Monster Clinic

Shengyao hung the freshly washed rag on the hook, casting one last look at the old house that seemed forever shrouded in dust no matter how thoroughly he cleaned. The light in his eyes faded together with the snap of the fluorescent lamp.

Inside the building, there was noise; outside, it was no quieter. Every so often came the sound of parents scolding their children, couples quarreling, boisterous laughter... Every household seemed to be competing in volume, raising their voices and turning up their televisions to the maximum.

These sounds merged into a droning cacophony in Shengyao’s ears.

A crowd had gathered in the neighborhood fitness square. Someone raised a hand and called out loudly, “Xiao Sheng, heading home?”

Shengyao’s eyes moved slightly. He nodded at the old man, whose head was crowned with white hair and whose face was lined with wrinkles.

“Everything settled with your father?”

Shengyao nodded again.

“Oh, oh.” The old man wanted to ask more, but Shengyao, having nodded twice, was already walking away. The old man could only turn and gossip with the others.

“Old Bai’s funeral is all done?”

“That’s right, the burial was this morning at Crane Cemetery.”

“Old Bai was blessed, lived to ninety. Lost his daughter early, but the son-in-law’s been busy all this while, even handling the funeral arrangements.”

“He never remarried?”

“No. Old Bai and his wife tried for years to find him a match, even asked me if I knew anyone. More than thirty years now, he’s just retired, and still never found anyo