Kael
The far stone came close all at once.
My boot landed beside the marker.
The rest of me took a moment longer to believe it.
I bent my knees, kept Nihil away from the root and caught my balance before the sickness in my stomach could turn into a fall.
One crossing.
Eighteen meters.
[ VOID STEP: COMPLETE ]
DISTANCE: 18 METERS
DEBIT: WET MUG RIM AGAINST LEFT THUMB - WASHING EVENING
SENSORY LOSS: COOL PRESSURE - IRREVERSIBLE
For half a breath, I saw a kitchen.
Hana beside the sink.
A dish towel over her shoulder.
The mug in my left hand.
I knew where my thumb had rested.
There was nothing there to feel.
I tried once before I stopped myself.
The scene held. Water near the sink. My wrist turned to keep the mug from slipping. I knew what I had been doing and why Hana had laughed.
The missing part did not arrive with the rest.
Below my boots, something scraped against stone.
