You walk out into your garden. It looks like the devil’s realm—

dry,
dead,
decaying.

Tears course down your cheeks.

Yes, it all happened.

You saw some of it and learned the rest through the jailhouse grapevine.

You yourself escaped only by luck—and a few lies that will torment you as witches never could.

Still in prison when the governor granted an amnesty, you borrowed your jail fees from your family, and you went home.

But can your neglected house—or your fractured village or your frayed soul—ever truly be home again?