geoffreygevalt

writer | editor | photographer 
33 years a journalist; 12 years a coach of kids & teachers; now a novelist, #HiramFalls is finished and with agent. I would like to help build a #WritingCommunity & will follow links to your work. #writer #amwriting #photography #firstnovel #WIP #writingwonders #mastoprompt #writing

Public Key

npub1smy24dvqnk77p7s8ap4ekxz2dsgu3zp503vrlva4vdws8nqys4asfsl38g

NIP-05 Address

gg@writing-exchange.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsgdj92kkqfm00qlgr7s6umrp9xcywg3q68ckplkw6kxhgreszg27cpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qzrmhwden5te0dehhxarj9ehx7achxv30n

Publishing to

relay.mostr.pub

nostr.now

relay.primal.net

Author Public Key

npub1smy24dvqnk77p7s8ap4ekxz2dsgu3zp503vrlva4vdws8nqys4asfsl38g

Show more details

Last Notes

2025-06-06 12:12:07 UTC

81 years ago today hundreds of thousands Allied soldiers risked and gave their lives the invasion of Normandy in the fight against facism. I wonder what they would think of the world today.
https://www.geoffreygevalt.org/p/fred-june-6-1944
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/114/636/334/108/745/682/original/e88e900f12bad351.jpg

2025-03-09 18:44:14 UTC

Greetings from Mexico.
I’m thinking of staying.
#silentsunday #photography #writingcommunity
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/114/133/948/727/203/795/original/22bef2f772d17804.jpeg

2025-01-19 05:02:33 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…dxn4 gee, which one? :)

2025-01-16 19:39:51 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…0dxl and the flag remain at half-mast

2025-01-16 19:39:21 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…l4s8 that's cool.
#photography led me to this man who then gave me a brief, taut response to my questions that told of his grief. In the post I add that I was watching from afar because so many people were coming up to him. At a lull, I asked if I could take a picture; he then gave me that jolting answer. ... Since more people were lined up, I backed away and his answer and sorrow haunted me all day and by the time I drove home that night, I had the story and dashed in and wrote it.

2025-01-16 15:52:43 UTC

At the fair, I was taking pictures of this farmer at the cow barn and asked him, mainly to distract him from my lens, whether he had any cows in the barn.
"Nope. Sold ‘em all off this summer after my son passed." …
The answer haunted me all day. And it led to writing a story for stage, to resuming my novel, Hiram Falls and to writing about the process: https://geoffreygevalt.substack.com/p/3-journal-a-photograph-unlocks-me
this is the third installment of my free monthly series.

2025-01-14 16:09:50 UTC

“…My failed first draft had led me to develop a plan and a timeline. I was now ready to embark again on writing Hiram Falls. Or was I?
"No.
“Self-doubt was in overdrive, a gnawing in my belly, an insecurity about my writing that sometimes is so severe I wonder if I have any talent at all. I needed to put a few things in place to help me combat it….”
Three things actually: audience, a team and a tool to maintain consistency. For more: https://geoffreygevalt.substack.com/p/4-journal-dealing-with-demons (free, monthly series on writing)
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/827/571/415/889/326/original/1b965bbd0e9e6d17.jpg

2025-01-13 18:19:16 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…why8 being one (73), I tell most people I'm just fucking off.
the ones who really care, I tell them I write.
the ones who inquire with a job offer, I say, 'whatcha got?'

2025-01-13 18:16:40 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…why8 endings are tough. I thought I had one until I was in a writing group that I was leading and my own friggin' prompt led me to winging it and bango! I had my ending.

2025-01-12 13:14:40 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…qgtr ahh. thanks.

2025-01-12 13:10:35 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…63hm thanks so much. nice to have winter again, no?

