| Landfall A Novella (conclusion) Ho Lin |
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Download RTF version Read part one Read part two To hear a reading of an excerpt by the author, visit the Multimedia section. Rain has relented this evening, and the chattering of the prostitutes drifts down, lazy as a feather, from the balconies. If one listens closely, one can hear the sounds of passion emanating from within the stucco walls, but the villagers who pass by associate love with defilement these days -- the new moral codes have been handed down, and someday the police will knock on the doors of the Peach |
Blossom House,
tidy little orders written up on rice paper, and with the tweet of
a whistle and unyielding phrases repeated over and over -- This
place is now closed, you have five minutes to vacate, there are no
exceptions, no stays, no arguments. This is the decree. When that
day comes, the young villagers who have grown up bowing to the new
moral doctrines like one cuddles up to a religion will nod their heads,
pump their fists, and scream with mouths open and ugly, Glory to
the new country! We salute the steadfast ways of the new government!
The older villagers who remember happier days will observe the goings-on,
dressed in the plain button-down shirts and polyester slacks that
are all the rage, and shake their heads in puzzlement: Such passion
for such a small thing… |
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