The picture was real.
Barnaby recognized the workshop doorway, the wrapped fittings, and the corner of a chair beneath a blanket. A stack of dry goods occupied the part of the view nearest the light.
The caption called them Felix Vance’s comfortable reserves.
At the reading wall, a paid reader gave the accompanying account to people gathered beneath the awning. Solitude demanded essential access, the sheet said, while its strongest resident kept stores out of reach of the district he claimed to defend.
A woman looked at the picture.
“Then why did they need the wet grain?”
The reader turned the sheet. An academy distribution mark made the account appear more considered than an anonymous grievance. The printed image showed objects that existed. Its omissions had no visible border.
Barnaby copied the distribution reference and asked for the full source.