2025-01-12 02:43:42 UTC

up in #vermont, up on the little hill I live on, we are and have been for the last few days, in a state of perpetual snowing. quite lovely. large fluffy flakes sometimes. pelting windy sometimes, light fine floating down sometimes, adding up, mounting up, plow guy has been here three times, skiing in the woods. winter. finally.
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/813/077/858/806/883/original/0e104e4196e5c74d.mp4

2025-01-12 02:38:14 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…009v
(2) after a while I realized they/we were doing 'social' writing, that is they would share a draft of some poem or slam rant or story or piece of music, or they'd do it live, right there on the site, knowing that others would say something, acknowledge, tell them what they liked about it, what confused them.
they took creative risk. they helped each other out. they collaborated. they build community.
it is so hard for us adults to do that.

2025-01-12 02:35:26 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…009v
(1)you are the third or fourth to remind me that we tend to be introverted. True that.
And wary. careful. cautious.
when i ran a nonprofit for teen writers, I was bowled over by how quickly they connected with each other, supported each other, encouraged each other, how civil and engaged they were simply because I had created a site where they were safe, meaning they were treated with respect.

2025-01-11 21:29:16 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…009v
Sarah, thanks for your thoughts.
But, more importantly, thanks for all of your interactions with me and other writers in your time here. You've added a great deal to this 'community' of writerlies.

2025-01-11 21:27:46 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…m509 you are right, of course.
I've been on the web since early 1995 and the evolution and shifts of communication have been remarkable and I will say that ALL ages of Internet users these days engage far less than they did.
And you are spot on with your observation that It's The Platform, Stupid ... and there are no places I know of that really foster interaction, sharing and posting new work right there on the platform. And conversations are often disjointed here and elsewhere.

2025-01-11 21:23:04 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…n4z4 @nprofile…44nk
Jim, a very interesting question.
I have found the deepest engagement in storytelling sites (of which there are darn few these days). I agree with Nathan that bouncing to another site is difficult and one extra step, so I found that sites where you log in and read people's work directly and comment or like or 'sprout' a story from have the greatest power.
I've built many of them but mainly for kids. The best site I ever belonged to was cowbird.com ... now dead.

2025-01-11 21:16:48 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…qgtr what is elemeno?

2025-01-11 21:15:42 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…wtj5 my theory on FB these days is if it's something promoting your own work the algorithm hides it in hopes you will buy an ad.
good for you.

2025-01-11 20:58:50 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…l4s8
you nailed it.
but today I felt like shaking the tree to see what fruit might drop.
I thing a social media writing community should be getting to know each other, exchanging ideas and conversation and reacting to each other's work -- when time and energy permits.
We're either in the pond or we're skipping along like a rock on the surface. Which, to me, is an incredible waste of time.

2025-01-11 20:52:05 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…l4s8 @nprofile…5nuy Yes, we certainly tried hard.
But that's another roadblock isn't it. People actually don't like to get feedback, particularly from strangers.

2025-01-11 20:51:08 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…5nuy I hear you on that.
That's why I refer to reciprocal communication.
If I share a link to a post I want you to read, I have an obligation to actually read and respond to other people's work that they have linked to. (horrible sentence)
I value what people notice about my writing. I am not trying to sell you anything. But that said, the Northern New England in me recoils at the thought of self-promotion. So I squirm some when I do it.
But readers who comment give us affirmation.

2025-01-11 20:48:22 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…sa32 Good point.
For 12 years I worked with kids and teachers to help kids write better. In schools, I built private websites for classrooms to write together, convinced teachers NOT to grade AND to write with them on equal terms. I emphasized commenting, reminding the kids they were experts in what their brains did when they read someone else's words.
The aim was to share what your brain noticed in a way that was well-received and that you were providing enormous help to the writer.

2025-01-11 20:44:42 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…qgtr there's a reason I like your writing -- direct, no nonsense.
I hear you on "just want you to look at their shit." And I say, what the heck is wrong with that? We are trying to drum up readers of work we've devoted hours and hours and hours of work.
And, equally honestly, some of the work is not very good. But some of it is extraordinary.
So I think of a 'writing community' on social media as one where people DO read each other's work and provide support. Benefits both.

