diff --git a/docs/examples/shop/README.md b/docs/examples/shop/README.md
index 5b57161..216ae42 100644
--- a/docs/examples/shop/README.md
+++ b/docs/examples/shop/README.md
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ it and restart: the orders are still there (WAL replay).
 | `product_page/`, `orders/` | one view module per feature + its root controller file | feature folders |
 | `static_files/controller.wo` | `/assets/*` from disk, traversal-safe, typed | `angular.json` assets |
 | `assets/style.css` | ONE real stylesheet, sectioned per feature | the `.scss` files |
-| the `-- 37 target:` block above each `render()` | STORY 37's TARGET — an in-class raw template literal ({{ }} auto-escaped + type-checked, {!! !!} raw slots) replacing the hand-built body below it | Vue `<template>` (in-SFC) |
+| the `render()` bodies | markup-first TODAY: one HTML line per `h = h ..` statement, `${}` holes; story 37 collapses each body to ONE raw literal with `{{ }}` auto-escaped typed holes | Vue `<template>` (in-SFC) |
 | `main.wo` | bootstrap: seed, routes, serve — nothing else | `app-routing.module.ts` + `main.ts` |
 
 Separation is compiler-enforced where the language allows it today:
@@ -39,16 +39,17 @@ sit in the root module beside `types.wo`, because of gap #1 below.
 
 ## What is deliberately different (doctrine)
 
-- **Templates compile or they don't exist (story 37).** The target is
-  an IN-CLASS raw template literal: `render()` returns one multi-line
-  literal whose `{{ expr }}` holes are auto-escaped, compile-time-
-  checked interpolations (typo'd field = compile error); `{!! !!}` is
-  the raw slot for prebuilt fragments; structural control stays the
-  language's `if`/`for` composing literals. Every `render()` here
-  carries that target as the `-- 37 target:` comment above it — the
-  body below is today's hand-lowering. NO template engine runs at
-  request time — ever. Styles stay a real CSS file, served statically
-  (there is no scss preprocessor).
+- **Templates compile or they don't exist (story 37).** The views are
+  markup-first within today's language: one HTML line per `h = h ..`
+  statement (single-quoted attributes — no escape noise), `${}` holes,
+  data through `esc()`. Story 37's raw template literal removes exactly
+  the two taxes you can see: the `h = h ..` prefix on every line (the
+  language has NO multi-line expression or literal — recorded gap #3,
+  proven while writing this file) and the explicit `esc()` calls
+  (`{{ }}` auto-escapes and type-checks; `{!! !!}` is the raw slot).
+  Same markup, less ceremony. NO template engine runs at request time —
+  ever. Styles stay a real CSS file, served statically (there is no
+  scss preprocessor).
 - **No closures, no DI.** A view is a class with fields + `render()`;
   a controller is a class satisfying `Handler`. Capture = a field.
 - **No sessions/cart yet.** Buying is per-product (qty → order). A cart
@@ -71,7 +72,7 @@ sit in the root module beside `types.wo`, because of gap #1 below.
 1. `types.wo` — the entire persistence layer is 20 lines.
 2. `orders.controller.wo` — the whole buying flow (validate, stock
    check, decrement, durable insert, render) with no framework magic.
-3. `orders/view.wo` — each `-- 37 target:` literal vs the hand-built
-   body under it. The pair is the referendum: the literal is what
-   writing a view will feel like, the body is what it costs today.
+3. `orders/view.wo` — the referendum: is HTML-per-line with `${}`
+   holes readable enough today, and is 37's delta (delete every
+   `h = h ..` prefix and `esc()` call) worth a compiler slice?
 4. `main.wo` — the app at a glance: five routes, one middleware, serve.
diff --git a/docs/examples/shop/layout/app.wo b/docs/examples/shop/layout/app.wo
index e5c33c5..0f33d52 100644
--- a/docs/examples/shop/layout/app.wo
+++ b/docs/examples/shop/layout/app.wo
@@ -1,36 +1,22 @@
 -- layout/app.wo — the app shell (app.html's analog): one full document
 -- wrapping every page with the shared header and footer. Styles are NOT
--- inlined here — the shop links /assets/style.css, a real stylesheet
--- served by the static_files controller, so view markup and styling
--- stay separate files exactly as the template promises.
+-- inlined — pages link /assets/style.css (served by static_files), so
+-- markup and styling stay separate files.
 use framework/http
 use html
 
