CH 1

Wu Shijiu dragged his suitcase to stand under the shade of the tree. He had chewed the gum in his mouth until it had lost all taste, but the owner of the house still hadn’t returned home. He walked down the length of the curb in one moment and went back to standing in the next, swaying from side to side, feet tapping to the rhythm of the music in his headphones, as the wind blew past his dyed flaxen hair still carrying the unabating heat of summer. He was thirsty, but still wanted to hold on for a while, biting down on his dry lips and releasing them with a “pop”.