Page 186 - I Live in the Slums: Stories (The Margellos World Republic of Letters)

ditch dug out manually. Where had the girl and the “rat” gone? The girl and
“rat” were actually living somewhere in the open country! This idea was
exciting. She left the ditch and strolled ahead.
She didn’t know how long she walked. The light faded, and the shadows of
hills appeared faintly ahead of her. Mosquito Village must be below the hills, but
why did it seem as far away as the horizon? Furthermore, Daisy could not see
the footprints she had left in the snow. How strange: the girl just now had left
footprints. Even the “rat” had left footprints! She jumped up and down a few
times, but left no impressions in the snow she stamped on. She remembered that

the same thing had occurred eight years ago. Later she had forgotten the
incident, not remembering it until now. That time, their family of four had
walked along the river on the snowy land. They were going to Auntie’s home.
Daisy had looked back and had seen that she was the only one who had left no
footprints in the snow. She tugged at Dad’s clothing and asked about this. In a
bad humor, he said, “Children shouldn’t always be looking all around.” At the
time, she felt that this was a serious matter, and she was shaking from fright.
Even after they reached Auntie’s house, she continued shaking. She suspected
that she was suffering from a fatal disease and that she wouldn’t live much
longer, and that her parents knew this but somehow they hadn’t told her.
It would soon be dark. At last, she reached Mosquito Village. To her surprise,
Daisy saw her father standing at the entrance to somebody’s home. He was
eating corn on the cob.

“Dad!!” Daisy was crying as she rushed toward him.
“You’ve come back—that’s good, that’s good,” Mama said as she emerged
from the house.
The three of them went home in silence. No one talked the whole way.

It was dark before they ate dinner.
“Daisy, how come I always see a butterfly on your right cheek?” Mama
asked.
Daisy looked by the light of the kerosene lamp and saw a butterfly. It was
black, clinging to the lamp chimney. She rubbed her cheek, and felt quite

uncomfortable.
“You can’t imagine,” she said to Mama, “that place is truly another world.”
“I probably cannot imagine. I’m old,” Mama said despondently.
Daisy was exhausted and fell asleep right away. But she woke up later,
perhaps because of the water noise that person made in the kitchen. “Daisy,
Daisy!” he shouted at her.
Daisy was tired, and her whole body hurt, but she felt excited.