EXCERPT This is the plain where Rocco once found a dead monster. Within its thinness I am profoundly lost. Multitudes of round white flowers vanish into the endless ring of light on the horizon, and there is little else, other than the wind, which ruffles the meadows. Every so often I think I see, at the edge of my vision, some small animal flitting, but I cannot say that any of these sightings are conclusive. I resolve to fix my eyes downwards and comb the ground in search of any sign of diversity…