Chapter Three: She Came Out of the Photograph

“Don't touch it,” Wen said. The camera took a picture by itself. The flash bleached the lounge. Both women's shadows retreated across the wall, while their shadows inside the monitor took one step forward. A new photograph appeared on the desktop: Wen on the sofa, Jianwei clutching the mouse, and half an unfamiliar face peering from behind the curtains. They turned together. Nothing was there. Jianwei forced herself to examine the image. The face had Wen's shape but looked much younger, with short hair and eyes free of the restraint learned before cameras. She smiled without defense. “Did you have short hair at nineteen?” Jianwei asked. “I don't remember.”