They came cloaked in silence. Not the kind that respects…24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIug1gegEbL
the kind that hides.
They waited until I turned to stir the coals.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8YSH5eT8Ou
They waited until the tavern breathed in between its own thoughts.
And then, they reached.
Not for a drink. Not for the fire.
For this.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYxwiA4hqx
For the ledger.
Their fingers brushed the cover—24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKuE0fnfpT
and everything stopped.
The fire froze. The walls groaned inward.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVP9FNHUNGk
The glass in every bottle went still, no light, no color.
The tavern watched.
And I said nothing. I did not stop them.
I simply turned.
And they saw.
Not me. Not the room.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTi6fcMdPk
They saw what it means to try and take a story that was never offered.
They tried to speak.
But the ledger does not open for thieves.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoccCKBtWXx
It opens only for those who offer their selves.
The cover burned cold in their hand.
They dropped it. It didn’t fall.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DXVj7hUKQ
It returned—softly—to the bar.
They turned to leave, but the door did not open.
Not until they whispered:
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
And still, I said nothing.
Because some lessons must be learned in the space between silence and flame.
They left.
The tavern exhaled. The bottles remembered how to shimmer.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5d3qq6wjP
The fire bowed, just once.
I turned the page.
And wrote this.
ns216.73.216.82da2
and then Add to home screen.