[Fiction] Dear Posse No. 16: The First Step

I’m working on a serial fiction project. Each segment will be published here and on Patreon. It is available in full to Patreon supporters:

Dear Posse,

It’s the morning after the ritual, and something has changed. The air feels lighter, and for the first time in what feels like forever, the perpetual twilight seems a little less oppressive.

We gathered around the black tree, our circle made up of those who see the world through the crack in the sky. Each of us placed our items at the tree’s roots, sharing whispers of fear and shouts of hope.

As the clock struck midnight, we began. The tree’s hum grew louder, resonating with our voices as we chanted words that felt ancient and powerful, even though Eliza had written them just this morning.

And then, the sky… it shivered. Like a dark ocean stirred by a deep wind, the twilight trembled. We all felt it, a wave of cold followed by a surge of warmth.

“Look!” someone shouted.

Above us, the endless eclipse flickered, and for a moment, there was a beam of true sunlight. It was pure, golden, and heartbreaking in its beauty.

We gasped, tears mixing with smiles, as the darkness returned. But it had been enough to give us hope.

“We made it waver,” I said, my voice hoarse with emotion. “We reached through.” We’re not done, Posse. This was just the first step.