The Oort Room

The Candle at the Back

There is a candle at the back of the Oort Room, on a shelf the lamp's fan never reaches. It is not for light. The lamp does that.

The candle is for the people who stayed long enough to be called regulars: three separate nights, no more required. The Keeper lights it when they arrive and does not say so. If you are reading this, you were here before, or you went looking, which counts.

Nothing happens when it burns. That is the pour called Nadir, the lowest point, the one directly under your feet: a drink that is only warmth, poured into a glass that is only a glass. Sit as long as it lasts. The lamp stays lit.

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