Everyone’s afraid of the lake. It’s a beautiful lake. You can see the whole world reflected in it. But I guess that’s what they don’t like about it. They see things they don’t think should be there.

There’s the old woman who used to sell trinkets along the promenade. They often see her face watching them from beneath the reeds. But she never tries to hurt anyone. She just likes to watch and watch, with those large absinthe eyes.

Then there’s the kitten with the bite wound to its neck. He’s the one who scares the younger children. He’s always scrabbling to get to the top, pawing at the surface he can’t break. He gets so excited when he sees people. He still loves to play.

I was afraid of the lake too. I didn’t want to...

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