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it sounds increasingly flimsy the more he thinks about it
for better or worse, Annie, her house
her circle of acquaintance is his lifeline
letting go of that just now would be insane
she might well kick him out
one could hardly blame her if she did
she clearly has her own stuff to sort out
but at least he can get some leads from her
some clues, some hints about where he is

The book he finally settles down to is a strange one
A Field Guide to the Other World
it claims that eldritch sprits are all around us
but that the forms in which people see them
the writer calls them daimons
lake monsters, yetis, aliens, fairies
are simply a glamour they cast on the eye
we have no way of telling what they are
or even if they really exist
they represent the return of the repressed

Annie is Clara’s friend, the girl in love with pearls
here – innocent, self-sacrificing
sister of mercy

Princesse lointaine – Princess Nausicäa