In 1964 the state government began patrolling to protect Goblin Valley from vandalism, and Ted’s mother got cancer. They arrested him trying to fix these problems; they thought themselves lenient, in suspending the sentence. During his overnight in jail, after all, he had become bereaved.

Ted has his own children now and they’re not sick–he’s careful about that. But he watches the news, watches people. The world got sick instead.

Cotton rope and moonlight. Ted wears black clothes and quiet feet, tracing his cat’s cradle, encircling evil. He pulls it tight around their little stone necks. He’ll choke them all.