The Night Chough

A night chough soars above the countryside and alights on a lake.  He catches his reflection in the pool and offers himself praise.  Hungry, the bird spots a girl’s corpse beneath the waterline and pecks at her flesh. The many-armed goddess, Scylla, rises from the depths and chastises the bird with words forced from its beak. 

A young man, Starling, approaches the lake carrying a hooked staff.  He calls out and is answered by the bird, who asks to be fed.  Through tears, Starling explains that he plans to plumb the depths for the body of his drowned lover, Lily. 

Starling recalls learning of Lily’s location from Moonrat, who claimed to overhear Serval bragging about raping and killing the girl with help from Bushdog and Marten.  Overcome with grief, Starling drops to the ground and sobs.

After a time, Starling regains his composure and offers the bird a meal.  The bird, in a voice not its own, confirms the presence of a woman in the water.  Thinking of Lily’s killers, Starling leaves the lake for town.