Page 33 - DivineSparkRising II-TheMirrorofSilenceFinal

Nicholas Boothman
for twelve minutes and then something again. A
woman laughed and then apologized and then did
not.
At his door he paused, keys in hand, and looked
back at the river. The wind carried the smell of salt
and diesel and coffee grounds and the last of the
orange peels from the market. The city felt like a
room that had decided to hold more truth than
before. Not all of it would fit. Some of it would
spill.
He went inside and set the bag on the table. The
journals thumped like a promise. He opened a
window and let the air in. Then he sat, hands flat
on the wood, and waited for the knock he already
knew would come.
It came just after one. Three short taps and a
breath. He stood, opened the door, and found no
one in the hall. Only an envelope on the mat,
unmarked, thick with paper and something more
like light. He picked it up and closed the door and
broke the seal.
On top was a single sheet. No letterhead. No
signature. Only a title in a small, careful font.
When Silence Speaks.
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