"I was a failure. I barely noticed whether the sun was shining or not, 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 applied for many jobs, but no one hired me. Perhaps no one liked someone who wasn't good with words, disliked communicating, and hadn't shown enough ability.
"For three whole days, I ate only two pieces of bread. Hunger kept me awake at night. Luckily, I had paid a month's rent in advance, so I could stay in that dark basement instead of facing the unusually bitter winter wind outside.
"Finally, I found a job keeping watch at a hospital at night-watching over the morgue.
"The hospital was even colder at night 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. From time to time, someone dead would arrive in a body bag, 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 my free time at night to study. After all, few people wanted to visit 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 for now, I saw no hope of saving any.
"I had my former colleague to thank. If he hadn't suddenly quit, I might not even have gotten a job like this.
"I dreamed of getting a turn on the day shift. Always going to sleep when the sun rose