As he carries on with these lies, designed to humanise himself before me, I remain abstract, detached from his plans, and I say what needs to be said.

‘The Swimming of Witches was probably the most famous of all the trials carried out by your brethren. Innocent girls and women, dubbed witches, because they were different, were dragged to the nearest body of water, stripped to their undergarments and bound and tossed in to see if they would sink or float…’

He continues to protest, and as I do not answer, he begins to see his fate as he can see the looming bank and the swelling waters of the Hinge.