Page 29 - DivineSparkRising II-TheMirrorofSilenceFinal

Nicholas Boothman
each other instead and nodded once, like witnesses
who had agreed to remember.
A city official announced new guidelines for
civil conversation in public buildings. No shouting.
No recording without consent. No slogans on
posters larger than a forearm. People read the rules
and then ignored them in polite ways. The police
presence stayed light. No one wanted to be the first
to break the silence by force.
As the sun slanted toward the bridge, the air
tasted of diesel and dust and a kind of clean fear.
Henry walked to the river stairs and sat with his
notebook open. He wrote three words and crossed
them out. He wrote them again and kept them.
Choose with care.
A shadow fell across the page. He looked up. A
woman in a yellow jacket stood a step above him,
hair pinned, eyes steady. She held out a folded
flyer. The Spiral symbol was printed at the top in
rust red. No headline. No date. Only a line of text at
the bottom. Stand still. Count to thirteen. Tell the
truth you have been avoiding.
He took it. She did not ask for anything and did
not wait for a promise. She moved on to the next
person and offered the same thin paper with the
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