13 Mink Street

Eunice stepped outside. Today, she wore a pink coat and leather boots, and had a black handbag slung over her shoulder. Her chestnut hair fell loose to her shoulders, catching the sunlight with a soft, shifting sheen.

Her outfit suited her perfectly. At her age, she balanced composure and sweetness with ease, and her clothes always brought that quality out just right. Last time they met, she had worn black, a protective color intended to maintain a bit of distance. It wasn’t difficult to imagine that when the “arranged” meeting had first been proposed, she had felt somewhat reluctant.

This time, she had chosen gentler colors, which suggested that she wanted to close the distance and that she had genuinely enjoyed spending time with him.

Karon smiled to himself, then felt that analyzing things in such a manner was rather unromantic. Their dates had been arranged by Tiz, and judging by the attitude that Eunice’s mother had shown, she had also received instructions from home. Still, Karon hoped that things could develop as naturally and pleasantly as possible. It was a matter of responsibility, to both Eunics and to himself.

“Mr. Karon, you’re here. Let me introduce you; This is my mother.”

“But standing together like this, you really look like sisters.” That ancient, hopelessly old-fashioned line to flatter one’s future mother-in-law still seemed to retain a surprising freshness in this era.

“Oh ho ho ho...” Ms. Jenny laughed again despite herself.

“Mom, Mr. Karon is saying you look young.”

“Of course, I could tell,” Ms. Jenny replied, only for her voice to take on a warning tone. “Be careful. Make sure you bring Eunice back safely before dark.”

“Yes, madam.” Karon opened the passenger-side door for Eunice.

“Thank you.” She got in, and Karon sat in the driver’s seat, starting the car.

When they were about to turn off of Rhine Street, he mentioned, “Oh, by the way, Mina’s stomach isn’t feeling well, so she wasn’t able to come.”

“Oh...” Eunice covered her mouth, her cheeks flushing slightly. Technically, she should have been the one to ask first.

Karon glanced at her expression. She puffed her cheeks slightly, then bluntly stated, “I knew Mina wouldn’t come.”

“She’s a sensible, obedient little sister.”

“As well as a very good student of mine.”

They were both adults, and there were some things did not need to be spelled out.

“By the way,” Eunice continued. “I really liked that poetry collection you shared that Mina delivered to me last time:

Stray birds of summer come to my window to sing and fly away.

And yellow leaves of autumn, which have no songs, flutter and fall there with a sigh.[1]

It’s a beautiful mood, Karon.”

For their first meeting, Eunice had given Mina a wallet that bore her family’s crest. Naturally, Karon had prepared a return gift. He had chosen a cat-shaped pendant and attached it to an elegant notebook. In the pages, he had copied several poems by Tagore.

“Thank you, but a person’s spirit doesn’t fully overlap with the person themselves,” Karon replied. “Especially when it comes to poetry. Most of the time, it’s just a passing reverie. I can’t actually maintain that state of mind for long. The world has wind, clouds, rain, fog, and frost. They enrich our lives with their presence, but also complicate them. It’s impossible to remain pure forever.”

“You put it beautifully, Mr. Karon” Eunice said.

“You can just call me Karon. I’ll call you Eunice.”

“Alright. Karon... do you have a religion?”

From Pu’er, Karon knew that the Allen family did not have any sort of fixed religious legacy. The family treated faith democratically; Once children came of age, they were free to choose their own beliefs. This was rather different from the social standard of the entire family following a single church.

“I’m sorry,” Karon said. “But I haven’t found my faith yet. I think I need to walk a little farther, see a little more, grow a little older in order to settle myself a bit. When the time comes, I’ll probably have enough clarity to choose the faith that suits me.”

“Really? I’m the same, Karon.”

“Is that so? Then which church interests you more?”

“Hm? Why do you ask?”

“I think I could try to understand it a bit better.”

“But isn’t faith something one should seek on their own, just like you said earlier? So what you just said no longer counts?”

“I believe that the god I’m meant to believe in will, at the right moment, send down a beautiful angel to hand me the torch of faith.”

