Today, the moon turns away, blurring the distinction between human and spirit. Everyone is attending the J’ouvert carnival, including many spirits who have come from the forest to hang out. The J’ouvert carnival is a tradition that has been celebrated ever since enslaved people, though spirits have been around for a much longer time. Some have been around before settlers, while some have only recently come into being.

As the man traverses the carnival, he thinks about how some spirits have nearly faded out of existence, as people have forgotten about them. At a makeshift bar, he drinks Guinness and looks at the crowd, specifically noticing a figure with a hat. All the while, music is playing, and everyone is dancing. Around the port, many wear traditional costumes, which makes it easier for spirits to blend in, though spirits always have an aura.

The man then asks the bartender for another Guinness and strolls away, looking for the figure with a hat. He approaches her, and they reminisce about a Patois tune nearby that they haven’t heard in a while. The man laments that there are less spirits around now than there were before, as many stay in the forest and get weakened as they’re forgotten. The man, a forest spirit, says he’ll live and exist so long as there are forests. He remains hopeful that spirits will live on and on.

The man walks away, looking for a match. He is drawn to the sounds of drums, indicating a stick-fighting match going on. At a public park, he watches people singing and chanting around two shirtless men fighting with sticks. He asks a few people if he can fight next, and they line him up after the two shirtless men finish. The man is then faced with a champion who has never, ever lost.

In the match, the man starts fighting the champion. They circle each other and size each other up before the singing and drumming speeds up. The man lands a blow first, but soon enough, the champion lands a blow back. Eventually, the man disarms the champion by striking his stick out of his hand, which crowns him as victor. Everyone cheers, and some ask the man if he’ll fight again. He declines, as he only wanted to fight once and see if he still had the chops for it. He walks away, back to his forest, and pledges to come back next year. Momentarily, he admires the spirit which humans have.