Summary

“The Prospectors,” set in Lucerne, Oregon in the 1930s, begins with the narrator, Aubergine, and her best friend Clara riding a ski lift to a party to celebrate the opening of a new ski lodge. Their backstory unfolds over the course of the story. They were young women living in Florida, where Aubergine was working for Clara's family at their fancy resort. Clara was also working there as a summer job, but Aubergine needed the money, as her father was a degenerate gambler who committed suicide after a big loss. One night, Aubergine found Clara crying on the resort's roof and discovered she had bruises all over her arms. The two quickly became friends. Later, when Clara came to Aubergine with a black eye, Aubergine insisted they leave Florida. They ran away, and made a living by meeting and...