Eunice bit her lower lip lightly, holding back a smile.

In his heart, Karon silently apologized to Grandpa Hoffen, who had been buried just that morning. After all, at the man’s hospital bed, Karon had driven the old man almost half to death over the topic of faith.

Still, Grandpa Hoffen would surely understand.

They arrived at the amusement park, and Karon parked the car. A parking attendant walked over. “Sir, you’ll need to pay the parking fee first.”

Karon pulled out a hundred-rupi bill, as he had no smaller change. Earlier, he had noticed a stack of bills in Alfred’s drawer, none of which were small bills either.

The attendant immediately smiled. “Thank you, sir! Here’s your receipt. Please keep it with you.”

Karon took it, then asked, “How much is the fee?”

“Five rupis, sir.”

“Alright. Please give me the change.”

The attendant froze. He awkwardly replied, “I’m very sorry, sir, but do you have any smaller bills? I don’t think I can break this.”

“I’m afraid I don’t, but if you can just wait a moment, I’ll go buy an ice cream cone over there and break one.”

“I have some,” Eunice said. She opened her bag and pulled out a five-rupi bill.

Karon casually took it and handed it to the attendant, retrieving the hundred-rupi bill he had just given.

“What flavor do you want?” he asked Eunice.

“Strawberry.”

“Alright. Wait here.” He jogged over, bought a strawberry cone, and brought it back.

“Aren’t you having one?” Eunice asked curiously.

“It’s too cold.”

She didn’t mind and took a lick. “As a child, I loved eating ice cream in the depths of winter, sitting by the fireplace while listening to my grandfather tell stories.”

“My grandfather enjoyed taking Mina and me out to the countryside during the summer to catch loaches in muddy ponds.”

“I imagine that must have been fun.”

“It was.” Imagining Tiz catching loaches was quite amusing to Karon.

They bought tickets and entered the amusement park. To Karon, the rides themselves were rather dull. They lacked the thrills that he could remember from another life. Still, the scenery was pleasant. Even in winter, there was a desolate beauty to the place.

Side by side, they walked along the park’s paths, unhurried and not rushing to get to any particular attraction. For long stretches, neither would speak; They simply strolled. Occasionally, Karon would glance at Eunice, and at times, she would glance back.

“What do you want to try next?” Karon asked, after they had already walked through more than half the park.

“I’m fine with anything. What do you want to see?” Eunice replied.

Karon pointed to a building ahead, which was topped with a sculpture of a skull. “The haunted house. Interested?”

“I’m very timid, but I’ve always wanted to try one.”

“Alright.”

The ticket seller was a young man in clown makeup who held a large balloon hammer. “Five rupis per ticket.”

“Is it scary inside?” Karon asked.

“No, not at all. It’s really not scary.” As he handed over the tickets, the attendant winked at Karon, clearly implying that Eunice would surely end up clinging to him.

At the entrance, someone wearing a ghost mask took their tickets and waved them inside.

They entered a narrow tunnel, a classic haunted house design. “Ghosts” popped out from time to time, making noises to scare visitors.

Karon remained calm. It was no act. After seeing the dead crawl back to life often enough, it was only natural for someone’s fear threshold to rise.

What was somewhat surprising was that Eunice also seemed calm. She even reached out with a bit of interest to touch one of the wooden “ghost faces” that popped out.

It was obvious that this was her first time visiting a haunted house, as she showed a great deal of curiosity for the decorations and setup. Throughout the entire first half, they moved along while acting more like sightseers than victims.

Up ahead, they saw a narrow red bridge illuminated by red lamps. Jets of air blasted intermittently from the sides. If you looked closely, you could see the soft padding below, as well as the fact that the bridge was not dangerously high. Even so, the atmosphere allowed for the effect to be convincing enough.

Karon walked ahead and casually offered his hand. Eunice didn’t hesitate, and simply placed her own in his hand, and they crossed the bridge together.

Halfway across, the wind suddenly intensified, like industrial blowers in a factory. Karon could even hear the whirring of large fan blades.

Eunice stumbled slightly, and Karon instinctively put an arm around her waist to steady her. The moment he did, the wind weakened.

