After Stories 1-10

A place in the count

What the numbers leave out

A birthday table, a record of introductions, a first account and a household tin put arithmetic next to a body. The numbers stay legible while what they account for changes. Nearby’s eleven recorded people do not reconcile with the nine he remembers; the twelve seconds at the passing cars cannot identify the hand.

Related stories: Many Happy Returns, Nearby, The Grace Period, Cheap Words

Help enters the arrangement

A midwife's prayer knots help her return to the bed. A clinic stamp cannot extend the hand's service. Kept lets attention alter the writing itself. These scenes do not share one result. Reading them together makes the small differences in what people can do more visible.

Related stories: The Grace Period, Kept, Final Position