"I was a failure. I barely ever noticed whether the sun was shining, because I had no time.
"My parents couldn't support me, and I didn't have much education. I was alone in the city, searching for a future.
"I tried to find all sorts of jobs, but nobody hired me. Perhaps nobody liked someone who wasn't good with words, disliked communicating, and hadn't shown enough ability.
"Over three whole days, I ate only two pieces of bread. Hunger kept me awake at night. Fortunately, I had paid a month's rent in advance, so I could stay in that dark basement instead of going outside to face the unusually bitter winter wind.
"At last, I found a job keeping watch at a hospital at night-keeping watch over the morgue.
"The hospital at night was even colder than I had imagined. The wall lamps in the corridors weren't lit, and everything was dim. I could only rely on the little light spilling out of the rooms to see where I was stepping.
"The smell there was awful. Every so often, someone dead would arrive in a body bag, and we would help move 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, few people wanted to come to the morgue unless a body needed to be delivered or taken away for cremation. Of course, I didn't yet have enough money to buy books, and I couldn't see any hope of saving any.
"I had my former colleague to thank. If he hadn't suddenly quit, I might not even have landed a job like this.
"I dreamed of rotating onto the day shift. Always going to sleep when the sun