A Map for the Missing

by Belinda Huijuan Tang

He had the eerie sensation that he was being trailed by a ghost twin, one who’d had all the successes the villagers congratulated him for, whom he felt proud of but couldn’t possibly be.

“Sometimes I feel seized to do what I’m afraid of.”

Feelings were worth only as much as the performances that demonstrated them, and Guifan’s behavior clearly pointed one way.

And so she would keep building this life and her son’s, so that they were strong enough to withstand the people around them trying to make history.

Because she knew she’d feel this way when her son came to her. Her life had unfolded in a way entirely unexpected to her; how could she have predicted the path it would take?

They’d thought their hope and ambition was enough.