Chapter 96 - CH 94 - The Geology of Us

The silent retreat was called "Stillwater." It was nestled in the folded hills north of the city, a cluster of rustic cabins centered around a weathered lodge and a literal, glass-still pond. Adrian had expected austerity, but the silence here wasn't punitive. It was a presence. It filled the spaces between the sighing pines, lay over the pond's surface like a membrane. He was given a cabin named "Aspen," a simple square of pine and glass with a narrow bed, a desk, and a wood-burning stove. No internet. No phone signal. A bell for meals. A notebook and pencil, for "non-verbal processing if needed."