Page 1: A woodcut illustration of a young man and a crow sharing a picnic lunch and a single line of text that reads, “All of what follows is true.”

Pages 2–3: I was having a picnic that first day of spring when a pesky crow flew down and stole my spoon. (Zuddiger chases a crow as it flies away into the woods, a spoon clutched in its beak. In the background, a scary castle with knife-like towers protrudes above the treetops.)

Pages 4–5: The nasty bird flew into the trees and then through a gate, but I followed with haste. (Zuddiger runs down a forest path that passes through an immense iron gate flanked by iron statues of beautiful women.)

Pages 6–7: He flew over a swirling lake, and the black swans honked at him in anger. (Zuddiger sneaks along the edge of a lake, the center of which is a whirlpool and on which float several black swans.)

Pages 8–9: I chased him through a garden and tried not to disturb the locals. (Zuddiger races through a garden of strange fungus and a carpet of tiny, misshapen, vegetablelike humanoids that crawl and run from him; the crow perches atop a mushroom and watches.)

Pages 10–11: Unfortunately, some of the locals were already disturbed. (Zuddiger climbs into a leaf-shaped boat on a river while an angry flying owlbear intercepts the crow’s flight, forcing the smaller bird to veer away downriver. In the background, two immense stone hands at the top of a cliff seem to pour a waterfall into the river below.)

Pages 12–13: It got very cold and my boat froze, so I had to chase the crow through the graveyard on foot. (Zuddiger chases the crow through a snowy graveyard, the gravestones of which are three times as tall as they should be. His boat is frozen in a lake in the background, and the shadowy form of a four-armed giant seems to rise up beyond a large crypt to watch the chase.)

Pages 14–15: But the crow had an older brother. (Zuddiger cowers in a large forest clearing at the center of which is a large stone spire. The crow hovers near the top and points down at Zuddiger with a wingtip while the “older brother,” an immense crow perched atop the spire, peers down with angry eyes.)

Pages 16–17: I was beginning to worry that I would not be able to finish my picnic after all. (The bigger crow clutches Zuddiger in its talons and flies over a swamp filled with scary worms that rise up to bite at Zuddiger’s feet; the smaller crow flaps along behind the bigger bird, spoon still clutched in its beak.)

Pages 18–19: Fortunately, I landed on something soft. (The giant bird and the crow fly off into the sky laughing as Zuddiger, recently dropped, lands on the belly of a particularly hideous troll. In the background rises an iron cage shaped like a beehive, from which dozens of smiling but disembodied faces shine down.)

Pages 20–21: And also fortunately, I’m faster and craftier than a silly old troll. (Zuddiger sneaks down a forest path; the angry troll is far behind. The troll carries a large ranseur and is climbing around on a crooked house as if he’s looking for Zuddiger among the house’s dozens of mismatched roofs.)

Pages 22–23: But I still didn’t have my spoon. (Zuddiger wanders forlornly through a forest glade filled with statues; in the background, a tall tower rises from a round hilltop.)

Pages 24–25: As it turned out, neither did that nasty crow! (An elated Zuddiger finds the crow caught by a beautiful woman—she holds the spoon in one hand and a scared crow in the other. In the background, a strange house looms on an island.)

Pages 26–27: So I traded my sword for a spoon and a bird. (The now smiling woman gives a grinning Zuddiger the spoon and the crow and accepts his sword as a gift.)

Pages 28–29: And made it back home in time for dinner. (Zuddiger, spoon in one hand and the tied-up crow tucked under an arm, walks down another forest path, at the end of which can be seen his picnic basket, blanket, and raspberry preserves sitting patiently in a clearing.)

Pages 30–31: It was the best picnic ever. (Zuddiger sits down to a picnic meal of raspberry preserves while a deliciouslooking crow roasts over an open fire.)

Page 32: The last page of the book presents a full-color, hand-painted map labeled “Thousandbreaths”.