Karon suspected the ticket seller was watching from somewhere nearby. Impressive service. Almost on par with the Immers family.

The latter half of the haunted house leaned heavily into religious imagery, showing depictions of various tortures from different faiths. Eunice seemed to decide that she ought to be scared now, and so she was. She let out small gasps from time to time, and Karon kept his hand on her waist to offer a bit of reassurance.

At last, they emerged and returned to the daylight. Eunice adjusted her hair, and Karon simply retracted his hand.

The ticket seller approached them again, the balloon hammer still in his hand. “Would you like to buy some souvenirs?”

He opened a box filled with cute, cartoonish skull accessories. Karon picked out two skull keychains.

“Fifty rupis.”

Karon paid. It was worth the effort.

“Karon, weren’t you scared?” Eunice asked.

“Very,” he replied.

“Then why couldn’t I tell?”

“I was forcing myself to keep a grip,” he said with a laugh. She joined him.

If the haunted house had featured scenes like the Bridge of Helpless Souls, Yama seated in judgment, or ox-headed and horse-faced wardens boiling souls in oil, he might actually have felt nervous. Those images carried a weight that he instinctively understood.[2]

The religious horrors that had been in the latter half, however, came from different traditions, and at least for the time being, they failed to incite the same sort of fear in him.

They stopped at a small snack stand selling dumplings and something like oden. Each took a paper cup and filled it generously. After paying, they sat on a bench to eat.

“There’s a cinema nearby,” Karon said. “Shall we watch a movie later?”

“Alright. I’ll follow your lead.”

After finishing the snacks, they left the amusement park. About ten minutes later, they arrived at the cinema. Karon let Eunice choose the film. She picked a comedy that was about to start.

They bought popcorn and orange juice before going inside. There were plenty of empty seats, so they were able to sit wherever they liked.

The romantic comedy began. Aside from them, the others in the theater were mostly young couples. Karon ate a piece of popcorn. It was pretty good.

He casually picked up another piece and held it for Eunice to bite. She didn’t hesitate at all and simply ate it. Karon took his hand back.

Ron’s accounts of the joy of eating popcorn in the movies suddenly came to mind, but that kind of crude pleasure would have ruined the atmosphere.

When the movie ended, they walked out together.

Their next stop was a nearby restaurant Karon had chosen, which served local Roja cuisine. The main appeal was the setting, as it was right on the river.

After they sat down, the waiter handed the menu to Eunice first, only for her to pass it over to Karon. “You order.”

He chose a few dishes and then handed the menu back. Once the waiter was gone, Karon quietly commented, “To be honest, the food here is only average.”

Eunice lowered her voice as well. “Actually, I’d really like to try that dish you made last time... the sour-pickled fish.”

Pity, that’s your ancestor’s favorite.

The food arrived quickly. They ate while chatting. Karon kept the conversation flowing comfortably, avoiding awkward silences.

By the time they finished dinner, it was already late. Karon drove back to Rhine Street and stopped in front of Eunice’s house.

Karon got out first, but Eunice didn’t wait for him to open the door and simply got out on her own. In unison, they both opened their arms a bit and hugged. “I had a wonderful day. Thank you, Karon.”

“I did, too.” There was no drama, no surprises, no fiery passion. Most of the time, they were quiet and restrained, but wasn’t that what ordinary life was like?

They let go, and Eunice smiled. “I always feel comfortable when I’m with you.”

“I feel the same.”

“I’ll head back in now. Mom must be waiting.”

“I think she is probably watching us from the living room window.”

“Ah?”

Karon opened his arms again and gave her a light hug.

“Karon, I suddenly feel a bit nervous...” Eunice said.

“So do I,” he agreed.

They parted once more, and Eunice pushed the gate open and went inside.

“You hugged, didn’t you?” Ms. Jenny’s voice came from the sofa.

“Mom! Why didn’t you turn on the lights?”

“I didn’t want my shadow showing through the curtains and risk interrupting your embrace. So, how was it, my dear daughter? A date that lasted a whole day; I bet that young man knows how to please girls. He must have talked circles around you with his sweet words.”

