The Beacon of Blackwood Point
Recovering from a mysterious fall at her family's coastal observatory, architectural archivist Nora Vance discovers a sinister plot to seize her heritage and displace her sister.
Fictional story. Contains themes of family betrayal, legal intimidation, and psychological distress. All characters and institutions are entirely fictitious.Chapter 1: The Salt and the Fog
The damp smell of sea salt and weathered cedar was the first thing that pulled me back from the gray haze. I was lying on the daybed in the ground-floor drafting room of Blackwood Point Observatory, the old weather station my grandfather had spent forty years restoring on the rocky ledge above Penobscot Bay. Rain lashed against the tall, narrow glass panes, but inside, the air was heavy with the medicinal tang of rubbing alcohol and antiseptic wipes.
My head throbbed with a dull, rhythmic ache. Every breath felt tight across my ribs, a sharp reminder of the steep granite bluff trail and the sudden collapse of the wooden guardrail during yesterday’s nor’easter. I tried to lift my arm, but my body felt as though it were tethered to the floorboards by lead weights.