Nightmare Every Step of the Way

The midsummer heat wave filled the streets with people's voices. I was sorting pens, ink, and cloth under the alms shed. The scorching sun made beads of sweat form on my forehead. I was immersed in helping my father with chores and had no time to pay attention to the people coming and going around me. At that time, I could only vaguely catch a glimpse of a young man in plain clothes standing in the shade of a tree at the entrance of the alley. He was thin and had cold eyes. He stood quietly at a distance. He did not approach the shed to receive supplies. He was wrapped in a layer of alienation that kept strangers away from him. I glanced at him hastily and then looked away. I just thought he was a poor student who usually took shelter from the cold. I forgot about him in an instant. I never thought that this shocking aspect would involve the entangled fate and estrangement in the next few years.