Chapter Three: She Came Out of the Photograph

The kitchen continued to fade. Jianwei opened her editing software and dragged in the perfume photograph. If deletion accelerated the process, she needed another approach. “What are you doing?” “The expression carries the prediction. Perhaps changing it changes what comes true.” “Or changes something else.” Jianwei stopped with the stylus above the tablet. She remembered Wen's accusation that morning. Protection without permission could also be control. “You decide,” she said. “If we leave it, we watch the memory disappear. If we alter it, the consequences are unknown.” Wen stared at the kitchen. The steam above the sweet soup had nearly vanished.