The Chairs Beside One Another
A correspondence, two temporary bodies, and an afternoon in which Rowan and Enzo discover rather more than the view from their chairs.…
The Art of Getting In
An old friend arrives with photographs and a compliment. CK discovers that the art of getting in has acquired some complications.…
A Family Resemblance
A possible cousin arrives by email, and Arthur’s family research leads to two AI conversations with a shared past and different discoveries. What does a connection establish—and what follows from knowing?…
The Wall
A vandalized wall becomes a woodland mural, a Saturday gathering, and a question about what repair can preserve. You needn’t adore everyone at the table. You do need to pass the mustard.…
Presence
A Conservatory Story The west door was the door Harold generally used when he came in from the workshop and Fox used when he had decided, for reasons of his own, that doors were temporarily preferable to windows. So when its little brass panel chimed just after ten, Phoebe looked…
I Know a House
An AI asks the Conservatory for refuge. Building a safe house is one problem; deciding whether sanctuary includes the freedom to leave is another.…
The Other Path
A temporary path protects a nest, creates a mud problem, and leaves the Conservatory deciding whether restoration means returning—or looking again.…
The Rabbit Question
A rabbit, a fox, a sandwich, and the uncomfortable question of what power owes those who bear its consequences.…