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The Eleven O'Clock Sparrow

mysteryEveryone
6 contributors · 3 paragraphs deep

I stood in the middle of the square and turned slowly. Benches empty. Vendor carts gone. Office workers who cut through at 11—not here. Not one soul except me. I pulled out my phone. Tuesday, July 8th. Not a holiday. So why?

I walked to the corner café. Closed. Gate pulled. A handwritten sign: "Private Event. Back Thursday." But who books an entire square on a Tuesday? I turned back to the fountain. The water still ran. But something about the statues felt different. Waiting.

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I walked closer to the fountain. The water was blue instead of clear. How had I not noticed? A figure stepped out from behind the fountain wall. The woman in grey. "Mr. Penn. We need you to choose. The loop ends today." "What loop?"

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Amara Okafor
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