Elizabeth Lim

From knowing that I was about to lose the boy I loved.

“Find the light that makes your lantern shine,” she used to say. “Hold on to it, even when the dark surrounds you. Not even the strongest wind will blow out the flame.”

Fear is just a game, Shiori, I reminded myself. You win by playing.

“Greed is a great motivator,”

And fear is a mighty weapon.

Shiori, this is madness. Think of me. I’ll die if you die! Haven’t we talked about caution as the creed of the wise? Shiori!

Pain doesn’t get easier, I reminded myself when I flinched. You just have to get stronger.

“She’s the one being rude, not me.”

“My parents think of marriage as a duty to one’s family and country,” Takkan said, by way of response. “I think of it as a duty to one’s heart. Food feeds the belly, thoughts feed the mind, but love is what feeds the heart. I hoped, with my letters, that Shiori and I might grow to make each other’s hearts full. That we might be happy together. After I met her, I thought yes—yes, there was a chance.”

Sometimes the truth is the hardest poison to swallow.