A Discordant Hum

On the island of the Listeners, the rhythmic pulse of the ‘felt story’ was now overlaid with a discordant hum. It was the sound of a single, furious note, drowning out all other harmonies. Maia, ever the pragmatist, frowned. ‘Well,’ she said, to no one in particular, ‘this has certainly taken a turn for the dramatic.’ Jester, on the other hand, was grinning. ‘A new game!’ he declared, ‘And the board has just been flipped!’