Ten years have passed but nothing has changed here at the ranch. The landscape is different; the grass is dull and dead, beginning to turn brown and shrivel, deprived of water. The weather is gloomy, as is my mood, I suppose; the clouds are black and full of rain, ready to burst like a car tire. I hear the roaring in the atmosphere like a lion roaring, the wind howling, it's like a zoo being created by the terrible weather, with the howling and roaring. The wind howls so much that it manipulates the leaves of the brush into silent movements. The people may be different here at the ranch, but the way they treat each other is much the same. As I enter the ranch premises, I can smell burning wood. I notice that immigrant workers always do the worst jobs, such as being stable employees. The only consolation, I suppose, is that the pay is equal no matter what work you do. Just standing here looking at the ranch brings back a lot of memories, good and bad. The barn where the terrible accident occurred no longer exists. It appears a fire broke out at the site and all that remains is burnt ashes. The grass has disintegrated and all that is left is dry could almost be described as malnourished soil, with no water to quench its thirst. I'm told that burning the barn was the first thing Curley did after taking over his father's ranch. . All other buildings remain intact as they were when I was here. If I look closely enough, I can still see Lennie working like it was yesterday. I remember talking to Slim about how great his worker, Lennie, was when suddenly he picked up a bale of hay by himself. Oh how we laughed, it had taken two men to work through the middle of a paper, I realize this is the place I belong. Working on a ranch may not be the best job, but after traveling and working on a few, I realize that this is where my heart lies. So here I am at the gates, about to start working for Curley again. I'm not going to be just any old worker, even if I once was. Curley specifically asked me to be his deputy. I took this opportunity because I am going to make this place better for everyone. I'm going to make sure all the guys have a fair and equal chance to do all the work here at the ranch. I will not allow the less intelligent to be mistreated or ridiculed by others. Perhaps by taking on some of the pressure of running a ranch, Curley will be less stressed and have more time for his family. I hope he realizes how lucky he is to live the dream I always had..