Opening paragraphs..................

     I once believed that heroes existed only in old men's fables, that evil in the world had triumphed over good, and that love - a true, unselfish, and abiding love - could only be found in a little girl's imagination.  I was certain the gods were deaf, that Buddha was forgotten, and that I would never again see the natural beauty of my home province.
     It was a time when I learned about shape-shifters, shadows, and redemption;  when I finally grasped the meaning of a Chinese proverb whose venerable words still rattle about in my head:  The most difficult battles in life are those we fight within.
     It was also the year that I came to truly know the Rent Collector.

-Camron Wright,  The Rent Collector