Eunice shook her head. “I don’t think so. I think he’s steady and humorous. Being with him feels a bit like being with Dad. So, Mom, don’t be biased against him, even though he is very handsome.”

Ms. Jenny sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead.

“Mom, are you feeling unwell?” Eunice asked, stepping closer.

“No. It’s just that after my first date with your father, I said the exact same thing to your grandmother. Steady, humorous, and felt like being with my father. It was only later that I realized that men like your father are the real masters.”

“But you were very happy with him,” Eunice said.

“That’s true. Still, it’s good. It seems you like your partner from this matchmaking. I was already considering writing a letter to refuse your grandfather’s arrangement, even if I had to face his stern expression when we returned to Veyn.”

“Our family and his are old friends?”

“Yes. The connection goes back to one of your many-times-over great-aunts. Since her time, our families have stayed in contact. Your father came from Veyn to visit their family, and he met me while here in Roja City. He then took me back to Veyn.”

“So his family was basically your matchmaker?”

“My dear, next time you go out with that young man, you might try asking whether he’d be willing to follow you back to Veyn, the way I once followed your father. That seems to be what your grandfather has in mind.”

“I think he’s a very self-directed person. He probably wouldn’t agree.”

Eunice went to the washroom. Ms. Jenny lit a cigarette, blew out the smoke, and smiled. “If he wouldn’t agree, why would he have taken the initiative to ask you out?”

***

After seeing Eunice home, Karon prepared to return to his own. He had only just sat down in the car when a Caymon pulled up beside him. “Karon?”

“Mr. Piaget.”

“Are you here to see me?” Piaget asked with a smile.

“Yes. You weren’t home earlier, so I was about to leave.”

“Well, I’m back now.”

***

Karon entered Piaget’s house again.

“Are you hungry? Shall I have Linda prepare dinner?” Piaget asked.

“No, I ate before coming. No need to trouble her.” Disguising oneself was tiring too.

“Alright. Wait a moment. I’ll make some coffee. It’ll be quick.”

“Do you know how?” Karon asked.

Piaget laughed. “I know what you mean, and I do. Relax, this won’t take long.”

“Alright.” When Piaget went into the kitchen, Karon noticed an easel in the living room. There were brushes and palettes on the floor, and a white cloth concealed the canvas.

Seeing all of this, he thought back the religious paintings he had seen upstairs during his last visit, and their uncanny chronological order. So... maybe I shouldn’t look at this one.

Piaget returned with coffee to see Karon standing by the easel.

“This is Linda’s latest work,” he said. “Come, take a look.”

Before Karon could refuse, Piaget had already pulled away the cloth. The painting’s distant background was unfinished, though the central image was nearly complete.

It depicted a towering spire. At the peak stood a man in an opulent white robe that was studded with gemstones. In one hand, he held something that looked like a crown, while the other held a scepter. His hair was loose, and his mouth was open and facing the heavens, as if he was shouting at the sky.

“This is...” Karon began.

Piaget explained, “I was curious what Linda was painting, so I spent the entire afternoon in the city library. I finally found the answer. The man in this painting is the last pope of the Church of Light, who was known as the Mad Pope. He once stood at the top of the tower of the Temple of Light and shouted a single sentence: ‘I do not believe that the God of Light truly exists!’

“In the eyes of religious historians, that act was equivalent to the tolling of the final death knell of the Church of Light.” Piaget handed Karon his coffee and continued, “So I named this painting, Twilight of the Gods.”

1. Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) was an Indian poet and writer. These lines are from his poetry collection Stray Birds, known for its short, reflective verses about nature, time, and transience. ☜

2. The Bridge of Helpless Souls (奈何桥), Yama (阎罗王), and the ox-headed and horse-faced wardens (牛头马面) are figures from traditional Chinese afterlife beliefs, shaped by Chinese folk religion and Buddhist influence. These images are strongly associated with post-death judgment and punishment, making them more immediately frightening to the protagonist than the unfamiliar religious imagery of other traditions. ☜