The wheel of life and death turns through ages of shifting tides, a theater of human joy and sorrow. Partings in life and death are common, yet nothing cuts as deep as the agony of a broken heart.
As the rescue team withdrew, silence returned to the mountains.
In the valley, a thin, slight figure moved between small mounds of earth, burning paper money. He muttered to himself, a low murmur that sounded like a confession, or perhaps a whisper meant only for the wind.
Chapter 32