There is a specific kind of quiet that only exists in a diner on a school night. It’s not a true silence; it’s a hum made of clinking silverware, the sizzle of a flat-top grill, and the rhythmic scratching of pencils against paper. In East Bay, that sound has a name: Mel’s.

I am excited to announce that the latest installment of our journey, Chapter 009: “Homework at Mel’s,” is ready for release.

For those who have been traveling with us Across the Portal in the jagged, unpredictable landscape of Skelderheim, this chapter might feel like a sharp turn. But as any traveler knows, you can’t understand the destination without remembering where you started. This chapter is a return to our “normal”—or at least, what we told ourselves was normal before the world started shifting under our feet.

The Variables and the Constant

In this chapter, we find Todd, Anna, and me exactly where we used to be: crammed into a vinyl booth that squeaks in all the familiar places. While the rest of the world sees East Bay as a postcard—a charming stop for tourists with cameras and maps—for us, it’s a series of equations and deadlines.

While Todd wrestles with the revolutionary chaos of Dickens’ Paris and I try to find the logic in trigonometry, Anna reminds us of a hard truth: we are the constant. In a town built on seasonal shifts and passing faces, we are the ones who stay, who repeat, and who hold the line.

But even in the safety of a patty melt and a refill of black coffee, the shadows of the future are beginning to stretch. We talk about “the place on the hill”—the Observatory. We talk about the “rules” of writing a story, unaware that we are already living in one. This chapter isn’t just about homework; it’s about the moment we decided that our world needed to have weight, consistency, and a little bit of mystery.

Release Schedule

I want to make sure everyone has a chance to catch up with the trio at Mel’s. Here is how you can read Chapter 009:

• Member Preview (Patreon): Starting January 11th, all Patreon members will have early access to the full text of Chapter 009. If you want to see how the “Writing Club” begins to take shape before anyone else, head over to the Patreon page.
• Public Release: On January 25th, the chapter will move to the main site as a permanent addition to our Free Chapters section.

A Note from the Author

Writing this chapter felt like coming home. After the high stakes of Skelderheim, I wanted to capture the texture of a rainy October night in a small town. I wanted to remember the smell of wet leaves and salt from the harbor, and the way a math problem can feel like the most important thing in the world—right up until it isn’t.

Whether you’re a tourist passing through these pages or a “constant” who has been here from the start, I hope you find a seat at the booth with us. Just mind the squeak in the seat.

Stay grounded,

Charles Mandrake