--- 37 target:
---   return `
---     <!doctype html><html>
---     <head>
---       <meta charset="utf-8">
---       <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1">
---       <title>{{ title }}</title>
---       <link rel="stylesheet" href="/assets/style.css">
---     </head>
---     <body>
---       {!! header() !!}
---       <main class="site-main">{!! content !!}</main>
---       {!! footer() !!}
---     </body></html>`;
 pub fn app_shell(title: Text, content: Text) -> Text {
-  let d = "<!doctype html><html><head><meta charset=\"utf-8\">";
-  d = d .. "<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width,initial-scale=1\">";
-  d = d .. "<title>${esc(title)}</title>";
-  d = d .. "<link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"/assets/style.css\">";
-  d = d .. "</head><body>";
-  d = d .. header();
-  d = d .. el("main", "site-main", content);
-  d = d .. footer();
-  d = d .. "</body></html>";
-  return d;
+  let h = "<!doctype html><html><head>";
+  h = h .. "<meta charset='utf-8'>";
+  h = h .. "<meta name='viewport' content='width=device-width,initial-scale=1'>";
+  h = h .. "<title>${esc(title)}</title>";
+  h = h .. "<link rel='stylesheet' href='/assets/style.css'>";
+  h = h .. "</head><body>";
+  h = h .. header();
+  h = h .. "<main class='site-main'>${content}</main>";
+  h = h .. footer();
+  h = h .. "</body></html>";
+  return h;
 }
 
 -- The one transport helper every controller shares: a 200 HTML Resp.
@@ -41,8 +27,10 @@ pub fn ok_html(body: Text) -> Resp {
 }
 
 pub fn html_error(status: Int, title: Text, msg: Text) -> Resp {
-  let content = el("h1", "", esc(title)) .. el("p", "", esc(msg)) .. el("p", "", link("/", "", "Back to products"));
+  let c = "<h1>${esc(title)}</h1>";
+  c = c .. "<p>${esc(msg)}</p>";
+  c = c .. "<p><a href='/'>Back to products</a></p>";
   let h: map<Text, Text> = {};
   h["content-type"] = "text/html; charset=utf-8";
-  return Resp { status: status, headers: h, body: app_shell("shop — ${title}", content) };
+  return Resp { status: status, headers: h, body: app_shell("shop — ${title}", c) };
 }
diff --git a/docs/examples/shop/layout/footer.wo b/docs/examples/shop/layout/footer.wo
index 03a9222..0fe9fb7 100644
--- a/docs/examples/shop/layout/footer.wo
+++ b/docs/examples/shop/layout/footer.wo
@@ -1,8 +1,4 @@
 -- layout/footer.wo — the footer fragment (footer.html's analog).
-use html
-
--- 37 target:
---   return `<footer class="site-footer">writeonce shop — one binary: server, database, these pages.</footer>`;
 pub fn footer() -> Text {
-  return el("footer", "site-footer", "writeonce shop — one binary: server, database, these pages.");
+  return "<footer class='site-footer'>writeonce shop — one binary: server, database, these pages.</footer>";
 }
diff --git a/docs/examples/shop/layout/header.wo b/docs/examples/shop/layout/header.wo
index 6f15a94..ff0bc59 100644
--- a/docs/examples/shop/layout/header.wo
+++ b/docs/examples/shop/layout/header.wo
@@ -1,14 +1,8 @@
 -- layout/header.wo — the header fragment (header.html's analog).
-use html
-
--- 37 target:
---   return `
---     <header class="site-header">
---       <a href="/" class="brand">writeonce shop</a>
---       <nav class="site-nav"><a href="/">Products</a> <a href="/orders">Orders</a></nav>
---     </header>`;
 pub fn header() -> Text {
-  let brand = link("/", "brand", "writeonce shop");
-  let nav = link("/", "", "Products") .. link("/orders", "", "Orders");
-  return el("header", "site-header", brand .. el("nav", "site-nav", nav));
+  let h = "<header class='site-header'>";
+  h = h .. "<a href='/' class='brand'>writeonce shop</a>";
+  h = h .. "<nav class='site-nav'><a href='/'>Products</a> <a href='/orders'>Orders</a></nav>";
+  h = h .. "</header>";
+  return h;
 }
diff --git a/docs/examples/shop/orders/view.wo b/docs/examples/shop/orders/view.wo
index 1e00bbe..77e38fd 100644
--- a/docs/examples/shop/orders/view.wo
+++ b/docs/examples/shop/orders/view.wo
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
--- orders/view.wo — the confirmation page and the orders table. The
--- comment above each render() is the STORY-37 TARGET (raw template
--- literal, {{ }} auto-escaped); the body is today's hand-lowering.
+-- orders/view.wo — the confirmation page and the orders table.
+-- Markup-first, one HTML line per statement; see product_list/view.wo
+-- for the convention and the story-37 endgame.
 use html
 
 pub class OrderOk {
@@ -8,18 +8,13 @@ pub class OrderOk {
   qty:   Int
   total: Float
 