2025-01-11 20:41:22 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…kkez Thanks for responding, Owen. You are right, of course. We writers are often hesitant to speak out in public. And the remarkable negativity of social media in general (not here) has made us a bit more wary.
There are other issues, of course -- lack of ability to write longer responses; time; energy.
I don't necessarily expect long conversations here, but I guess I do still expect people to follow links when they can and provide, if nothing else, acknowledgement to the writer.

2025-01-11 20:37:54 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…0qap Also, I haven't posted that much lately. I was so gobsmacked by the U.S. Elections I stayed away from news, social media and the computer for a while.
I did post some notes about each of the post on the new series I was starting -- How I Wrote My Friggin' Novel -- but got a few perfunctory likes. So, after a while, I just unpublished them.
I've returned a bit, but the last couple of days I've been struck by how many people put links to their work and get zero response.

2025-01-11 20:35:47 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…0qap Thanks so much for responding AND for reading my recent blog. I have to say that as a journalist I was always taught to ask. You learn nothing if you don't ask.
So I wasn't afraid to ask these five folks to help and, yes, I was surprised they said yes so quickly, but then again, I've been helping folks for years, so maybe it's just favors returned.
As to audiobook collaborators, that really is something to seek out help with. I do not have much $ either & you might be surprised.

2025-01-11 16:09:32 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…44nk but thanks for responding.

2025-01-11 16:08:09 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…44nk a true #writingcommunity has many purposes, but clearly not to you. and that’s cool. your choice.
but to me, reciprocal communication is one of the purposes of social media—to exchange ideas, knowledge and support.
be well.

2025-01-11 14:46:56 UTC

#WritingCommunity
I've been here for 6 years. I'm discouraged. I am doubting we can create a #writingcommunity given how little reciprocal engagement occurs.
I've given many of you feedback on your work but received little in return. I see little reaction to others' links.
My posts about my series on how I wrote my novel -- intended to help & entertain -- has yielded no response.
Do we want to help each other? Or are we here just to respond to writing prompts &
#photography ?
Thoughts?
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/810/258/035/207/478/original/df739346ffb667b7.jpg

2025-01-09 14:15:20 UTC

#writingcommunity #authors #writers #fiction
I've just posted the fourth in a monthly series on my writing process in creating my first novel, Hiram Falls. Subscribe for free. Enjoy. And I'd love to know what you think.
https://geoffreygevalt.substack.com/p/4-journal-dealing-with-demons

2025-01-05 21:46:25 UTC

#photography #SilentSunday #Vermont #BardOwl
This was taken yesterday. Before the snow. We live with this Bard Owl pair, that is they share their woods with us. They come out at dusk, when little creatures are scurrying, and they sit on a branch and look left, then center, then right, then back again, able to see completely around themselves. They move quickly. Just seconds after I took this picture, it was gone, exploding off the branch, swooping down, back up with a mouse in its talons.
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/777/927/722/074/332/original/6bced6f6f419ce50.jpg

2024-12-21 19:39:52 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…a0z2 great shot.

2024-12-21 19:39:26 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…009v thank you. same to you.

2024-12-21 19:38:37 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…why8 It has been snowing off and on all night and all day. light, fluffy. 16 degrees out. Perfect first day of winter.

2024-12-21 15:20:00 UTC

Happy First Day of Winter, #WritingCommunity
#photography #vermont
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/691/369/852/721/225/original/5dca7b2469bed2c3.mp4

2024-12-17 03:53:52 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…why8 nope. 73-year-old on skates.

