stop him from barking. In the cave Nicolás notices his grandfather is sweating in the same profuse manner he had when he fell ill.