November 23, 2024

I was in the car with my dad and we were looking for a theme park. The road signs appeared to be leading us in circles around the countryside. We eventually found ourselves driving down a heavily forested road and it became hard to tell if we were actually on the road or in the swamp next to it. We passed by a desiccated bear carcass draped across the foliage before finally getting to a clearing.

We arrived at a house made of straw and mud and my mom came out to greet us. There were small plots of oats in the garden which seemed nearly ready to harvest. My mom asked if we were hungry as we entered the door and saw my niece and grandfather were also here. “I already ate earlier” I told her.