The City That Borrowed Tomorrow

The next morning began at 7:30.

Nia’s friend Jun arrived late and furious. His family lived in Low Veyra, where the public clocks had skipped the first half hour entirely.

“My little sister waited for a sunrise that never came,” he said.

In the tower district, breakfast clocks had slowed so gently that nobody noticed. Tomorrow, it seemed, did not become shorter everywhere at once.