1931 Winter: The Time of the Oasis/Digression 1

Synopsis
In a rural Chicago village in 1924, Nader Schasschule observes his friend Sonia Bake leaving her house with her mother. She spots him, but when she doesn't come to greet him, he watches her leave until his father urges him to put his tools back in the shed. Once the two of them have almost reached the shed, Nader asks his father where he thinks Sonia and her parents go all the time, prompting his father to express that Nader "shouldn't have too much to do with them." Nader attempts to prod for more answers, but is distracted when it begins to rain, and the two of them hurry to put the tools away.

An hour later, Sonia is shooting a gun in the woods under her mother's supervision. Her mother asks her if shooting in the rain feels any different, prompting Sonia to complain that she can't hit anything. Her mother expresses that it's fine if she doesn't hit anything; the most important thing is that she just keeps shooting.

That night, Sonia and her mother return home to her heavily bandaged father, who expresses a similar sentiment towards guns, telling Sonia that there's no need for her to go to school or socialize with her peers as long as she has a gun. Sonia expresses confusion, to which her father replies that it's alright if she doesn't understand, as long as she has a gun.

Meanwhile, Nader remains oblivious to Sonia's circumstances up until he gets away from that village, leaving her behind.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Nader Schasschule
 * Sonia Bake