S. learns that Pfeifer had been the one to discover the cave, although he assumed it had been Corbeau. Pfeifer explains that a male chamois had caught his attention and had helped him find the cave.

The cave is damp and smells of bat excrement. The sun is setting, and only a small sliver if light can be seen from inside. The group decides to sit in darkness and to speak in whispers. They are still worried about being found by Vévoda’s men.

Eric writes that the chamois is a possible reference to Ekstrom. A chamois reveals a hidden path in Ekstrom’s book, Hedda and the Bear-King.

Jen writes that she loved Hedda when she was young, and that she wanted to be Hedda for Halloween once. Her mother, however, had convinced her to be a ghost instead. Jen clearly resents her parents, and it can be inferred that she uses this memory as an example of how her parents tried to control her even at a young age.

Towards the top of the page, the line “an adult human could disappear” is underlined in blue.

Eric asks Jen why she underlined this.

Jen insists that she did not underline it.

Eric writes that they need to change where they leave the book.

This short interaction takes place some time in the future, and is strikingly ominous. It would seem that someone besides Jen and Eric has found the book. Furthermore, the line that the mysterious reader underlined can be interpreted as a threat to Eric and Jen. Someone may be spying on Jen and Eric, someone who cares so deeply about the mystery of Straka that they would hurt Jen and Eric.