The Leanin' Dog

The nightmare comes back to Dessa Dean over and over again even in the daytime. She's out in the snow with Mama, and it just gets colder and colder. Mama's insulin is low, and she doesn't have the energy to go on. There is snow all around. Dessa Dean tries to get her mother to go a little farther but Mama doesn't move. Now Mama is gone. Dessa Dean just can't bring herself to leave the cabin anymore. She doesn't ever go beyond the front porch, and her daddy is worried that she might be daft. Then one day a dog shows up. It's a big, brown dog and it's afraid to come inside, but Dessa Dean needs a friend'.