The Tunnel of Borrowed Light

About

A road tunnel trades safe passage for surrendered shadows, and a guild that calls light a public utility keeps the ledger of what it took. Neris Lume, 33, is the lamp attendant who trims the wicks and meters the night flame. Elian Rusk, 41, is the engineer who keeps the bore stable, is Neris's beloved, and surrendered his shadow years ago to walk a freight convoy through a collapse. Sola Vey, 57, is the tunnel keeper who has kept the shadow ledger longer than she admits. When a shadow with no owner starts following Neris's lamp, the trail runs from the tunnel mouth to the lamp room, down the service walkway, and up through a rain cutlet where the guild does not own the sky. Across a compact three-act route, the player decides how the shadow record is kept, how close to stand to Elian while the answer is unknown, and whether the shadow index is read in public, published in part, or handed back sealed. Three endings return the lamps to the workers, with a public index and a freshly asked return, a sealed private record beside a public charter, or a patient relighting in which every worker chooses in person. The romance is adult, nonexplicit, tense and grounded.

Cast

• N Neris Lume protagonist, lamp attendant and Elian's beloved no portrait yet
• E Elian Rusk tunnel engineer and Neris's adult beloved no portrait yet
• S Sola Vey tunnel keeper and keeper of the shadow ledger no portrait yet