-  -- 37 target:
-  --   return `
-  --     <div class="card">
-  --       <h1>Order placed</h1>
-  --       <p>{{ self.qty }} × {{ self.name }} — total € {{ self.total }}</p>
-  --       <p><a href="/orders">See all orders</a> · <a href="/">Keep shopping</a></p>
-  --     </div>`;
   fn render() -> Text {
-    let head = el("h1", "", "Order placed");
-    let what = el("p", "", "${self.qty} × ${esc(self.name)} — total € ${self.total}");
-    let links = el("p", "", link("/orders", "", "See all orders") .. " · " .. link("/", "", "Keep shopping"));
-    return el("div", "card", head .. what .. links);
+    let h = "<div class='card'>";
+    h = h .. "<h1>Order placed</h1>";
+    h = h .. "<p>${self.qty} × ${esc(self.name)} — total € ${self.total}</p>";
+    h = h .. "<p><a href='/orders'>See all orders</a> · <a href='/'>Keep shopping</a></p>";
+    h = h .. "</div>";
+    return h;
   }
 }
 
@@ -29,44 +24,30 @@ pub class OrderRow {
   total:  Float
   status: Text
 
-  -- 37 target:
-  --   return `
-  --     <tr>
-  --       <td>{{ self.name }}</td>
-  --       <td>{{ self.qty }}</td>
-  --       <td>€ {{ self.total }}</td>
-  --       <td>{{ self.status }}</td>
-  --     </tr>`;
   fn render() -> Text {
-    let cells = el("td", "", esc(self.name));
-    cells = cells .. el("td", "", "${self.qty}");
-    cells = cells .. el("td", "", "€ ${self.total}");
-    cells = cells .. el("td", "", esc(self.status));
-    return el("tr", "", cells);
+    let h = "<tr>";
+    h = h .. "<td>${esc(self.name)}</td>";
+    h = h .. "<td>${self.qty}</td>";
+    h = h .. "<td>€ ${self.total}</td>";
+    h = h .. "<td>${esc(self.status)}</td>";
+    h = h .. "</tr>";
+    return h;
   }
 }
 
 pub class OrdersPage {
   rows: Text
 
-  -- 37 target:
-  --   if self.rows == "" {
-  --     return `<h1>Orders</h1>
-  --             <p>No orders yet — <a href="/">go buy something</a>.</p>`;
-  --   }
-  --   return `
-  --     <h1>Orders</h1>
-  --     <table class="orders">
-  --       <tr><th>Product</th><th>Qty</th><th>Total</th><th>Status</th></tr>
-  --       {!! self.rows !!}
-  --     </table>`;
   fn render() -> Text {
-    let head = el("h1", "", "Orders");
+    let h = "<h1>Orders</h1>";
     if self.rows == "" {
-      return head .. el("p", "", "No orders yet — " .. link("/", "", "go buy something") .. ".");
+      h = h .. "<p>No orders yet — <a href='/'>go buy something</a>.</p>";
+      return h;
     }
-    let thead = el("tr", "", el("th", "", "Product") .. el("th", "", "Qty") .. el("th", "", "Total") .. el("th", "", "Status"));
-    let table = el("table", "orders", thead .. self.rows);
-    return head .. table;
+    h = h .. "<table class='orders'>";
+    h = h .. "<tr><th>Product</th><th>Qty</th><th>Total</th><th>Status</th></tr>";
+    h = h .. "${self.rows}";
+    h = h .. "</table>";
+    return h;
   }
 }
diff --git a/docs/examples/shop/product_list/view.wo b/docs/examples/shop/product_list/view.wo
index 4ed9c01..80dbac3 100644
--- a/docs/examples/shop/product_list/view.wo
+++ b/docs/examples/shop/product_list/view.wo
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
--- product_list/view.wo — the VIEW. Classes with `fn render() -> Text`:
--- fields are exactly the values displayed. No queries here — the
--- controller fills the fields.
+-- product_list/view.wo — the VIEW. Classes with `fn render() -> Text`;
+-- fields are exactly the values displayed, bodies are MARKUP-FIRST: one
+-- HTML line per statement (single-quoted attributes — no escape noise),
+-- ${} holes, data through esc().
 --
--- Each render() carries its STORY-37 TARGET above it: a raw multi-line
--- template literal whose {{ expr }} holes are auto-escaped, compile-
--- time-checked interpolations (a typo'd field = compile error). The
--- body below is today's hand-lowering of exactly that literal.
+-- The `h = h ..` prefix on every line is the language's cost today:
+-- statements are single-line and there is no multi-line literal. Story
+-- 37's raw template literal deletes exactly that prefix and the esc()
+-- calls ({{ }} auto-escapes and type-checks) — the markup stays as-is.
 use html
 
 pub class ProductCard {
@@ -14,36 +15,26 @@ pub class ProductCard {
   price: Float
   stock: Int
 
