The first time I remember the smell, we were still new to this country. We'd left behind the heat of Singapore for a house that felt too large, too hollow, like it had been waiting for someone ...  [+]

The snowstorm enveloped the scholar like a vengeful spirit, its icy talons raking at his robes. His bamboo-bound pack shifted with each laboured step, the cold sinking deep into his bones. Snow ...  [+]