2024-12-16 21:00:02 UTC

In #Vermont, it is a rare day when there is clear, smooth pond ice but today was the day. A brisk skate in the morning is a great way to start the day. AND get in the mood for writing.
#photography
#WritingCommunity
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/664/506/032/561/928/original/0f9fb238463a883a.mp4

2024-12-15 22:05:22 UTC

It is 23 degrees F.
Most of our snow was washed away in Tuesday's rain dump.
It's dark and windy and cold right now.
I need a #SilentSunday view of spring.
North Carolina, Duke Gardens
My best to all of you, particularly the #WritingCommunity
#photography
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/659/089/593/962/734/original/6bec13208acc576b.jpg

2024-12-02 22:39:13 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…l4s8 i am sick. give me a few days

2024-12-02 14:28:15 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…frjf updated

2024-12-02 14:27:06 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…l4s8 it is hard to wait, isn't it?

2024-12-02 14:26:44 UTC

The second in my series on how I wrote the novel, Hiram Falls. My intention is to pass along what I've learned. And in this installment, I learned it is good to follow a typo -- you might end up creating a new, and important, character.
https://geoffreygevalt.substack.com/p/doc-and-the-man?r=6v1y5

2024-12-02 02:55:41 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…l4s8 yes. maybe on posted work?

2024-12-02 02:54:54 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…y54t thanks

2024-12-02 01:57:13 UTC

#photography #silentsunday
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/580/735/675/892/844/original/2a09b4c89c65f23d.jpeg

2024-11-29 03:42:37 UTC

A Thanksgiving Story
https://www.geoffreygevalt.com/writing/lily

2024-11-24 12:47:53 UTC

#SilentSunday #photography
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/538/000/748/883/474/original/562e7b24acf23b55.jpeg

2024-11-17 21:05:16 UTC

#SilentSunday #photography
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/500/324/544/774/123/original/6262f6ab85607476.jpeg

2024-11-16 15:50:52 UTC

Day 4 of my Micro Story series:
https://substack.com/@geoffreygevalt/note/c-77454719

2024-11-10 21:54:47 UTC

- reply

@npub1dkr…l5qs what? no coffee?

2024-11-10 21:53:24 UTC

- reply

@npub1dkr…l5qs found a sock.

2024-11-10 21:51:51 UTC

- reply

@npub1spx…q4uv are we talking about those pink coconut Hostess snowballs? If so ... whoa.

2024-11-10 13:39:09 UTC

Good morning, Fedipals
#SilentSunday #photography #WritingCommunity
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/458/930/681/641/551/original/1fd2c521423411cb.jpg

2024-11-09 13:12:56 UTC

- reply

@npub12tw…u3uv so good to hear from you and thanks for reading the piece. I hope you subscribed, I'd love your continued thoughts and questions.
hope you are well.

2024-11-09 11:16:02 UTC

- reply

@npub1qm8…gyw7 you are so right. but Web habits have changed so much since the early days and people have grown used to scrolling and leaving, versus following links.
Thanks for responding. Hope you liked the piece I wrote.

2024-11-08 22:24:37 UTC

Recommendation, Fediverse:
This guy can write. And what he does with a dreadful mundane experience at a tourist town, is worth the read:
https://me.dm/@davidtoddmccarty/113448305679941520
@npub1xpc…3t05

2024-11-06 14:58:12 UTC

there is beauty in darkness
if you let your eyes
adjust
long enough
so you can see it.
#WritingCommunity #photography #electiongloom
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/436/582/557/622/842/original/bdf32e1b7cc81999.jpg

2024-10-11 01:42:15 UTC

#photography #vermont
amazing light a few days ago. only for a moment.
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/286/239/277/544/313/original/f3963afe49b68757.jpeg

2024-09-15 16:38:01 UTC

#SilentSunday #photography #Maine #geese
Happy Sunday #WritingCommunity
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/142/542/604/498/079/original/f1483dd3c0149ab8.jpg

2024-09-09 14:20:25 UTC

- reply

@npub1svg…2emy
i am surprised.
AI audio destroys text—rhythm, inflection, tone are all lost.

