The girls’ footsteps fade toward the road, leaving the drowning one alone beneath the roots. Black water gathers in a shallow groove where packed earth was dry moments ago.
the buried child
Do you remember who you were?
The voice belongs to a child buried beneath the drainage cut, though no body shifts the soil. Each word makes the black water tremble toward the lake.
the buried child
Not the name they gave you. Before the lake took you.
A small handprint presses upward through the packed earth, then sinks away without breaking the surface. Far off, one of the girls cries out from the road.
the buried child
They are safe for now. The one who is still in danger is closer than they think.
The groove lengthens beneath the roots, carrying cold water toward the drowning one’s feet. From below, the child waits in complete silence for his answer.
✓ Quest Accepted
Loosen the buried child from the roots
✓ Quest Accepted
Discover who the drowning one was before the lake took him