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threshold-and-protection
The station's threshold is a critical boundary that protects its sanctity, and crossing it by a human is a grave breach with serious implications.
1 chapter across 1 book
Way Station (1963)Clifford D. Simak
Chapter 17
Enoch struggles with his isolation and the tension between his extraordinary role as a keeper of the Way Station and his lingering attachment to Earth. When Lucy Fisher arrives injured and fleeing from danger, he impulsively brings her inside the station, violating the strict rule against allowing humans to cross the threshold. This act introduces immediate danger and forces Enoch to confront the consequences of his protective instincts versus his duties.