By-day May 2026

A (like a "flash fiction" 50-word version or a longer chapter)

A (told through the eyes of the young girl, Clara) by-day

"But the clocks are stopping," Clara insisted. "The sun is staying up longer every day, and people are forgetting how to sleep. Grandma says if the 'by-day' takes over, the stories will disappear." A (like a "flash fiction" 50-word version or

Elias looked at his shop. The sunlight was indeed pouring in, unnaturally bright, bleaching the wood of his counter. He realized then that the balance was shifting. By hiding his magic only in the shadows, he had allowed the daylight to become hollow—a mere waiting room for the night. Clara) "But the clocks are stopping

A (like a gritty detective noir or a space opera)