Novella

Written in 2014

Prague, Czech Republic. Arthur was inspired by a neighbor. Even in the teeth of a Czech winter, he'd stand guard at an open window with a pair of theater glasses, braced against the world outside, a loner who believed that if he just counted the variables correctly, the world would finally make sense.

Story no. 06 / Novella

Arthur 9

What happens when the watcher is being watched?

Arthur Penhaligon sees everything.

A 1972 collision left his sister in a steel brace. To ensure the tragedy never repeats, Arthur forces order onto his cul-de-sac. He audits the neighborhood through a telescope, recording the mail delivery and the flicker of streetlamps in a ledger that must always balance.

Then Daniel Blackwood moves into Number 12.

The stranger brings a four-beat tapping rhythm and steel markers that violate the count. To the neighbors, Blackwood is a charming addition. To Arthur, Blackwood is dismantling the sanctuary of the cul-de-sac one variable at a time.

When the community dismisses his warnings as the delusions of a frantic old man, Arthur abandons the safety of his viewing post to stop a predator.

A chilling psychological thriller about a man counting the seconds to a catastrophe no one else believes is real.

Sidenotes

Arthur 9: A Preface - Listen | Read
Arthur 9: Chapter One - Listen | Read

There is a window... when the light remains too thin to catch a man moving in the periphery. Arthur takes it.
Arthur 9