Page 189 - I Live in the Slums: Stories (The Margellos World Republic of Letters)

“Where? Where?” she asked.
Mama pointed with the tip of her foot to a newly shaved-out little hole.
“It ran out quickly,” Mama said dejectedly. “Just like a bullet! Snowfall is
good for this kind of animal. They can sneak off in the snow in the blink of an
eye, and leave no trace.”
“Was it the kind with thin legs?” Daisy asked.
“Yes. They’re the outsiders’ pets. They eat the outsiders’ corpses until only
the skeletons remain.”
“It’s so light out . . . ,” Daisy said, yawning.
“As light as a mirror!” Mama took over the topic excitedly. “Snow fell again
just now. That boy from Mosquito Village circled our house many times. As he
walked, from time to time he bent over and buried something in the snow. He
stared at our house. I could see that he was the child of those outsiders!”
“What’s wrong with the outsiders’ children?”
“Why don’t you believe me, Daisy? It isn’t good for you.”
“What’s the matter with the outsiders’ children?” Daisy doggedly raised the

same question.
“Outsiders have no homes. They wander around all night in the wilderness.”
“I see. Mama, are they like those rats?”
“You’re a bright child, Daisy.”
“I’m terribly sleepy.”
At last, Daisy fell asleep.

In her dreams, many people called her. She heard them all. She wanted to
answer, but couldn’t make a sound. Dad called her to breakfast, Mama called her
to lunch, Auntie called her to dinner, the boy from Mosquito Village called her
to go fishing, Little Wan asked if she could borrow some thread for embroidery.
She ran about in the villages that she frequently dreamed of. She knew that
she had never been to these villages, but the moment she fell asleep, they entered
her dreams. The villages were covered by snow, and the huge weeping willow
branches were swathed in ice. The sky darkened. No one was visible in the entire
region. Her steps were light, too light to be real. She stopped for an instant and
touched a willow branch. A thought flashed through her mind: It’s going to be
dark soon. The popsicle-like branches caused her to tremble, and she let go of
the branch. She occupied herself for a while under the tree, scraping away at the
snow until muddy earth was revealed. She made a mark, intending to return the
next day.
It was the next morning when she smelled smoke and suddenly woke up. She

saw Mama’s face above her. Mama was smiling as she watched her.