Alina Lopez -

The note vibrated up from the floor, through her feet, her chest, her throat—and she opened her eyes.

A woman stood before her. Dark hair, knowing eyes, a half-smile. She was solid. Real. She smelled of salt and old paper and something floral, long extinct. alina lopez

That night, the new moon veiled the sea. The lighthouse was silent. At one minute to midnight, Alina walked to the center of the room. She closed her eyes. And she hummed. The note vibrated up from the floor, through

She convinced herself it was a prank. The collector, perhaps, or a prior volunteer. But the next morning, another letter appeared on her pillow. She was solid

You are the first one who tried to organize the chaos. You brought order to my randomness. You moved my book. You made me smile.

But the collector’s inventory mentioned something she had initially overlooked: a sealed trunk, labeled simply, “Personal Effects – M. V. Ashworth.”