Prologue
by Ping Yi Yee
It’s easy mama, he declares with flair, plastic 3D puzzle on the long table, glib fingers stacking one piece on another. A rainbow pyramid – pentahedron, he’d say much later – keeping endless mischief at bay. It’s quite easy, do you know why? There’re instructions! Working his pitch and banter, crediting the maker for the hints, a scaffold for his growing confidence.
He solves the challenge, then takes it apart with glee, pieces aclatter on compressed wood. It’s not hard, you want to try? He offers up the toy, sharing his triumph and joy, pacing the dining room. They smile, wanting for nothing. Which one do you want mama? Flipping through the cluebook, no time to eat, game for more. Will he carry this heart with him, on his own when he needs it the most?
Life will be hard enough, would you like to try?
Ping Yi writes poetry, short fiction and creative nonfiction. After a three-decade detour in public service, he has resumed his lifelong interest in speculative, humour and travel writing. His work has appeared in Orbis, Litro, London Grip, Meniscus, Harbor Review, Vita Poetica, Litbreak and ONE ART, among others, and is forthcoming in The Stony Thursday Book. Ping Yi lives in Singapore with his spouse and their son.