Summary

"The Years, Months, Days" begins with the Elder and his dog, Blindy, walking to go urinate on the corn stalk that the two of them are watching over. In a first person narration, the Elder thinks back to the beginning of the autumn sowing seasons and how the cloud teased the villagers with hints of rain but refused to release that rain. Eventually, the Elder convinced the villagers to go east to find food but he decided to remain behind to look over the one corn stalk that had sprouted in his field.

After the flashback, the Elder realizes that Blindy's urine has caused spots to appear on the corn stalk. Upset, the Elder goes to fetch water to dilute the dog's urine. While doing so, a small twister comes and takes his hat. The Elder catches the hat and destroys it, but...