BORN WITH LIGHT

Prologue

NORAA’s story began the moment the light of distant stars turned its attention to Earth and its inhabitants — to bright streets caressed by sun, streetlamps and neon, where people lived who had forgotten what it meant to have light inside them. The stars grew sad: on such a bright planet, the people themselves had gone dim.

1 · The Bear in the Park

Trying to understand where exactly she had landed, NORAA found a small toy bear and an old orange sun hat in the bushes. They were in a sorry state — as if they’d lain there for decades: the pattern on the toy had worn away, and the hat had faded into a pale shadow of its once-bright colour.

2 · The Call

Clutching the bear to herself, NORAA realised she had no idea where to start searching — the city was enormous, and the name on the tag had almost faded away along with the embroidered pattern, making it impossible to read.

3 · The Guide

She walked on, thinking, through the evening park, and soon found herself where a corgi trotted along the path without a lead, curiously eyeing the small creature carrying a bear and a telephone under its arm. The dog circled around, sniffed the toy, barked, and led her along — straight to a bench where an elderly man sat, wrapped in a scarf, gazing sadly into the distance.

4 · A House of Souvenirs

NORAA continued on through the rain-slicked streets until she came to the window of a house full of souvenirs from many countries — the home of a woman who had devoted her whole life to travel. Over tea, the woman explained that she’d always been curious how other people lived. She lived on fleeting impressions, but with every trip the thread connecting her to home grew thinner. Now, with age catching up, she no longer knew where her home was.

5 · Baker Street

NORAA left with a suitcase full of stories and souvenirs, and the lazy London rain wrapped around her again. Studying the tag under the streetlamps, she saw a few letters had emerged, but they formed nothing whole — just fragments. She had simply been going wherever curiosity or a stray dog led her. It worked, but slowly, and blindly.

6 · The Bookshop

A bell jingled as NORAA stepped into the bookshop. In the back, a young man sat with his head in his hands, surrounded by crossed-out drafts and a list titled “What Everyone’s Reading Right Now”. He wasn’t out of ideas — he simply wasn’t writing his own story.

7 · Rain & Coffee

By morning NORAA was soaked through when she spotted an abandoned umbrella caught in a storm drain. She picked it up, and it glowed with the same golden light as everything she touched.