The Book of Form and Emptiness

Annabelle and Benny bury three of the dead crows in the backyard. Benny asks why they should bury crows instead of giving them sky burials; he argues with Annabelle that he was never involved in the decision to cremate Kenji’s body instead of burying him. Neither she nor Benny can guess why the crows are suddenly dying.

Annabelle returns to work. With the election imminent, protests over politics and racial tensions take over her news feed, alongside descriptions of coastal wildfires. When Annabelle takes a break and goes outside, she notices No-Good throwing a dead crow into the dumpster. She hurries to look inside and finds multiple dead crows mixed in with the garbage. No-Good admits that he’s been offering the crows food spiked with rat poison as he believes the crows are dirty animals attracted to the garbage on Annabelle’s property. Annabelle can see something is bothering No-Good, and when she asks, he reluctantly admits that his mother, Mrs. Wong, is not doing well in the hospital. Though Annabelle tries to comfort him, he rebuffs her and reminds her that she is supposed to clean the house. He threatens to evict Annabelle and Benny is she does not finish the job.