“…just because he’s missing it doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate his birthday. At least you can’t join the enboozening with your playlist this time.” Meg’s voice carries across the bookshop from the counter before Maz and Eli’s footsteps clear the entrance, and the dull clonk of the bell above the door dies out.“Nobody ever hears…

Maz and Eli stand on the pavement as the drizzle runs down their faces. They look up at the shop name painted in black calligraphy, reading ‘Ari’s Buzzing Wellness’ across the wide window. The Closed sign on the glazed door hangs crooked, yet through the glass, Ari stands behind the counter with his head bowed.…

Morning comes in a bleak grey smear upon the autumnal colours that never left the street. Ron, facing the Closed sign outside The Frayed Spine entrance, fits the bookshop key and turns it. His brows pull together when the latch slides in loosely without ever reaching the expected clack of unlocking. He pushes the door open, and the shop’s…

The sky still drips black and blue when Mr. H arrives at The Frayed Spine. The dogs stand by his heel as one loyal shadow in the low dawn. Beyond them, the street seems empty apart from the rippling puddles. Mr. H keeps his eyes on the counter through the bookshop’s glazed door as the rain…

Maz and Eli stand in front of the fridge as they stare at the note. Her hand finds his arm, gripping harder by the second, before… The Viper makes itself at home with a slow syrup of calm. Fear dissolves, and the urgency it was holding on to goes with it. Maz’s hold eases; Eli’s…

A moment passes. The shadows back off towards where they should be, only by a sliver. Maz’s eyes close as Eli sits back and sinks into the couch. She leans forward to him. Her fingers find his face by feel alone and crawl up and down the side of his nose until his cheeks begin…

Maz fumbles with the key outside their flat and keeps missing the lock. When the door finally opens, a disappointed sigh leaves her.Home sweet home. Then why does it feel like you’ve stepped over the wrong threshold instead? Eli follows her in, and the click of the door shutting sounds quieter than the fridge buzz…

Alone, under the quivering dim amber wall lamp, Deon sits on an overturned wooden barrel, facing another topped with a deck of tarot cards. The light glowing over their tousled hair casts a shadow on the cards, as if a vine wreath twines around their head. Deon takes the deck and begins to shuffle it.…

The pub’s double door swings open and lets Maz and Eli step outside. The rain needles their cheeks as the wind makes the streetlamps shiver in their flickering light. Eli strolls half a pace ahead of her. His hand reaches back every now and then, only to feel the dense air before getting anywhere near…

The jukebox keeps stuttering, looping on the same last word until the meaning runs out and becomes monotonous enough to register as white noise. Maz shifts on her stool. Her knee knocks against Eli’s, and a cold line cracks between them.Stop shivering or whatever this is that you’re doing. Maybe someone’s left the door open?…