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A h the crowd They all kno the visions come to life The Pathfinder raises his crystal rock to receive them The visions are playin But the rock ain’t raised The Pathfinder’s starin at this boy Clutchin the rock to his chest How is it possible? What’s goin on?

Torip He takes a step towards DeMalo Confusion an wonder war on his face

You said you’d come back, he says I waited fer you, Pa I waited an waited All these years I thought you was dead

His words ring out a the smooth white walls Everyone in earshot hears theh an hoarse The unmistakeable voice of a deaf boy

It’s the Pathfinder’s son! His child! a man calls from somewhere on the hill nearby

I nearly cry out his nareat I stop myself jest in time It’s Jack He’s here He came after all

Word spreads It spreads quickly Down the hill Through the meadow Son? The boy’s deaf Listen to him speak It’s his son The Pathfinder’s son is deaf

A woman shouts out, The Tonton killed my sister becuz she couldn’t hear!

At the same time, there’s a risin buzz about the visions The walls play without DeMalo The grasslands, lush an green The eagle The mountains The herds of beasts roamin the plains

The visions are fake! It’s Wrecker tech! shouts Jack He ain’t no Pathfinder He’s a trickster A liar

Nero starts to screech The crowd erupts to confusion an anger Soe towards us The Tonton run to forinst the bodies with their firesticks

DeMalo ain’t moved He’s frozen Blank-faced Clutchin his chunk of crystal rock

Speak to me, Pa What happened? says Tommo Why didn’t you come back? Look fer me?

Answer yer son, I says Answer these people Tell us We all wanna know

His face changes Froe He drops the rock, pulls a knife an lunges at Toround DeMalo’s knife slashes in

I seize the crystal rock

I raise it high

I smash DeMalo in the head

One heavy blow to the back of his skull With the swing of oes down

Like a stone

He don’t ers ith his blood His head’s crushed A mess of hair, blood an bone Tommo’s with me He helps to turn him over

Seth, I says

He’s dead

Words need sayin So I do

After a o the way of all the earth

There’s silence From the crowd From the Tonton The visions play on The music plays on Nero drifts quietly above

I look at Tommo I’m so sorry I didn’t plan that, I says