A donkey? You may be right, and it would tie nicely into the Pinocchio theory. Yet, I’m also even more confused than before. The paperweight looks a little like a canine. Also, poor August seems to be in a lot of pain. It’s as if last episode’s “shin-splints” have morphed into total body hardening. Could August be transforming into wood right before our very eyes? Also he appears to be chatting with an unnamed stranger on the phone. Could the person on the other end of the phone be the author of the book? Whoever it is, that individual is also in on their plan. My guess is that the longer August remains in SB, the worse off he becomes, which is why their plan has to be accelerated.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy