Monster Belt - Chapter Three Jess bought a copy of his book. Claire looked at her in disbelief, but she didn't respond, sitting instead on one of the many vacated seats as people milled about. Lifting the slim volume closer to her face, she inhaled an aroma that reminded her vaguely of sawdust and resin and a wooden beamed building cradled into the valley below The Mere. In that vast, newly renovated Bunkhouse, she'd seen an un-noticed drop of sap, trapped immortal on the wall, hanging with neglect. Immediately, she was transported back to how the Bunkhouse used to be with its grey wooden sleeping platforms looking as worthless as a stack of empty bread trays in a disused bakery.