That morning the town’s fog had a way of swallowing sound. Alina walked the narrow lane past closed shutters toward the guidance room: a sunlit parlor above the bookstore, where the scent of lemon polish and old paper braided together. A brass placard read GUIDANCE. She unlocked the door and arranged three chairs like small islands. A pot of tea steamed on the side table; loose-leaf bergamot, because clarity often arrived wrapped in citrus.
That morning the town’s fog had a way of swallowing sound. Alina walked the narrow lane past closed shutters toward the guidance room: a sunlit parlor above the bookstore, where the scent of lemon polish and old paper braided together. A brass placard read GUIDANCE. She unlocked the door and arranged three chairs like small islands. A pot of tea steamed on the side table; loose-leaf bergamot, because clarity often arrived wrapped in citrus.