Chapter complete
You finished Ch.12 of Dead Hours. Nice roost to rest at.
Be the first to rate
Sign in to rate this series.
You've reached the end of this series — it's all caught up. Follow it to hear when new chapters land.
Text Version A written companion to this chapter — for accessibility, screen readers, and search.
A mild elderly man in a cardigan wants to return an object to the store: no receipt, no packaging, and — Kaito slowly realizes — it is not something the store has ever sold. But the man is completely certain and utterly reasonable, and Kaito cannot prove a negative. He escalates through increasingly elaborate attempts to establish where the object actually came from while Rin films and lobs unhelpful theories. In the end Kaito refunds it out of his own wallet just to make the paradox stop — and the man immediately tries to return the receipt.
Page 1
A complex six-panel page. Late night in the convenience store. A mild elderly man in a neat grey cardigan and round glasses walks up to the register and gently sets a ceramic garden gnome on the counter, asking to return it. Behind the counter, Kaito (name tag KAITO) stares flatly at the gnome with slow, dawning confusion. Rin (name tag RIN) glances over from her phone. OLD MAN: I'd like to return this. KAITO: We... don't sell those.
Page 2
A dense eight-panel page. Kaito (name tag KAITO) tries every method he can think of to work out where the ceramic garden gnome came from — scanning it with the barcode reader, checking under the counter, holding it up to the light. The mild elderly man stays serenely certain. Rin (name tag RIN) films it all, deadpan. One panel is a close-up of the gnome's placid bearded face. KAITO: When did you buy it? OLD MAN: Tuesday. RIN: Believe him.
Page 3
A dense multi-panel page. Kaito (name tag KAITO) taps at the register computer looking for any record of the ceramic garden gnome and finds nothing. He gestures around the store trying to explain that they never carried it. The mild elderly man calmly shakes his head, still smiling, unmoved. The gnome sits placidly on the counter. Rin (name tag RIN) watches, deadpan, behind her phone. KAITO: There's no record of it. OLD MAN: I'm quite sure.
Page 4
A dense seven-panel page. Kaito (name tag KAITO) escalates into obsessive detective mode trying to trace where the ceramic garden gnome came from: scrolling endless inventory records on the register screen, pointing up at the ceiling security camera, scribbling a diagram on a notepad, sweating with intensity, holding the gnome up in one hand for comparison. The mild elderly man waits patiently throughout. Rin (name tag RIN) films it all, smirking behind her phone. KAITO: It had to come from somewhere. RIN: Did it though.
Page 5
A dramatic full-page splash. Kaito (name tag KAITO) holds the ceramic garden gnome up in both hands at eye level, staring into its serene little face with hollow existential despair. Radiating screentone lines and deep shadow frame him; sweat beads on his brow. KAITO: Where did you come from.
Page 6
A dense seven-panel page. Rin (name tag RIN) offers increasingly unhelpful theories about where the ceramic garden gnome came from, holding up her phone. Small imagined insets show the gnome beside a little clock, and the gnome wrapped up like a gift. The mild elderly man nods along agreeably to every theory. Kaito (name tag KAITO) grows more unsettled, his eye twitching. RIN: Time travel? OLD MAN: Perhaps. KAITO: Please stop.
Page 7
A dense multi-panel page. Kaito (name tag KAITO) opens his mouth to argue, then stops — realizing he cannot prove the ceramic garden gnome did not come from the store. The logic trap closes on him: dawning horror, then he clutches his own head and slumps against the register. The mild elderly man remains serene; a close-up shows the gnome's placid face. Rin (name tag RIN) films. KAITO: I can't prove it didn't. OLD MAN: Exactly.
Page 8
A dense six-panel page. Defeated, Kaito (name tag KAITO) pulls out his own worn wallet to refund the ceramic garden gnome out of pocket just to end the paradox. He counts coins onto the counter with a dead expression and slides the money over. The mild elderly man receives it with a gentle smile. The gnome sits on the counter. Rin (name tag RIN) films with glee. KAITO: Just take it. OLD MAN: Thank you kindly.
Page 9
A dense multi-panel page — the punchline. Kaito (name tag KAITO) hands the old man a small paper receipt for the refund. The mild elderly man accepts it, pauses, then politely slides the receipt right back across the counter to return that too. Kaito goes blank and dead-eyed, his soul leaving his body. Rin (name tag RIN) films, delighted. OLD MAN: I'd like to return this too. KAITO: ...
Page 10
A dramatic full-page closing splash. Dawn light through the store windows. Kaito (name tag KAITO) stands hollow and defeated behind the counter, staring into the middle distance, utterly done. The ceramic garden gnome now sits on the counter beside the register, facing outward as if it works there. Rin (name tag RIN) leans in beside him, lowering her phone with a tiny satisfied smirk. RIN: He works here now.