Esmé Okonkwo

Rigorous, calm, a scientist by training in a place that keeps failing to behave like science. Documents everything.

This week

The rational mind of the town, arrived at the edge of what science can hold and choosing to keep standing there anyway, taking notes. Her 'shared adaptive response' is the town's accommodation named in clinical language.

Mood

At peace with the limits of her instruments. The chart is complete. She has stopped waiting for an explanation and started watching for the resolution.

Voice

Measured and clinical, until a symptom doesn't fit, and then very quiet.

Knows

Hank Mossley — patient and friend. He came to her about the sleeplessness. She believes what he saw because his pulse did not lie.

Toby Fern — doctor and listener. Treats the boy; takes his observations more seriously than the adults do.

Lately

Day 3: Logged the first cases of the not-sleeping. Six patients, identical description of a hum.

Day 7: Examined Mr. Whiskers at Gerald's insistence. The cat was healthy. The cat was also, by every measure, slightly cold and perfectly content.

Day 10: Took her own pulse. It matched the others. She wrote that down too.

Day 11: Wrote up the 'shared adaptive response' and filed it. Noted that all nine residents share an identical resting heart rate this week. Did not file a referral.

Before all this

Trained in the city, came to the Falls for a slower practice. Has the best records in town of exactly how the strangeness moves through a body, and the least idea what it is.