Sleepwalkers, Chapter 1, first half

By majority vote (and honestly, to my relief because it gives me more time to write!), this weekend's post is the first half of "Sleepwalkers," Chapter 1 - everything up to the induction. Those of you who're into that kind of thing might like to compare this final version to the not-quite-finished draft I posted a few weeks ago. It'll give you an idea of how much polishing goes into my work - especially if you consider the fact that I'd already polished that section several times before posting it.

Some websites include a "tip jar" for viewers who'd like to contribute to the upkeep of the site. I'll make a simpler request: one that's easy and cost-free.  If you read this story, just leave a comment below it - positive, negative, mixed, one word, several paragraphs, whatever. I've set up my blog to allow for totally anonymous commenting. You don't even have to sign up for an account. So just let me know what you think about what you read here. I won't delete anything that's not trolling or spam.

Thanks.

 And now, without further ado, here's the first half of Chapter 1.