The Year of the Rat: A Tale of Rat People

The New Year of 2020, the Year of the Metal Rat. Confined at home, I turn my thoughts to the past and write about “Rat People.” Rat People are those born in the Year of the Rat. Born in the Year of the Earth Rat, I have lived through the Metal, Water, Wood, and Fire Rat years, then another Earth Rat year. Now it is the Metal Rat year again, my zodiac year. I am seventy-three by East Asian reckoning. Having reached my seventies and lived through so much, I gather memories as I please and weave them into this piece.