Up the Mountain and into the Fog
I was assured by my friend that hiking through the Mudeungsan National Park (무등산국립공원) would be a gradual incline.
“It will be perfect for your first time hiking,” she said. “We will take it slow.”
I was lied to.
Tag: story
A Can of Coke
“You count your blessings when she asks what you are up to. You answer, throat hoarse from being out of use for so long.”
Freckles
“Each time you die another freckle is added to your skin. How faint the freckle indicates how much of a positive impact you had on the life you just expired from. “
The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
The Bastard of Istanbul, by Elif Shafak, is a complicated novel which, through the lens of historical hostilities between Turks and Armenians, tells the story of people conflicted by the burden of reconciling the past with the present.
An African in Greenland by Tété-Michel Kpomassie
Book Review by Michael Attard The title of the book An African in Greenland sparked my curiosity. How did he go? When did he visit? What did he do there? … Read More
The Teacher of Warsaw by Mario Escobar
This historical fiction is centered upon a diary of a few months written in 1942 in Warsaw, Poland. The memoir belonged to Henryk Goldszmit, a writer, radio host, columnist, and director of two children’s orphanages. The novel by Mario Escobar revolves around this short but shameful time in history. It was Goldszmit’s life of dedication to children that inspired the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, adopted by the United Nations in November 1959.
Thunderstruck by Erik Larson: “A Ripping Yarn of Murder and Invention.”
In this non-fiction book, Erik Larson sets out two distinct stories that appear to have no connection to each other. And it is also the case that the large cast of characters in each story never meet each other, nor do they ever have any desire or reason to meet. Yet, while one protagonist is crucial to the downfall of the other, the second protagonist is significant in the success of the former.
Mysterious Maiden
Deep in the mountains, there once lived an old bachelor. Every day, he would go digging for herbs and then sell them in the market. Nearly thirty, and quite poor, it seemed unlikely he would ever find a wife. One day he went deeper in the woods than usual, looking for herbs, and struck such a rich vein that he lost track of time. Before he knew it, the sun had set, stranding him in the dark. Eager to get home, he only got more lost in the forest. He had no other recourse but to keep wandering. At last, he saw a faint light flickering in the distance. He ran over to see who it might be. What he found was a straw-thatched house with a fenced-in garden. Hearing his footsteps, a young woman came out to greet him.