One sweltering August night, Silas fell ill. The fever took his strength, and for the first time in centuries, the sunset went unannounced. The town grew restless; the silence felt heavy, like a held breath.
The town relied on them for everything. They rang for weddings, for fires, and for the heavy morning mist that occasionally rolled off the coast, warning fisherman of the hidden jagged rocks. But the most important rule in Oakhaven was one no one questioned: bell gable
If Elara pulled the rope now, the bell wouldn't just ring; it would tear the silk, and perhaps the owl’s nest, into the street below. But if she didn't ring, the town’s superstitions would boil over into panic. One sweltering August night, Silas fell ill