Breadcrumbs in the Corner

When the old vegetable vendor closed his stall, he picked up a coin dropped by a customer and placed it in the crack of the wall: "For the first person who passes by tomorrow." He pedaled a tricycle through the dusk. In the rearview mirror, the coin was being polished by the evening light - like the bread crumbs he sprinkled into the river every morning, always attracting a group of egrets. When he got home, his wife brought out hot soup, and he suddenly said: "Today, a sparrow landed on my scale beam and pecked three grains of rice." His wife laughed: "What do you enjoy?" He pointed out the window: "Look, it moved all the remaining rice back to its nest." The hot steam from the soup floated up, like a very light cloud.