"TAKE MY HANDS! Repeat after me." Inaia held up warm palms, robed in greyish mitten gloves. "...quickly, goddamn it! We have no much time."
Her rising voice shocked Kambili out of her head and she grabbed onto Inaia's warm hands like it was both hot flame and cool, spring water. Because of the Inaia's accent, the 'much' in her words came out as 'mach'. "—we have no mach time." Gripping Kambili's hands tightly in her own, Inaia told her the words for her recitation. "Okay, here we go. Don't miss a syllable, yeah?"
"Mmhmmm." Kambili nodded.
There was such a thing as too much pressure.
