The story opens with a description of the setting, which is described as a "brutal murder mystery" in the "unknown heart of Britain" . The narrator tells us that he is traveling from Highgate to Yeavering Bell in Northumberland, England, and that he needs to spend the summer with his friends. He tells his sweetheart that he will call her when he gets there, and he tells his brother that he should be careful because the goblins are "like goblins" , as they are like goblins. He asks his brother where he is, and the boy tells him to be careful, as he is like a "goblin." The narrator then tells his friend that his British heritage is "almost unknown to us" because of the "savage destruction of the world" and the slaughter of priests. He explains that he and his family are "quite the magical family" by all accounts, and they are about to reach the island of Great Britain. He says that his mother, his grandmother, and probably his mother's mother also live in the area. He adds that the people of the area are native to the island, but that the knowledge of their culture is lost, as "the knowledge is lost." He asks the girl if she has power, and she replies that she does not, but she is mischievous. The girl tells him that she has a power, but not as great as the power of her mother. The two talk about the ballad of "true thomas," which is about a young man who is riding on a grassy bank when he is met by the "queen of the meadow," who says that he must not touch the fruit of the count's tree, for the plagues of hell are in light of the fruit. The girls sit on the spot where the ballad is sung, and then they talk about how they have been hanging out all summer, and how the girl's father is "so fucking fine" that she can't really feel passion anymore. They talk about a hidden river, which they call "a hidden river." The girls talk about their virginity, and about the fact that their mother is so old that she doesn't even know how to "feel passion anymore." The girl says that her tears are diamonds, and her tears carve her eyes into patterns she cannot see. She tells the girl that she is offering her virginity to the girl, but the girl refuses, saying that it is not "sacrifices must be made." She tells