What Could You and a Bunch of Cripples Do?

The moon had risen above the treetops,

and the lake, carrying rippling reflections, gradually grew still.

An unknown mist rose up, gradually blanketing the entire lake while casting an air of mystery and danger over it.

Yet even under such circumstances, a small boat cut across the lake...

"I am a failure. I barely ever notice whether the sun is shining, because I have no time.

"My parents couldn't support me, and I wasn't highly educated. Alone in the city, I searched for a future.

"I looked for many jobs, but none would hire me. Maybe nobody liked someone who wasn't good at talking, didn't like socializing, and hadn't shown enough ability.

"I spent three whole days eating only two loaves of bread. Hunger kept me awake at night. Fortunately, I had paid a month's rent in advance, so I could keep living in that dark basement instead of going outside to endure the abnormally cold winter winds.

"Finally, I found a job: working nights at a hospital, guarding the morgue.

"The hospital was even colder at night than I had imagined. The corridor wall lamps were unlit, and everything was dim. I could only rely on the faint light spilling from the rooms to see where I stepped.

"The place smelled terrible. From time to time, the dead would be delivered in body bags, and we would help carry them into the morgue.

"It wasn't a very good job, but at least it let me afford bread. I could also use the free time at night to study. After all, no one wanted to come to a morgue unless a corpse needed to be delivered or taken away for cremation. Of course, I still didn't have enough money to buy books, and I couldn't see any hope of saving