Turn 157 of 226

Track the healing speed with the notebook — measure the time between breaking and whole. Then push the sparring harder, but there is nothing the healing can't take care of. It even regenerates missing limbs.

The notebook is the thing Lena finds in the corner of the foundry. The corner is the thing the debris makes. The debris is the thing the old shelves left. The shelves are the thing the rust ate. The notebook is the thing the third patrol had in a vest pocket. The pocket is the thing the blood stained. The blood is the thing the pages do not open through on the first three sheets. The first three sheets are the things Lena tears out. The tearing is the thing the body does without care. The care is the thing the human has. The human is the thing the body is not. The body is the thing the animal is. The animal is the thing that uses what it finds.

The pencil is the thing the debris holds. The pencil is the thing the body snaps to a point. The snapping is the thing the teeth do. The teeth are the things that are yellow and sharp. The sharp is the thing the wish made them. The point is the thing the writing needs. The writing is the thing the human part does. The human part is the thing the body still has. The having is the thing the notebook requires. The notebook is the thing the tracking goes in.

The first test is the thing the bodies do at noon. The noon is the thing the skylight marks. The skylight is the thing the sun comes through. The sun is the thing the shadow makes. The shadow is the thing the foundry floor has. The floor is the thing the bodies stand on. The standing is the thing the bodies do face to face. Diane's arm is the thing Lena holds. The holding is the thing the grip does. The grip is the thing the fingers wrap. The fingers are the things Lena's other hand strikes against. The striking is the thing the forearm does. The forearm is the thing the snap happens to. The snap is the thing the sound makes. The sound is the thing the echo gives back. The echo is the thing the foundry has.

Lena writes the time. The time is the thing the sun is. The sun is the thing the shadow tells. The shadow is the thing the pencil marks on the wall. The wall is the thing the chalk lines are on. The chalk is the thing the bodies use for the clock. The clock is the thing the bodies do not have. The bodies have the shadow. The shadow is the thing the bodies watch. The watching is the thing the healing does. The healing is the thing the bone does. The bone is the thing that fuses. The fusing is the thing the body does not announce. The announcing is the thing the heat is. The heat is the thing the forearm radiates. The radiating is the thing the skin flushes from. The flushing is the thing the blood does. The blood is the thing the rush makes. The rush is the thing the cells do. The cells are the things the wish built. The wish is the thing that is still going.

The bone is whole in eleven minutes. The eleven is the thing Lena writes. The writing is the thing the pencil does in the notebook. The notebook is the thing the tracking is in. The tracking is the thing the numbers are for. The numbers are the things the human part keeps. The keeping is the thing the body does not need but the human part wants. The wanting is the thing the curiosity is. The curiosity is the thing the body still has.

The second test is the thing the bodies do harder. The harder is the thing the sparring makes. The sparring is the thing the full force does. The full force is the thing the bodies do not hold. The holding is the thing the bodies are past. Diane's knee is the thing that finds Lena's shin. The shin is the thing the block makes. The block is the thing the bone takes. The bone is the thing that snaps. The snapping is the thing the body does not stop for. The not stopping is the thing the other leg uses. The other leg is the thing Lena's roundhouse comes from. The roundhouse is the thing Diane's jaw catches. The jaw is the thing that breaks. The breaking is the thing the blood does. The blood is the thing the mouth gives. The mouth is the thing the teeth are in. The teeth are the things the blood runs between.

The jaw heals in nine minutes. The nine is the thing Lena writes. The shin heals in eight. The eight is the thing Lena writes beside the nine. The writing is the thing the numbers do. The numbers are the things that are going down. The down is the thing the healing does. The healing is the thing that is faster each time. The each time is the thing the body adapts. The adapting is the thing the wish does. The wish is the thing that is still going. The going is the thing the healing accelerates from.

The third test is the thing the bodies do with the rebar. The rebar is the thing the debris has. The debris is the thing the bodies pull the iron from. The iron is the thing the rust covers. The rust is the thing the hands do not feel. Diane's hand is the thing that holds the rebar. The rebar is the thing Diane swings. The swing is the thing that finds Lena's forearm. The forearm is the thing that takes the iron. The iron is the thing that cuts. The cutting is the thing the skin does. The skin is the thing the fat parts for. The fat is the thing the muscle shows through. The muscle is the thing the iron reaches. The reaching is the thing the bone stops. The bone is the thing that does not stop. The bone is the thing that breaks. The breaking is the thing the rebar does.

Lena's finger is the thing the rebar takes. The taking is the thing the crush makes. The crush is the thing the weight does. The weight is the thing the iron has. The iron is the thing the finger cannot support. The finger is the thing that separates. The separating is the thing the joint does. The joint is the thing the rebar severs. The severing is the thing the blood does. The blood is the thing the floor gets. The floor is the thing the finger lies on. The lying is the thing the finger does apart from the hand. The apart is the thing the body looks at. The looking is the thing the eyes do. The eyes are the things that watch. The watching is the thing the healing does.

The finger grows back. The growing is the thing the hand does. The hand is the thing the stump bleeds from. The bleeding is the thing the heat starts. The heat is the thing the flush makes. The flush is the thing the skin does where the finger was. The skin is the thing the bud forms on. The bud is the thing the nub makes. The nub is the thing the joint develops. The joint is the thing the knuckle shapes. The knuckle is the thing the skin closes over. The closing is the thing the nail grows after. The nail is the thing the tip finishes. The finishing is the thing the finger is whole. The whole is the thing the body does in fourteen minutes. The fourteen is the thing Lena writes. The writing is the thing the hand does with the new finger. The new finger is the thing the pencil holds. The pencil is the thing the notebook takes. The notebook is the thing the evidence is in.

The evidence is the thing the bodies share. The sharing is the thing the notebook does between the hands. The hands are the things that pass the pages. The pages are the things the numbers are on. The numbers are the things that say the healing is faster and the healing is complete and the healing is not limited. The not limited is the thing the missing finger proves. The proves is the thing the bodies smile at. The smiling is the thing the foundry floor gives. The floor is the thing the blood is on. The blood is the thing the bodies do not clean. The not cleaning is the thing the animal does. The animal is the thing the bodies are. The bodies are the things that cannot be broken. The cannot be broken is the thing the wish gave. The wish is the thing that is still going. The going is the thing the bodies do not stop.