-  -- 37 target:
-  --   let tail = `<p class="stock">{{ self.stock }} in stock</p>`;
-  --   if self.stock == 0 { tail = `<p class="stock out">sold out</p>`; }
-  --   return `
-  --     <div class="card">
-  --       <h3><a href="/p/{{ self.sku }}">{{ self.name }}</a></h3>
-  --       <p class="price">€ {{ self.price }}</p>
-  --       {!! tail !!}
-  --     </div>`;
   fn render() -> Text {
-    let h = el("h3", "", link("/p/${esc(self.sku)}", "", esc(self.name)));
-    let price = el("p", "price", "€ ${self.price}");
-    let stock = el("p", "stock", "${self.stock} in stock");
-    if self.stock == 0 {
-      stock = el("p", "stock out", "sold out");
+    let h = "<div class='card'>";
+    h = h .. "<h3><a href='/p/${esc(self.sku)}'>${esc(self.name)}</a></h3>";
+    h = h .. "<p class='price'>€ ${self.price}</p>";
+    if self.stock > 0 {
+      h = h .. "<p class='stock'>${self.stock} in stock</p>";
+    } else {
+      h = h .. "<p class='stock out'>sold out</p>";
     }
-    return el("div", "card", h .. price .. stock);
+    h = h .. "</div>";
+    return h;
   }
 }
 
 pub class ProductListPage {
   cards: Text
 
-  -- 37 target:
-  --   return `
-  --     <h1>Products</h1>
-  --     <div class="grid">{!! self.cards !!}</div>`;
   fn render() -> Text {
-    let head = el("h1", "", "Products");
-    let grid = el("div", "grid", self.cards);
-    return head .. grid;
+    let h = "<h1>Products</h1>";
+    h = h .. "<div class='grid'>${self.cards}</div>";
+    return h;
   }
 }
diff --git a/docs/examples/shop/product_page/view.wo b/docs/examples/shop/product_page/view.wo
index 2352aef..e3e3fb1 100644
--- a/docs/examples/shop/product_page/view.wo
+++ b/docs/examples/shop/product_page/view.wo
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 -- product_page/view.wo — the product detail view with the order form.
--- The comment above render() is the STORY-37 TARGET (raw template
--- literal, {{ }} auto-escaped); the body is today's hand-lowering.
+-- Markup-first, one HTML line per statement; see product_list/view.wo
+-- for the convention and the story-37 endgame.
 use html
 
 pub class ProductPage {
@@ -9,35 +9,22 @@ pub class ProductPage {
   price: Float
   stock: Int
 
-  -- 37 target:
-  --   let action = `
-  --     <form method="POST" action="/orders/{{ self.sku }}">
-  --       <label>Quantity</label>
-  --       <input type="text" name="qty" value="1" class="field">
-  --       <button type="submit" class="btn">Buy</button>
-  --     </form>`;
-  --   if self.stock == 0 { action = `<p class="stock out">sold out</p>`; }
-  --   return `
-  --     <div class="card detail">
-  --       <h1>{{ self.name }}</h1>
-  --       <p class="price">€ {{ self.price }}</p>
-  --       <p class="stock">{{ self.stock }} in stock</p>
-  --       {!! action !!}
-  --     </div>
-  --     <p><a href="/">← all products</a></p>`;
   fn render() -> Text {
-    let head = el("h1", "", esc(self.name));
-    let price = el("p", "price", "€ ${self.price}");
-    let stock = el("p", "stock", "${self.stock} in stock");
-    let form = "";
+    let h = "<div class='card detail'>";
+    h = h .. "<h1>${esc(self.name)}</h1>";
+    h = h .. "<p class='price'>€ ${self.price}</p>";
+    h = h .. "<p class='stock'>${self.stock} in stock</p>";
     if self.stock > 0 {
-      let qty = text_input("qty", "1");
-      let buy = submit_btn("Buy");
-      form = form_post("/orders/${esc(self.sku)}", el("label", "", "Quantity") .. qty .. buy);
+      h = h .. "<form method='POST' action='/orders/${esc(self.sku)}'>";
+      h = h .. "<label>Quantity</label>";
+      h = h .. "<input type='text' name='qty' value='1' class='field'>";
+      h = h .. "<button type='submit' class='btn'>Buy</button>";
+      h = h .. "</form>";
     } else {
-      form = el("p", "stock out", "sold out");
+      h = h .. "<p class='stock out'>sold out</p>";
     }
-    let back = el("p", "", link("/", "", "← all products"));
-    return el("div", "card detail", head .. price .. stock .. form) .. back;
+    h = h .. "</div>";
+    h = h .. "<p><a href='/'>← all products</a></p>";
+    return h;
   }
 }