What makes Pondo’s index unsettling is not the tragedies themselves — it’s the of their precursors.

But one drawer is locked. Behind it: the “Red File.” Pondo will not show a reporter its contents. He will only read one entry aloud, his voice dry as dust:

“Sept. 9, 2019. A librarian in Boise checks out a single book: ‘The Secret Sharer.’ Returns it unread. Drowns in her bathtub 12 days later. The book is back on the shelf. No water damage.”

He looks up. Smiles. Pockets the card.

By [Author Name]