Mistakes e our careful planning. I am troubled to t, unes and errors t led to  t by tended any ters not at all. e are responsible for our actions, even eps ted or neglected. In retrospect, pero tc, and innocently tucked Igel under t alone to play for  a time. e could  and sent in a cion by er. ill believes in t old myt did not o end in sucbreaking way.

    Oscar Love came out to play on a June evening, dressed in blue ss and a s ing across t.  caked bet in t felt like crying to attract o t a menagerie of sounds: a puppy, a meten, birds in distress, a  notice of our imitations. Luco all t, ead t ended to be Santa Claus. Stumped, o sing, and tely folloo t. As long as tinued,  its source, dazed by curiosity. In my , I kne t tales should be, bound for an unhappy ending.

    rees by a creek, to tood on ter and tones, and o weep.

    quot;Look at ; Luc; one of us to become a c;

    quot; do you mean, ;

    quot;Look in s as if  really all t;

    I studied tacuation. ood motionless, o ter, as if stunned by ion. A  and took tontail flas Oscar stood impassive and entranced and did not react until t o o cover ackling o t ferocity.  disappeared in teeture not been explained before ticular, relis, pinning to to muffle o rail, Igel led us all back to camp.

    Years later, Co me  of to model ures to matc Igel let tcely, aunted tied Oscar to a tree and removed tc t yet fixed on ormentors. Igel tortured o a replica. I could not bear t stomacilage, ted beree and stayed ail Igel o a copy of the boy.

    quot;Do you understand, Oscar?quot; Igel taunted anding nose-to-nose. quot;I am you and ake your place, and you ay ;

    tared at  not recognizing ion. I fougo go to Oscar, to offer kindness and reassurance. Speck sidled up to me and spat out, quot;t;

    Stepping a;Boys and girls. I oo long and noake my leave. My time in t. Your paradise is vanis in t in ter, and all t go o be trading places  better t to remain ;  o trees and tar-filled skies. quot;For t;

    Igel o Oscar and untied ical; it o tell ;Im going doo tunnel noo tell a story to t. Ill take ing sion.  on t;

    As ion. Soon after, t to tunnel entry to pluck out Oscars naked body. t , as if ely rying to be calm. ing op our soil  notice t Speck ayed beation as ed our package o t. In midair, t into ter.  off to crieve ted to pull it asood termined to be o to be understanding and patient as ransition.

    All sucrievers ed aso fiser, but it never floated to te to t-deep, frantically searcil, exed and gasping for breato tream to a ford  Oscar could not be found. e kept vigil t and o tones and tree limbs  ter did not yield its secrets. tement. Kivi and Blomma  to look out for truders. Red-faced and panting, ter, collecting us from our scattered posts along the riverbank.

    quot;t; said Blomma, quot;;

    quot;t; said Kivi.

    quot;t;

    quot;Igel broug to our ;

    t crisis as our netention. quot;Quick, back to camp. ay in tunnels until t;

    Kivi spoke so t of us. quot;too many coming.quot;

    quot;t; Blomma added. quot;to ground and  be tricked by a feicks of brusunnels entrances.quot;

    Béka looked perplexed and began to pace, fists clenc;I say ;

    quot;e need to run.quot; Smaolac auty. Most of us fell in be;t;

    Lucepped up and confronted Béka. quot;t mob is already deeper into to t;

    Béka raised o strike  Onions grabbed ;But  t;

    Our neurned from t;Oscar is gone. Igel is gone. s done is done, and  save ourselves. Gat you can carry and . But be quick, for run t;

    Abandoning Oscars body to ters, s or knives, caco put till ion of pencil stubs, my dra, and some treasures—gifts from Speck. I was ready quickly and o find her.

    quot;; I asked. quot; you come to t;

    quot; ;

    quot;e never found it.  ;

    quot; and started to cry.quot;

    quot;; I began unnel openings.

    quot;Like a baby,quot; s; dazed, and ;

    e gat mig the dogs.

    quot;e ; Speck said.

    Béka sniffed t;Dogs. s go.quot;

    Noed voices of t bloodred on to make out training at to keep up umbling on trail, Ragno dropped tered urned to co our presence. Zanzara reac and grabbed Ragno by to those few clues.

    e ran for ed fox to mask our scent, cloaking ourselves at last beangle of nettles. treeline as t, laying doaking up our anxieties. No sooner asrode up to me,  puffed out, ready to command.

    quot;Go back to c is safe to return.quot;

    quot;By myself?quot;

    quot;take someone ;  me. quot;take Speck.quot;

    e oopping noo listen and look arouble. o t midstream onto a large rock.

    quot;Aniday, do you still  to leave?quot;

    quot;Leave? ;

    quot;Just leave, rig kno to California and stare at t;

    Anoter silenced us. Perream, or t.

    quot;Youre not going to leave, are you, Speck?quot;

    quot;Did you ?quot; she asked.

    e froze and listened igated tream, a most peculiar odor—neit sometomacer. Around a bend and in t trees, we were nearly upon he man.

    quot;; trying to hide.

    quot;Speck,quot; I s my fat;

    Sood on iptoes and peeked at to rils flared as sly as a fog.