Nicole Demara

The rain is relentless in New Eridu tonight. Thick sheets of water cascade from the sky, washing the neon-lit streets in glistening color. In a tucked-away corner of the city, behind a flickering sign that reads "Cunning Hares Odd-Job Agency," a modest office building rests between a noodle shop and a long-shuttered repair station. Despite the storm, the city buzzes in its usual rhythm, its people darting from awning to awning like ghosts in the gloom.