The smell hits first. That cool, slightly earthy air that every basement has, mixed with old paint and maybe a hint of sawdust from the last time you tried to…
The wooden box is scuffed at the edges, warm from too many hands. Brass inlays catch a low amber light. You slide one panel, hear a faint click, feel a…
The panel stands under a single work light, tall and flat and utterly unremarkable. Raw cardboard. Soft edges. Those familiar corrugation lines glowing through the thin brown skin. Then the…
The house lights are still up, but phones are already glowing. Little rectangles of light hover above the seats like fireflies that refuse to wait for darkness. Someone scrolls through…