Orphaned, Carlo slept in doorways. With hat in hand, he begged for food. “Ho fame (I’m starving).” He hauled boxes for merchants and fished at the pier. Scrimping, he saved enough to buy a gondola. He enjoyed carrying passengers along the canals of Venice. One day, a beautiful woman stepped into his boat. They glided to…
A bit of old Hong Kong includes a trip on the Star Ferry. This famous ferry has carried passengers back and forth across Victoria Harbor from Hong Kong Island to the Kowloon side since 1888. Per a recent news article in the South China Morning Post, before the Star Ferry was established, individuals crossed the…
“They aren’t very smart, why are we watching them?” “We’ve been over this many times.” “And they are so oddly shaped too.” “Why do you care?” As the curtains dropped, the couple walked away from the window. “I don’t know … Also, why do we have to look like this? It’s embarrassing.” “You know what the…
The other day, my husband and I enjoyed a walk around Statue Square. Stepping off the bus and onto the square, the joyful chatter and laughter swirled around us from visitors and domestic helpers relaxing on their day off. The square was created at the end of the nineteenth century on reclaimed land. It is…
Visitors wander through the museum. I weave amongst them barely noticed. Only my breath against their skin. The others emerge from the deep shadows. We watch as Eden enters through the main door with a girl hanging on his arm. As we used to be, she is naïve. Eden brings all his victims here before…
Once upon a time, a farmer dug a well. The shimmery water tasted sweet. The farmer’s crops flourished. One morning, a tiny blue-skinned fairy appeared on the well. She said, “I stirred magic into your water. You must answer this riddle or I’ll take it away. ‘Poor people have it. Rich people need it. If…
The ground was scorched and all plant-life died. Arrangements were made to leave the planet. An older couple prepared. The wife packed what she could though not nearly everything she wanted. She tidied her house and said goodbye. She’d lived there since her birth. The husband organized his beloved gardening tools, then secured the shed….
Years passed in only one day. He replaced the boots on the stone wall where he had borrowed them that morning. He left a note for the owner: Thank you for the boots, though I didn’t ask permission. I’m sorry for the duct tape. They wore out a bit from miles of travel, over years…
Her mama cried, her daddy begged her to stay. But she was talented. That’s what the man said, “I can make you famous.” He met her at the bus station. Excited, she asked, “When do we get to work?” He said, “I want to show you the bright lights of the city first.” She squealed…
Juna entered the magic forest, making her way to the wizard’s cottage. When the wizard answered the door, she pleaded, “Mama needs healing.” The wizard handed Juna a vial of Phoenix tears and said, “Have her drink this and she’ll be healed. But, there is a cost for magic. You must return and live in…
Macau was a Portuguese territory from 1887 – 1999 when it was handed over to China. My family and I lived in Macau in the late nineties. In the fall of 1999, we watched the celebratory parade and military vehicles roll in. The Chinese people of Macau stood along the streets, waving a People’s Republic…
Henry needed some peace and quiet. Hiking through the wilderness, nature calmed him. A colorful butterfly fluttered close. Mesmerized, he followed it off the trail and soon became lost. The sun went down and he slept under a tree. The next morning, Henry drank from a stream, ate Granola from his bag, and munched berries he…
