02 — The Keeper’s Door

The first stone was warm beneath Mira's boots. The second hummed. By the third, the harbour had fallen silent behind her. She turned and saw Bellweather through a veil of mist, every window holding its own small light.

Halfway across, she found a door standing alone on the bridge. No wall, no frame beyond its own. A brass sign read: PLEASE KNOCK IF YOU ARE EXPECTED. PLEASE KNOCK TWICE IF YOU ARE NOT.

Mira knocked twice. The door opened onto a room full of maps. They hung from the rafters, covered the floor, and turned gently in the air like leaves that had forgotten to fall.

A boy no older than twelve sat at a desk, mending a star with a needle and silver thread. 'You're late,' he said.

'I wasn't invited.'

'That is usually why people are late.' He set the star aside and pointed to an empty sheet. 'The world is losing its edges. We need someone who notices what is missing.'

For the first time in her life, Mira looked at a blank map and felt afraid of what she might find.