Chapter Four: The Man Without a Shadow

With Intercalary Lane collapsing, Lin accepted Ye's bargain: safe passage to the conservation center in exchange for examining the record through protective tissue. Ye would not touch the original. “Why don't you have a shadow?” Su asked. “Every Calendar Corrector surrenders something upon induction. I surrendered the right to be claimed by my past.” It resembled an answer while avoiding the question. Across Linchuan, shadows had come loose. Hospital patients fled while their silhouettes remained in bed. A mother carried her child, yet the pavement showed only one person. Whoever chased a runaway shadow was led into a deleted life. At the center, a tall, thin man was numbering shadows in chalk.