2024-09-08 13:43:10 UTC

#SilentSunday #photography #vermont
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/102/211/105/408/063/original/870e1f25d77a5708.jpg

2024-09-06 15:00:48 UTC

- reply

@npub1uws…hkay
OK here you go...
https://youtu.be/Ere__wxSlJ4
#fortnightfridaymusic

2024-09-06 14:44:47 UTC

- reply

@npub129r…ezrg welcome back
A vintage typewriter and a story ... (hover over photo)
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/091/122/254/017/255/original/d5652db2720d9176.jpg

2024-09-06 14:38:03 UTC

- reply

@npub1k3f…cmj2
quite right.
I should refrain from besmirching the reputation of the real Mr. T.

2024-09-06 14:37:11 UTC

#PennedPossibilities 429
Do any of your characters believe in luck?
No. But I do.
My book captured the heart of an extraordinary literary agent in NYC. She is plotting her strategy for it.
#WritingCommunity

2024-09-06 14:29:18 UTC

- reply

@npub1k3f…cmj2 yes, I meant The Orange One.

2024-09-06 14:19:51 UTC

- reply

@npub1k3f…cmj2 I know, not to worry. Mr. T is going to get whomped. I really believe that.

2024-09-06 14:01:47 UTC

I still can't get my mind around
the prospect of Musk Ox,
in league with Mr. T,
slashing and burning
our federal government
just like he did
with Twitter.
#presidentialelection

2024-09-01 22:01:48 UTC

#SilentSunday
peace.
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/064/542/567/684/441/original/8b562d37a35af4ea.jpeg

2024-08-18 14:18:56 UTC

#SilentSunday #photography
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/112/983/451/251/638/052/original/89b7333316939e5d.jpeg

2024-08-11 12:35:22 UTC

- reply

@npub1cz0…wk5s drama drama drama. oh those hedgehogs.

2024-07-26 12:14:40 UTC

- reply

@npub1w9a…04m0
rich kids in a sandbox.

2024-07-26 01:37:44 UTC

- reply

@npub1w9a…04m0 thanks so much. I appreciate that.

2024-07-26 00:29:20 UTC

- reply

@npub1w9a…04m0 I admit to being in the dark on this one. link to backstory somewheres?

2024-07-21 19:05:06 UTC

- reply

@npub1kvt…gw7t How about Harris-Shapiro?

2024-07-21 12:07:15 UTC

#SilentSunday #photography
good morning, friends.
peace.
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/112/824/359/921/333/676/original/ac0012a7ec729f04.jpg

2024-07-14 13:27:55 UTC

#silentsunday
good morning dear friends of the #WritingCommunity
On this day 40 years ago my wife and I got married on a sweltering day and after the ceremony we danced and ate and laughed and danced some more and that is the way these 40 years have gone with only a few bumps along the way.
I am so blessed.
Spread love, not hate.
#photography
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/112/785/071/470/882/720/original/1a8eef2f44ca5814.jpg

2024-07-12 19:17:58 UTC

- reply

@npub1dce…3z4c I enjoyed and was fascinated by your music. thanks for sharing.

2024-07-12 19:14:04 UTC

#writingcommunity #firstnovel #WIP
Sometimes magic happens. I just received word that a kick-ass agent with jewels for clients has agreed to represent my book, #HiramFalls
Hurdle one is cleared. Now for the second ...
Finding an agent seemed a dreary enterprise, and I feel blessed that my misery lasted but six weeks.
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/112/775/100/744/825/854/original/528dc06e376b5254.jpg

2024-07-07 18:34:39 UTC

#SilentSunday #photography
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/112/746/638/752/771/253/original/c34d704af19ad7ed.jpeg

2024-06-12 09:21:04 UTC

- reply

@npub1cz0…wk5s global psychological depression

2024-06-11 15:17:32 UTC

https://youtu.be/eQUaWPZ4A2E?si=CCyXTVyssfGJsybS

2024-06-11 11:07:54 UTC

- reply

@npub1yy2…7vpm thanks so much.

