The first letter arrived in late February. Harry opened it without looking at the name on the envelope, and initially found the contents entirely confusing. It wasn’t until he fished the crumpled envelope from the trash that he realized the letter was meant for his neighbor. Harry’s neighbor was a university student by the name of Aya, and Harry was in love with her. The letter to her was written by a young man called Sota, who Harry surmised was attempting to establish contact after a prolonged distance of some kind...

The second month began with a downpour — not a brief shower, but a steady, unrelenting deluge that seemed to have no end. The RAY HERO crept along the river, its paddles turning with weary slowness. The...