Alice, the kidnapped girl, sits

beside the lake. Her toy boat

is bobbed in various directions

by the currents of fish. Tony,

Whether this is your first time here at Expanded Field or you’re back again for our newest issue — welcome! When sitting down to write this editorial I struggled to find a way to contextualise the issue without dwelling on the, seemingly never-ending, limbo we continue to inhabit.

There are patches of silver scales on Maaike’s skin and grains of sand in her auburn hair. She pulls down the sleeves of her sweater to hide the scales, and shakes out the sand from her curls, the golden specks shimmering as they fall to the floor.