Once when I was stuck, a dog came to sniff at me, tail wagging with interest. The old woman followed, calling after the dog. She laughed to see me.
That’s not very helpful, I said to the old woman, adding that I could really use some help.
Then the dog barked and ran off after something else. Still laughing as she followed the dog with her gaze, the old woman shared an opinion. This was not the sort of thing I would have found helpful in ordinary circumstances. However, stuck as I was, I had time to think about it after she left.
When nothing will let you go, she offered, what if you let it, and go? To catch what would bud and break from the remains?
That is how I came to be here, still breaking from remains.