The note had said to be ready, but days still passed without any big event. It felt like standing in the quiet before a storm. The air did not change much, but you could feel the weight of what was coming just below the surface. Elias and Mara did not rush or act as if the end was near. They simply moved through each day with a little more care and a little more awareness.
They opened the shop at the usual time, swept the floor, and laid out their tools. Customers came and went, talking about the weather or their homes or the crops growing in the fields. To anyone walking past, everything looked normal. Only Elias and Mara knew that every quiet moment was part of the waiting game.
“They are still watching,” Elias said one morning while planing a long board. “I see the same car drive by t
