Page 142 - I Live in the Slums: Stories (The Margellos World Republic of Letters)

That building was on the same street as her home: it was a place for senior
citizens’ activities. But not many elderly people went there for recreation. After
Ms. Wen retired, she had asked her neighbors about this. They had told her, “It’s

really stuffy inside, not suitable for elderly people.” But after going there just
once, Ms. Wen was captivated by this building—especially the room for chess
and card playing. That spacious room had an unusually high ceiling. Usually
only two or three people were playing chess. By afternoon, no one was there.
And so Ms. Wen made a habit of going there in the evening. It was a few months
later that the metamorphosis of the building occurred. A wall and ceiling
disappeared. When Ms. Wen looked up, the stars were visible. There was a
design in the starry sky. She heard a deceased cousin laughing beside her: “This
pastime belongs to you alone.” These words gave her goose bumps all over, but
they also heightened her curiosity. From then on, she went to the senior citizens
center every few days. Later this became stranger and stranger. The oddest thing
was the time this six-story building turned into a bungalow shaped like an
octopus. In the center was an immense hall, surrounded by numerous endless

walkways. On either side of the walkways were rooms that looked like offices.
Ms. Wen experimented: each walkway tempted her to take an infinitude of
walks, but after walking for a while, Ms. Wen became afraid. Then she returned
to the hall in the center. A transformed building was so dangerous and yet so
alluring! The most interesting thing was that when she walked on the concrete
walkway, she could hear a shadow play being staged somewhere. It was just like
those she had seen as a child—striking the gongs, beating the drums, acting and
singing. It was so exciting. Still, Ms. Wen didn’t like to walk straight down
without looking back. This was not only because she was afraid, but also
because she thought doing so was beneficial.
A former colleague ran into Ms. Wen coming back in the evening and began
talking with her.
“Ms. Wen, you enjoy exploring by yourself,” she said.
“Um. What do you think of this structure?” Ms. Wen felt cold sweat running
down her back.
“I can’t evaluate it. That’s too risky. You’re really a brave explorer. I admire

you! Wasn’t this senior citizens recreation center constructed just for you?” The
colleague’s tone was enigmatic.
“But in the daytime, other people also go in,” Ms. Wen argued.
“Others? They don’t count. They just go in, chat for a while, and then
withdraw.”
After they parted, Ms. Wen was astonished to realize that this colleague really
understood the situation. Maybe she was also paying attention to the same thing?
If so, could one say that this senior citizens center had been built for this