Damn, the writing is getting better and better here. I blame it in part, on that squirrel. She offers up rich material that is more than a narrative. It's a meditation on values. An exploration of character. I'm holding my breath before I finesse the end I've had in mind for two days. There have been other matters to pull me away, but I see no end yet that goes where I would like to take it.
Yours is brilliant, but I don't think happy. Tragic. It's a dismal world where the only happy end is annihilation.
Your writing is extraordinary.