Page 38, Paragraphs 2 - 5; Note

Page 38, Paragraph 2:

I smell flowers now, through the trees in front of me; I walk softly in the direction of the smell, and I come to a fallen, rotten tree, and I can't smell flowers anymore. But... ah. The wind makes the scent come over here, stronger, all along the path to the west of me. I have yet to put either foot on this path before I hear her singing, as if from a long ways off.

Oh, how may I find a mate,
The journey-boy says...*

Paragraph 3:

The smell becomes stronger as I'm running, quickly, on the path, with my feet landing loudly on the dry leaves beneath them. Above this I hear her song float softly from the top of the woods.

Up the valley's edge, the shadow of the tree,
By the earthworm's hill and all...

Paragraph 4:

I come by the briar bush, where I turn to follow the smell. It's like hunting for food, and the thought of this is strange and good in my belly; my blood flows through me quickly. The leaves fly all around my footfalls like many dried-up birds.

And lie with her before
I'm put to dirt all grey...

Paragraph 5:

Now the smell of flowers is everywhere, and my penis becomes erect, so that it rubs roughly on my clothes. The sound of her song is louder, like she's not far away. Up the valley's edge, in the shadow of the tree...

*This is, of course, the same song the girl was singing back on page 26.

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Nine pages left.

Page 37, Paragraphs 6 - 8; Page 38, Paragraph 1

Page 37, Paragraph 6:

Now she says, "If Hob kills the boy in the other world, why, he'll still be alive in this one. And if Hob kills the boy in this world, he'll be alive in the other one, where you saw him and Hob by the light of the moon, like you told me."

Paragraph 7:

This is the hardest thing to understand that I've ever heard. I don't say anything; I just look a long ways off, to where the village stands by the river. The settlers are doing a lot of different things, by the look of them. They're hanging up bright skins on their huts; and people are quickly walking around many smoking fires, this way and that. I think it's a good time for them, but I don't know how.

Paragraph 8:

The girl gets up off the stump now and walks slowly, idly, in little circles, kicking at dry leaves with her foot so that they fly everywhere. Her little circles get bigger and bigger and she goes farther and farther away from me, until she comes to the edge of the woods that rises up behind us. I think she's going to turn back toward me, but oh! Oh, she walks beneath a big dark tree where I can't see her! I'm all alone, with tree stumps all around me, below the frightening open sky.

Page 38, Paragraph 1 (first full paragraph):

I stand up quickly and run for the trees, the way I saw the girl go. I yell, "Come back here! Where'd you go?" and so forth, but she says nothing, and I come into the high, dark woods and stop to look all around. There are trees everywhere, and more trees behind them, and many dark paths go through here. I try to hear the noise of her soft step on the leaves, but it's all quiet - she doesn't make any noise.

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Ten pages left.