Chapter 8

Summary
The Headless Outsider calls Teacher a stranger for not knowing how to break the curse, and asks where he is from and whose child he is. The Headless Outsider tells that their mission is to bring back “all those souls” to Mother, because they belong to her but were stolen. At the bottom of the lake, they pass through a host of jagged branches from what appears to be trees before emerging in an open area with a large pit in the ground.

The Headless Outsider speaks into the pit, and reports finding a soul and a Black Child stranger. It asks Mother to teach Teacher, and out of the pit arises a noise that Teacher perceives as a ”rushing sound” or a song without words. The Headless Outsider interprets the song to be a command to return the stolen souls to her, which angers Teacher. He accuses them of cursing Shiva and attempting to steal her soul. He demands they leave her alone and teach him about the curse.

It answers him that he is responsible for the curse, and goes on to say that it was the Insiders who cursed the Black Ones (or Outsiders) and drove them outside the cities, stealing Mother’s souls. Teacher seems more confounded than ever, and returns to the surface of the lake to reunite with Shiva.

Before they head home, the Big One asks Shiva, “a soul with a name,” who returned her soul to her. It mentions them meeting again. Teacher is quiet about what exactly was discussed in the lake, and says that the Headless Outsider lied to her about her family. He considers telling her the truth about her aunt leaving her.

Characters

 * Teacher
 * Shiva
 * Mother
 * Headless Outsider
 * Mother's Children