6 Things Every Girl Should Know Before Getting Trapped in a World of Talking Frogs

1. The frogs talk. Your face stings. Naturally, the little pink one doesn’t know what it’s talking about. “Bully”? Anne is yours.

2. Nothing is real. You hunger and thirst and your joints grow stiff for want of practice. At night you sleep, and at dawn you wake. It’s a dream. It’s real. Last week, you saw a goat with three eyes and five rows of gnashing pink teeth. It’s a hallucination. It’s Hell. It’s been three months.

3. Know your friends. Anne is siding with the frogs. She shook and sobbed into your arms after her grandma’s stroke, half-mad with grief, and you held her through the night. She is choosing the frogs over you.

4. Stand your ground. The hilt of your sword is slick with sweat, and there’s mud in your nostrils. Violence is unsubtle. You hate it. You hate that she’s making you do this.

5. Nothing lasts. The very floor lurches. Before you fall, the iron bars around your chest unwind, and you want to tell her everything. You only have time to cry for help.

6. Death lurks around every corner of this strange nightmare world. Maybe it’s your ticket out.