The Tiger Inside

By Nasu Hasami

"You crawled beneath my veins."

~Natalie Imbruglia~

14. Spirit

In the days following the assault, Mulan's certain she's been at home more in the last week than she has in the last five years.

She cuts the linoleum from the kitchen floor. She hacks up the carpet in the living room.

She paints swatches on the walls after they've been patched and plastered.

She buys new sheets and a new fridge. She burns photos and trinkets.

She tries a Kawai then a Yamaha then a Steinway, but none of them sound the same as her father's vintage Fazioli.

On Friday, her brother drops in to measure the floor. 'You wanted acacia parquet, right?' asks Xiong Hua. 'The whole house?'

He's looking at the broken piano. 'Shithead's lucky ba isn't still around.'