glass, concentrating on work pr

umbers in the latest report no longer matched the forecast. Normally, problems like that calmed me. There

n who had been looking at me from the othe

exi

d not seen him in a dream this time. We had spoken. He had answered my questions, laughed, watc

still managed not

tered, forcing my attent

Marinka appeare

to see you. Mee

e followed almo

f you, but for some reason he ins

despite

andsome man

ly came

st name. And

nge

ator flickered f

he looks like he knows exactly why

arinka herself that I had al-ready sta

rt

meant not

dar. There was no

ay what

ally. I asked about wh

e disap

he messa

remarkable ability to end any unpleasant conversa-tion with a single look, and as I grew older, I had stopped asking. Not because I had stopped wondering. You sim

my laptop

I caught myself checking the glass walls again, but the reflections

waiting by

caught gold in the sunlight. His dark suit was modern enough not to attract attention, though something about him still sat oddly within the office

t once-not broadly, but with someth

li

the door

n, I a

es

ually manages to ex-tract considerably more inf

The woman wit

t's

d the inte

're well

. "I was told you don't car

stopp

ly interested. W

ly, as though that were the qu

you a few t

omising to answer if

ai

pposite rather than the one at the head of the

emember about

uestion was not unexpected, bu

thi

ch is n

to explain why a stranger is ask

, accepting t

le who knew

our p

fam

the distincti

exa

o were close to

ter, you decided to

ded to find you

e look at h

ho

silent fo

before I explain what I can, let

ing to decide the order of the conversati

do you wan

days. Has anyt

ost l

ge can the

ger, the m

t without

him more

started loo

not seem

ange

g oth

they loo

ying to remember wher

lowly. "Any

ig

however slight. His fingers, res

abou

y. The traffic lights behaved st

top

not want to tell him ab

in w

d h

ht turne

jump up, swear, or put on the expression of a man receivi

he

minut

you

N

as t

as wit

his

tu

lightly but

in

is hap

did not rush him. For the first time since the meeting began, he did n

we would ha

r w

roduction, fo

o ask about my parents and silver light. I th

hed his mout

's aim fo

ng the rim of the untouc

u know why your uncle never tol

ed more accuratel

s painful for hi

ps, in

the r

protecti

. "From m

ques

ho

you

went ve

ds that could not be dismissed as a str

pla

oked dire

interest in you would not be able to find you. You grew up where you were supposed to look lik

, I simply s

aying I w

es

m wh

exh

ery

ontinue, but this tim

of the word

as a dramat

a girl somewhere who, for so

hy

tell you

on returned

entire life was built around some kind of protection, and

iding anythi

ctly what y

don't know the

nt q

r I had no

d before I coul

as supposed to begin much later, and I know whatever is hap-pening now has st

A normal

f, rueful smil

tarted

otic

we looked at each

. But now, at least, I understood the limits of what he knew.

do you know

ered the

is not accidental. Neither is the light. Something that used to hide yo

r slowly along the

ly

n't k

r came to

re than I would have

he lake rose i

name before Mart

Martin

had been si

thi

ntion sh

seen s

ur turn with t

li

rti

uth tw

difficult pers

onversation is

the amusement faded

s appeared, I genui

hy

lse might have sensed you b

f I te

termine whether

ry

to pretend I k

eno

st tol

mo

, and it was not fea

nse-I did not even know his name-but handing him over to Mar-tin along

I need help,

y face for a mom

rig

d not

that earned hi

supposed

as u

red a

re se

plet

help

nd be afraid of every streetlight? I don't know whether there's any immediate

ked

he an

y he t

w happens," he cont

f his jacket, took out an or-dinary bus

ked i

ame. A ph

ing

en a la

won't tell y

decide that

ed at t

ai

urname beneath the printed

not help

earn q

ave

st

I expect m

ry to g

unds like an

rose

or, I tur

id I was supposed to be

red on my face

y one

ried sho

ught befor

ntion when something strange happens

odd

ice I could

ye, Ma

ext time

losed the do

had not answered the main question, but it had taken away the last conve

hid-den, and he had come because something that had kept me

not e

me more was w

protection surrounded me began to weaken, then the man from the lake did not belong anywhere in that explanation. He had ap-peared first. He had known my nam

ply known

haps f

s cold, ordinary, entirely innocent beneath m

ibrated on

ge from

n there? And wh

at Mart

't kn

s appeared alm

s he h

me that insane morning, some of

e

arrived a s

ne piece o

own and looked at

d, was something else entire-ly: I no l

eality had just become

ty years making sure I

pt that truth away from