Nora emerges from mist onto a colonnaded path and approaches a stone building with a grand clock frozen at midnight. The arched windows seem to change in number. Her watch reads 00:00:00 and doesn’t advance, suggesting time has stopped. With nowhere else to go, Nora enters.

Inside, the bright space lacks the windows seen outside. Instead, there are vast aisles of shelves stretching out of sight, each filled with green books in varying shades and sizes. The air smells fresh and grassy rather than dusty.

Nora wanders through corridors, becomes lost, and realizes there is no obvious exit. Seeking answers, she inspects the books. None bear titles or author names; their only differences are shade and width.

She reaches for a medium-sized, drab olive volume. Before she can pull it free, a voice behind her cautions, “Be careful,” prompting Nora to turn toward the unseen speaker.