HAN-PING CHIN
since my brother is assumed to be in a process of reincarna–
tion-his soul has been taken away from him and attached
to a fetus, somewhere, whose birth would bring his death.
Taoist Shao performed the ceremony to drive away the
ghost who possessed my brother. The nails and hair
trimmed from him were sealed in a jar, with incantations
drawn on yellow paper and copper coins inscribed with the
name of Emperor Kang Xi of the Qing Dynasty. In addi–
tion to this protection for my brother's soul, Taoist Shao
drove five nails into the floor in front of Mother's bed.
Those five nails were supposed to kill the fetus and set the
possessed soul free to return to my brother.
Now Mother is not so scared as before, and my brother
looks better. However, the five silver dollars you left have
been spent on food and rent. Mother had to borrow money
to pay the Taoist Shao, who complained that such an amount
is not enough for his services. We are now deeper in debt.
Please take good care of yourself. There are more risks
on a journey than at home. Mother is always murmuring
that riding and sailing give a traveler only a thirty percent
chance of surviving. We pray to Buddha for you.
Kowtowing,
Your son
430
Soon a friend of my father's came to see us. He was a warm
but impetuous man. A congenital limp made him rock with ev–
ery step; he walked very slowly. Being eager to inform us that he
was coming, he yelled when he was ten yards from our door: "Is
elder sister (a polite form of address for a friend's wife) at home?"
Mother and I greeted him from inside. He strode across the
threshold while his right hand pulled something from his jacket
pocket. Before he sat down, he gave me a tiny package, caressing
my head with his left hand. He said: "I just came back from the
place where your father now stays. This is the present he asked
me to bring to you." I hastily opened the wrapper. To my aston–
ishment, it was a fountain pen.
I felt uneasy, since I knew that Father had bought the pen
with
some of the borrowed money and that he must have drasti–
cally reduced his expenses to save such an amount. But the pen
was very attractive. The shining barrel of amber celluloid was
stylish, and inside the cover there was a piston-like button for
