All Chapters of The Cobra of Smoke - The Burden of Sight: Chapter 11 - Chapter 19

19 Chapters

Chapter 11

The autumn air carried the scent of fallen leaves and possibility. As David drove, Shantali watched the city scroll past her window, struck by how ordinary everything looked—pedestrians with coffee cups, cyclists navigating traffic, clouds drifting across the October sky. The world hadn't changed, but her place within it had shifted profoundly."What are you thinking about?" David asked, glancing at her during a red light."How strange it is that just a few days ago, I was desperate to understand something supernatural. Now I'm excited about checking water pressure in apartment bathrooms."David laughed. "That's called growth, I think.""Or sanity returning."They arrived at the first apartment—a corner unit in a renovated pre-war building. The real estate agent, a brisk woman named Elaine with a portfolio of listings and sensible shoes, led them through rooms bathed in natural light. The promised bookshelves flanked a brick fireplace, and the balcony overlooked a small park where cri

Last Updated : 2025-07-02

Chapter 12

"You told her?""Last night, while you were in the shower. She cried, then immediately started planning the menu." He grinned. "I hope you like traditional Chinese wedding banquets."Shantali took a bite of pancake, considering. "I know nothing about Chinese wedding traditions.""Don't worry, between my grandmother and your brother, we'll have the most meticulously planned wedding in history." His expression softened. "But all that matters is that we're together at the end of it."After breakfast, they dressed for their meeting with the apartment sellers, Shantali in a simple blue dress that made her feel confident, David in the charcoal sweater she'd given him last Christmas. As they were heading out, her phone rang with a call from the museum.She almost ignored it, then remembered her commitment to attend the meeting on Tuesday. "Hello?""Ms Cross? This is Dr Hassan." The voice was crisp, professional, with a slight accent. "I understand you've agreed to meet about the atmospheric a

Last Updated : 2025-10-05

Chapter 13

As the women admired the engagement ring, Marcus pulled David aside. Shantali couldn't hear their conversation, but she could imagine her protective older brother giving some version of the "hurt her and I'll kill you" speech. "So," Marcus said when they were all seated, menus open before them, "this seems rather sudden." Shantali felt David tense beside her. "Not really. We've been together eight months." "And living together for approximately zero of those," Marcus pointed out. "Don't you think a cohabitation trial period would be prudent before marriage?" "Actually," David interjected smoothly, "we just signed

Last Updated : 2025-10-08

Chapter 14

The Tuesday meeting at the museum felt like a visit to a bygone era. Shantali walked through the familiar corridors with David beside her, their footsteps echoing against marble floors that had once been the backdrop to her nightly obsessions. Now, the Egyptian wing held no mystery for her, just artifacts behind glass, ancient but safely contained in their climate-controlled cases. Dr Hassan was younger than Shantali had expected, perhaps mid-thirties, with intelligent dark eyes and prematurely silver-streaked hair pulled back in a practical ponytail. She greeted them in the conference room with a firm handshake and an appraising look that lingered on Shantali's face. "Thank you for coming," Dr Hassan said, gesturing to chairs around a polished table. "I hope you don't mind that I asked Mr Chen to join us. Given that h

Last Updated : 2025-10-15

Chapter 15

Shantali paused, hand on the heavy glass door. Part of her was curious, but the larger part recognised this as another test of her commitment to moving forward. "Maybe someday," she said finally. "But not today. Today I'm choosing to live in the mystery rather than solve it." Dr Hassan nodded approvingly. "Dr Thorne would have been proud of that answer." Outside, the October wind scattered leaves across the museum steps. David pulled Shantali close as they descended toward the street, the familiar weight of his arm around her shoulders grounding her in the present moment. "How do you feel?" he asked as they reached the sidewalk. "Free," she answered, surprising herself with

Last Updated : 2025-10-22

Chapter 16

Maria's response was immediate: *Yes, please. Tomorrow afternoon?* After arranging to meet at a café near the museum, Shantali set down her phone with a sense of purpose she hadn't expected. Not the desperate need to understand that had driven her to the library, but the gentler impulse to help someone else avoid the same pitfalls. "You're going to become the unofficial cobra counsellor, aren't you?" David said with an amused smile. "Maybe. If it helps people choose love over obsession." She curled back into his arms, feeling the rightness of it. "Dr Hassan mentioned that Dr Thorne left instructions about helping others. Maybe this is how it's supposed to work: each person who learns the lesson becomes a guide for the next."

Last Updated : 2025-10-29

Chapter 17

As she walked toward the subway that would take her to David and his grandmother, Shantali realised the cobra's true gift hadn't been prophecy at all. It had been clarity, the sudden, stark understanding of what truly mattered when all the noise of fear and ambition fell away.Three weeks later, their apartment fully furnished and the novel nearly complete, Shantali received another text from Maria: *I talked to Marcus. He applied for transfers to museums in San Francisco. We're moving together. Thank you for helping me see there was another option.*David read the message over her shoulder as they sat at their new kitchen table, Sunday papers spread between coffee mugs. "Another happy ending for the cobra's collection.""Not an ending," Shantali corrected, setting down her phone. "Just a better beginning."Outside their window, the park's trees had shed most of their leaves, preparing for winter's dormancy. In sp

Last Updated : 2025-11-05

Chapter 18

"Thank you," she said, touched by the gesture's significance. "This is perfect.""I've had three more cases since Maria," Dr Hassan said quietly. "I've been sending them to you for coffee meetings. I hope that's alright."Shantali nodded, thinking of the conversations she'd had over the past months, helping others navigate their own crossroads without falling into the trap of obsession."It feels right," she replied. "Like passing on what I've learned."Later that evening, as they shared their first dance as husband and wife, David whispered in her ear, "Any regrets about not pursuing the mystery further?"Shantali looked around at their gathered loved ones, Marcus and Sophia, Elena and her new boyfriend, David's grandmother, watching proudly from her wheelchair as she recovered from hip surgery. In the corner, Maria and Marcus laughed together, their move to San Francisco just weeks away."N

Last Updated : 2025-11-12

Chapter 19

"Your book reminded me that the cobra didn't just show us the future, it showed us how to live in the present. Margaret isn't gone, not really. She's in every choice I made because of her, every moment of joy we share, every grandchild who carries her laugh." He looked at them both with clear eyes. "The serpent's gift isn't prophecy, it's presence. The ability to see what truly matters before it's too late."As they prepared to leave an hour later, George pressed a small photograph of him and Margaret into Shantali's hand, on their wedding day, both radiant with joy and possibility."For your child," he said. "So they'll know their home was built on love chosen, not love stumbled into."Driving home, Shantali studied the photograph while David navigated traffic. "Do you think our baby will inherit this somehow? The ability to see the cobra when they need guidance?""I think," David said thoughtfully, "that each generation finds their own way to the wisdom it needs. Maybe it's cobras m

Last Updated : 2025-12-21

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