Chapter One - Ballast / Page 5 of 6
The Hallway
Inside the boarding house, Elias lets the hallway settle before he gives the room a name.
The hallway held the weather differently.
Outside, rain moved with purpose. In here, it became smell: damp wool, old paper, radiator heat, and the faint mineral edge of water that had entered where it was not invited.
Elias stood just inside the door and let his eyes adjust. A coat hung from a wall hook. A stack of papers leaned on a narrow table. The floorboards ran inward like a held breath.
He did not write anything yet. Some rooms needed a moment before they could be named.
Some rooms needed a moment before they could be named.
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