What the Town Keeps
Chapter One - Ballast
Elias Vale arrives in Vallen for a routine inspection and finds the town has already started keeping record of him.
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The Crossing
Elias reaches the edge of Vallen, where the rails turn arrival into a threshold.
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Mercer Street
The road into town narrows through old houses, wet pavement, dim windows, and careful silence.
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The Boarding House
The first inspection site waits under rainwater, old paint, loose gutters, and second-floor windows.
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The First Door
Elias finds the key, checks the frame, and steps into the boarding house with habit leading and story following.
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The Hallway
Inside the boarding house, Elias lets the hallway settle before he gives the room a name.
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The Waterline
Elias notices a pale seam across the plaster: a memory of water where water should not have stayed.
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