A raintree bent towards a window in one side of the bungalow, eavesdropping on the conversations that had taken place inside over years.
Tan Twan EngI have become a collapsing star, pulling everything around it, even the light, into an ever-expanding void. Once I lose all ability to communicate with the world outside myself, nothing will be left but what I remember. My memories will be like a sandbar, cut off from the shore by the incoming tide. In time they will become submerged, inaccessible to me. The prospect terrified me. For what is a person without memories? A ghost, trapped between worlds, without an identity, with no future, no past.
Tan Twan EngTo have memories, happy or sorrowful, is a blessing, for it shows we have lived our lives without reservation.
Tan Twan Eng