Julius LeVallon: An Episode

After a failed climbing season in the Dolomites, the narrator finds himself stuck in the mist‑shrouded Alps, waiting in Basel for a piece of mail. A single envelope, stamped in Switzerland, bears the unmistakable hand of Julius LeVallon, an old university friend. The brief note reminds him of a promise made twenty years earlier in Edinburgh and gives cryptic directions to a secluded valley in the Jura Mountains. The sudden summons awakens a flood of half‑forgotten memories, stirring both excitement and an uneasy foreboding.

Compelled by curiosity and the lingering echo of youthful adventures, he decides to follow the instructions, leaving his routine London work behind. The story unfolds against a backdrop of rugged scenery, lingering old friendships, and the subtle hint that LeVallon’s plans may involve more than a simple reunion. Listeners are invited to share in the narrator’s mix of nostalgia, intrigue, and the promise of a journey that could reshape his understanding of the past.