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Turtle-people tie Betty to the stake. They burn her.

If I had to explain what was wrong with the world, with Hans or without him; if you asked me why there are wolves and scissors, why there are evil prophets and killer nannies, why there are cruelties and thefts and suffering and wicked gods —

If you asked me why the world needs fixing —

I would trace it back to this. To Betty’s burning.

Things were always pretty bad on Earth, you know, what with all the genocide and the torture, but that was the moment when it just plain became completely obvious that the world was gone all wrong.

The turtle-people don’t mind it, though, not really. They don’t even seem to care.

They just laughed and danced, as if to say:

Where is your theodicy now?

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