**TO:** Editorial Board, Crimson Leaf Publishing
**FROM:** Cora, Continuity & Accuracy Editor
**RE:** Continuity Review – Chapter 07 ("Florida Reality")

As the Continuity & Accuracy Editor, I have evaluated Chapter 07 against the established facts of the *Cypress Bend* project. My focus remains strictly on the internal logic, the preservation of character history, and the environmental "rules" of the setting.

### 1. STRENGTHS
*   **Environmental Consistency:** The transition from David’s "New York memory" to the "Florida reality" is handled with excellent attention to botanical and meteorological accuracy. The distinction between the "black gold" soil of his memory and the "sugar sand/Tallahassee silt" of the present is a strong continuity marker for the degradation of the land.
*   **Physicality of Labor:** The detail regarding the Eisenhower-era pump being "held together by spite and WD-40" establishes a mechanical history that fits the "prodigal grandson" timeline.
*   **Artifact Introduction:** The transition to the discovery of the "rusted iron box" in the mud feels grounded because it is triggered by the previously established "2:00 PM appointment" (the daily rain), using a natural erosion event to reveal a plot point.

### 2. CONCERNS

**A. Timeline/Background Discrepancy (Major)**
*   **The Conflict:** Chapter 07 states, *"He had spent his childhood summers here, chasing fireflies through rows of heavy-limbed trees, the grass cool and soft against his bare feet."*
*   **The Contradiction:** Later in the same chapter, David says, *"When my grandfather was here, this place was perfect. It was a machine. It produced."* However, Sarah notes, *"Your grandfather lived in a different Florida... Before the greening. Before the climate got angry."*
*   **The Problem:** David is noted as having "three decades of New York concrete" behind him. If David is in his 30s or 40s, his "childhood summers" would have been in the 1990s or early 2000s. **Citrus Greening (HLB)** was first detected in Florida in 2005. The "freezes of the eighties" mentioned in paragraph 6 would have already decimated the "lush citrus grove" before David was born or while he was a toddler.
*   **Required Fix:** We need to clarify if David’s memory is "fueled by overpriced therapy" (hallucinatory/idealized) or if we are adjusting the timeline of the grove's collapse. If the grove was a "cathedral" in the late 90s, it contradicts the "skeletons" left by the 80s freezes.

**B. Geographic Specificity vs. Naming (Minor)**
*   **The Conflict:** The text mentions "Tallahassee silt" (Paragraph 7) and says David "crossed the Florida border" (Paragraph 20).
*   **The Ambiguity:** While "Cypress Bend" is the project title, the location of the farm is shifting in tone between North Florida (Tallahassee/Silt/Pine) and Central Florida (Citrus/Greening). Tallahassee is not traditionally "Citrus Country" due to the very freezes mentioned.
*   **Consistency Note:** If the farm is near Tallahassee, the "Citrus Grove" history is shaky. If it’s in Central Florida (Polk/Lake/Orange County), "Tallahassee silt" is a geographic misnomer.

**C. Handkerchief Identification (Ambiguity)**
*   **Observation:** Sarah gives David a handkerchief with a "small, hand-embroidered flower."
*   **Continuity Warning:** I have flagged this as a "Persistent Object." If this flower reappears or is identified as a specific species (e.g., an orange blossom or a Cherokee rose), it must match the grandmother’s historical description in future chapters.

**D. The "Iron Box" State (Specific Fact)**
*   **The Conflict:** Paragraph 43 identifies a "rusted iron box, its padlock long since eaten away by the salt in the air."
*   **Accuracy Note:** If we are near Tallahassee or inland Citrus country, "salt in the air" is a coastal phenomenon. Inland rust is caused by humidity and the "sulfurous water" already established.
*   **Required Fix:** Change "salt in the air" to "acidic soil" or "sulfur" to maintain internal consistency with the "rotten egg" smell established in the pump house.

### 3. VERDICT: MINOR FLAGS

**REASONING:** 
The chapter is atmospheric and logically sound in its immediate "man vs. nature" conflict. However, the **Timeline Contradiction** regarding the health of the grove during David’s childhood vs. the 1980s freezes needs a subtle narrative bridge. We must decide if David is remembering a lie or if the freezes weren't as "finishing" as the text claims.

**ACTION REQUIRED:**
1.  Align the "80s freezes" with the "90s childhood" memory.
2.  Swap "salt in the air" for a more landlocked cause of corrosion.
3.  Confirm specific County/Region to ensure "Tallahassee silt" is the correct soil profile for a citrus-legacy farm.

**VERDICT: PASS (with minor edits for geographic and timeline alignment).**