Turn 171 of 233

Kimo's next burst is faster than expected. He also starts running

The first burst comes nine days after the seven-month visit and the nine days is three days faster than Dr. Parekh projected. Lena is on the site when it starts — mid-morning, the nail gun in her hand, Kimo on the pad stacking nails in a line that is straight and the straight is not accidental. He looks up from the nails and looks at Walt and says "Walt" and the saying is the first two-syllable word and the two-syllable is the thing that breaks the pattern of single-syllable construction words that have been the entire vocabulary. Walt stops on the top plate and the stopping is the thing a man does when a boy who is seven months old says your name and the saying is clear.

By noon the count is six: Walt, Marco, Frank, Daryl, Ray, Tuki. Names. Every crew member's name spoken in the span of three hours and the three hours is the burst Dr. Parekh predicted and the predicted is the thing that is faster than predicted. Lena writes them on her phone and the writing is the tracking and the tracking is the thing she does because the tracking is the thing that matters. By evening three more: door, board, home. By the next morning four more: lunch, heavy, again, now. The count is fifty-six words and the fifty-six is thirteen more than the forty-three from the visit and the thirteen came in thirty-six hours.

The running starts three days later and the three days is the thing that fulfills what Samuel said standing at the edge of the pad five months ago. He said he's going to run and the saying is the thing that is now true. Lena is on the balcony at dawn doing her presses — 560 now, up from 535 — and Kimo is standing at the rail where he stands every morning. He lets go of the rail. He takes three steps and the three steps are the walking she knows. The fourth step is different. The fourth step is longer and faster and the longer and faster is the thing that is not walking. It is running. Five steps, six steps, seven steps across the balcony and the seven steps are a run and the run is the thing that a seven-month-old should not be doing and the should not is the thing that Kimo does not know about.

He reaches the far wall and his hands hit the concrete and the hitting is the stop and the stop is the thing that ends the run. He turns and looks at Lena and the looking is the looking of a boy who just ran and the running is the thing he is feeling in his legs and the feeling is new. He laughs. The laugh is the first laugh Lena has heard that is not a giggle and the not-giggle is the thing that says the sound is changing the way the words are changing — bigger, fuller, a sound that has a body behind it.

Lena calls Samuel that night and the calling is the thing she does every week and the every week is the promise she keeps. She tells him about the names and the names are the thing Samuel hears — Walt, Marco, Frank. She tells him about the running and the running is the thing Samuel said and the said is the thing that is now.

"He runs," Lena says. "Seven steps on the balcony. He let go of the rail and ran."

Samuel is quiet and the quiet is the quiet of a man who predicted this and the predicting is the thing he is standing in now. The quiet lasts four seconds and the four seconds is the thing that holds the weight of a father watching his daughter tell him that her son — his grandson — is running at seven months and the running is the thing he knew would come.

"He's going to be fast," Samuel says. The saying is four words and the four words are the closest thing to a prediction Samuel has made since the first one and the first one was right.

"He's already fast," Lena says.

The next morning Lena takes Kimo to the site pad and sets him at one end and walks to the other. Twenty feet. Kimo runs. The running is twelve steps and the twelve steps cover the twenty feet and the twenty feet is covered in a time that Lena counts in her head and the counting is the thing she does because the counting is the tracking. The crew watches and the watching is the thing they do and the thing they count is the steps and the steps are twelve and the twelve are a run.

"He's running," Walt says from the wall. The saying is the stating of a thing that is true and the true is the thing that is on the pad and the pad is the thing that holds the boy's feet and the feet are moving fast.

Lena calls Dr. Parekh and leaves a message. The message is short.

"He's running. Independent running, twelve steps on flat surface. New word burst — thirteen words in thirty-six hours, total fifty-six. Names and time words. The gaps are shrinking faster than the projection." She hangs up and the hanging up is the thing that is done and the done is the thing that is the update and the update is the thing that Dr. Parekh will hear and the hearing is the thing that will change the chart again.