Chapter Three: Whose Face Did the Moon Borrow?

The tunnel ended at an abandoned railway platform. Gu Linchuan sat on a bench, his white shirt soaked with blood. The red cord around his wrist extended to a black stone beside the tracks, its surface crowded with carved names. When he saw Shen Wu, he smiled. "You came quickly this time." She remained at a distance. "Prove you're real." "At six, you fell into the salt lake and woke missing three days. At fourteen, you noticed your reflection moved half a beat late. You never eat pears because the last thing I gave you before I died was half a frozen pear." "Anyone could investigate that." "When you're afraid, your right thumb presses the center of your left palm," he said, looking at the gesture she was making.