The third child of the third daughter fell asleep beside a lake at the edge of a forest. Although the woods were ancient, thick and dark, the third child wasn’t afraid. As soon as night came she fell asleep just as she always had.

The spirit that lived on the edge of the lake and that carried the memory of the old world within it saw the third child sleeping, and without hesitation ate her.

The next day the second child of the third daughter came to the lake, looking for his sister. He was tired from searching all day and also fell asleep next to the lake. The spirit that lived at the edge of the lake saw the second child sleeping and ate him at once.

The first child of the third daughter came to the edge of the lake looking for his/her siblings. The first child had been around longer and had heard more stories. She/he was troubled at seeing the abandoned sleeping bag of the second child, and took out a hunting knife from his/her backpack. Guessing what had happened the first child pretended to fall asleep.

The spirit that lived around and in the lake immediately gulped down the first child.

In the belly of the spirit the children of the third daughter were reunited. The third child slept still, but moaned with nightmares. The second child breathed gently in his sleep. The first child took the knife and sliced open the belly of the spirit.

The three children tumbled out, and as they did so the third and second child woke up. Everything that the spirit had eaten fell out after them: there flowed fish, bicycle tyres, washing machines and kitchen sinks. Out came love letters, promises, wishes and a ball of golden thread. Cats and monkeys came next. Then a sleeping army, a full laboratory and hundreds of reels of film.

When the torrent was over all that remained of the spirit was a wet membrane. The third child picked it up and threw it into the lake.

‘There goes the memory of the old world,’ said the second child.

The three children of the third daughter followed the highway which had unrolled from the spirit across and over and through the ancient forest back to their home.