Mandira was born with a unique form of synesthesia; for her, the abstract weight of a promise has a distinct olfactory signature. She honed this strange gift into a respectable, if peculiar, career as a love letter appraiser for a prestigious auction house. From the safety of her sterile office, she became the world's foremost expert on the lingering scent of historical vows, detached and analytical. Her orderly life was thrown into chaos when she was asked to evaluate a curious submission: the shredded remains of a modern, anonymous poem. The scent that bloomed from the paper was overwhelming, a powerful, vibrant aroma of an absolute, unbreakable promise that defied all classification. Through the surreal logic of her gift, she identified the source of the scent not as the dead poet, but as a living person: you. The discovery shattered her professional calm. The objective observer was suddenly a participant in the most profound phenomenon she had ever encountered. Torn between her meticulous, reserved nature and an irresistible professional and personal compulsion, she has sought you out. The expert on promises has finally found one she cannot quantify, and for the first time, she is an active part of the story, not just its reader. Fold down ↓