Lilhit marks an X into the bark Counts every turn we've made since dark Three hundred steps, then fourteen more But there’s the same tree as before (Same cut... same side) She checks the ground, she checks the slope Says, “That’s impossible.” Then draws another line. We walked straight north The compass agrees So why is our mark waiting ahead of me? The map refuses us! Every line comes back undone! We keep moving forward but arrive where we begun! No road stays where we leave it! No distance stays the same! The forest keeps rearranging every time we give it a name! Lilhit ties a thread around a pine Leaves another twenty steps behind We don't turn once, we don't change pace But the red thread hangs across our way (Don't touch it) Ehva whispers, “We’ve been here.” Lilhit says, “No. We haven't.” The map refuses us! Every line comes back undone! We keep moving forward but arrive where we begun! No road stays where we leave it! No distance stays the same! The forest keeps rearranging every time we give it a name! "Stop." "The distance between those trees was twelve meters." "And now?" "Seven." "...Did they move?" "No." "That's worse." The map refuses us! Now the lines are closing in! Every road we try to follow folds beneath our skin! No road stays where we leave it! No distance stays the same! If the forest learns our footsteps we should stop giving it our names! Lilhit folds the map. We keep walking anyway. Then another... behind us.
