Lena gathered them in the kitchen. She pointed to the underside of the table, where the tape had been.
“Tell them what?”
The sound did not echo. It did not fade. It fell into the room like a stone into a deep well, and for one terrible second, nothing happened. Then the clock on the wall began to tick backward. The dust motes swirled into a spiral. And the compass needle spun once, twice, and broke clean off, floating in the air like a tiny silver fish. ninitre
“Ninitre.”
But this time, it was crossed out. And beneath it, in fresh black marker: Say it aloud. Lena gathered them in the kitchen