Keep it quiet.
Deng hears everything through the paper.
A SMALL CREATURE WITH A LARGE SECRET
He arrived wet, silent, and wearing a bag.
Nobody asked twice.
ARCHIVE: BEFORE THE INCIDENTFOUND BETWEEN TWO ROCKS
Deng lives where the stones stay cool and the water never explains itself. He watches. He blinks. Sometimes he accepts a chin scratch.
Then the bag appeared. Since that morning, every visitor has felt politely observed.
Deng hears everything through the paper.
It is not a disguise. It is a boundary.
Questions are optional. Lettuce is not.

YOU FOUND THE DEN
The bag stays on. The water stays warm. The door stays open.