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   r u l e s    o f    t h e    g a m e

--- B A R B A R A   T R A N


It's 1975. I'm nine. Mesmerized by nature films. Big cats bringing down helpless deer.

First, the zigzagging, the eternal pauses: nervous legs twitching, wide

eyes blinking. Then the narrowing down, the separation of the weakest from the pack.

The relieved flight of the others --white tails disappearing

into woods. The lone one, heart beating fast, tired of this struggle that ends

the same way every time. Still, it runs. It has to. These are the rules of the game.

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