True researcher that we are,
            we went back, to confirm.
We didn’t want to be alone
            out there again, isolated
and exposed to the data.
            But true knowledge does
not please, it only informs.
            And we were committed
no matter the outcome.
            We returned to the grove,
seemingly solitary among
            the trunks and mist. We
took out our scalpel and cut
            off a fresh piece of bark.
Putting on our glasses, we
            looked at the underside.
There were markings. We
            stared blankly into the
middle distance. A breathless moment,
            processing. The nesting
dolls were becoming bigger
            with each doll’s unscrewing.
We were unsure of how much
            information we could handle.
Suddenly, about five yards off
            a furry torso and head peaked
from behind the fat pole of a
            large Jeffrey Pine. Looking again
it was gone. Dropping both
            knife and bark, we ran back to
up the hillside to the cottage.
            We bolted the door and lit the
lantern. We removed the note-
            book marked “Unforeseen Variables”
and wrote down these lines.