781
Fors dropped the kraft paper envelope containing her manuscript into the editorial office's dedicated mailbox.
She exhaled and rubbed her hands together. It was dark and cold now, and she felt a little hungry.
Although her original plan had been to have a proper discussion with her editor about her story's plot and future submissions, all Fors wanted now was to hurry home, return to her warm living room with its fireplace, wrap herself in her favorite thin wool blanket, nap on the sofa, and drink a cup of hot coffee... Hmm, Xio should have finished her business and gone home by now. Perhaps she would pick up her favorite sandwiches on the way. Fors thought this in a relaxed mood.
Her current serial would conclude within the month. After that, she would take on a commission from The World, Gehrman Sparrow, to write some short stories for this "Sea Hunter"-considering that she might have to commission him to hunt the Saint of Secrets, Fors badly needed money.
However, tensions had been high lately, and controls on print media had tightened slightly. Getting articles approved had become harder. Apart from her serial, all her other short-story submissions were actually still under review... No publication meant no payment, and no payment meant no motivation. Coupled with the cold weather and her reluctance to go out, Fors even wanted to stop writing for a while and take Xio on a trip.
Pedestrians gradually appeared along the street, most of them young people leaving school.
Seeing that her surroundings had grown a little livelier, Fors decided to buy a newspaper at a nearby bookshop, then wait for a horse-drawn tram to pass.
She set off at once, heading straight for the nearest bookstall and newsstand. But amid the people coming and going,