2024-06-10 17:29:40 UTC

- reply

@npub14vj…zx2q thanks so much for that. i appreciate your insight.
not mentioned is my concern about selling rights to my work.

2024-06-10 17:27:48 UTC

- reply

@npub15tv…ymru no worries. understood. (and I agree anout medium)

2024-06-07 13:47:37 UTC

Good morning fediwriters....
For those of you on Substack, have you used the new beta video feature (for social media marketing). Has it worked for you? Do you feel it has brought you new readers? Does this video make you want more, make you want to follow the link?
#writingcommunity
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/112/575/641/729/286/703/original/e27bd4ea525ad002.mp4

2024-06-06 14:33:14 UTC

Eighty years ago on this day, my father was wounded in the invasion of Normandy. Here is his story discovered over a series of coincidences.
https://medium.com/@ggevalt/my-fathers-d-day-story-d531a0d3e05a?sk=f27fed7b3427a576ba87de13de361892
#writingcommunity #photography #dday #Normandy #wwii

2024-05-29 16:15:32 UTC

"The stars wink above Jenna’s Diner in Hiram Falls. They blink and sparkle, disappear and reappear much like Mitch Perrault’s moods, one moment jovial, the next ornery, passing from outgoing to recalcitrant at the speed of light a characteristic that makes people wary whenever they encounter him unexpectedly. ..."
A new story from Hiram Falls as I await word from a prospective agent on my novel, Hiram Falls. Enjoy. (Audio version, too.)
https://geoffreygevalt.substack.com/p/mitch-and-amber-1974

2024-05-22 18:05:34 UTC

why I love #Vermont: None of these critters:
a copperhead at my friend’s farm in Raleigh, N.C., after a board covering a compost bin was removed.
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/112/486/056/738/997/789/original/7af36bb660a1a4d0.jpeg

2024-05-12 13:23:18 UTC

#MothersDay
#digitalstorytelling
#photography #writingcommunity
mothers are complicated. mine sure was. but I loved her and appreciated so much about her including the peaceful way she left us. as a Tibetan friend said to me later, “your mother had a good passage.”
https://www.geoffreygevalt.com/projects/forgiveness

2024-05-12 13:10:30 UTC

#SilentSunday #photography
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/112/428/276/074/299/219/original/5c6bd762331f3912.jpeg

2024-05-10 18:54:36 UTC

- reply

@npub1hze…3jt3 what a sweet shot and sweet sentiment.
We're with you.

2024-05-10 17:27:18 UTC

- reply

@npub18dn…a7tx nice.

2024-05-09 21:58:18 UTC

- reply

@npub1d62…tshf I read the piece. loved it. as I wrote there, I loved, too, that you can write long on that instance.
be well.
gg

2024-05-09 21:00:13 UTC

- reply

@npub1hze…3jt3 glad to do it. really appreciated the piece. cheers to you at a time I know you are not feeling that cheery.
g

2024-05-09 12:47:49 UTC

- reply

@npub1hze…3jt3
sweet, sweet piece. left you a comment.
thanks

2024-05-08 03:02:43 UTC

- reply

@npub1hze…3jt3 thank you so much. that means a lot. i’ll let you know either way but I feel good about it. i think she’s gonna like it and want to sell it.

2024-05-07 13:25:11 UTC

- reply

@npub10d5…vvxa happy birthday. when you are done editing I hope you will do something to celebrate, quietly, the gifts you have given.

2024-05-05 19:18:01 UTC

#wordweavers 5: characters that challenge a MC's beliefs?
#HiramFalls (Vera finally sees the ghost that her husband, with his damaged brain, has seen for years.)
"Vera knows now she has been so wrong about Ben. She feels she's let him down by thinking all this time that his talk about the man was just Ben’s gone-haywire brain. Maybe it's the man who’s helped Ben remember things lately, she thinks, he, like her, still yearning to get back to what they were, back before the accident."