"I was a failure. I barely paid attention to whether the sun was shining, because I had no time.
"My parents couldn't support me, and I didn't have much of an education. I was alone in the city, searching for a future.
"I tried for plenty of jobs, but none hired me. Maybe nobody liked someone who wasn't good with words, didn't like communicating, and hadn't shown enough ability.
"For three whole days, I ate only two loaves of bread. Hunger kept me awake at night. Luckily, I'd paid a month's rent in advance, so I could keep living in that dark basement instead of going outside to face the exceptionally cold winter winds.
"Finally, I found a job keeping watch at a hospital at night-watching over the morgue.
"The hospital at night was even colder than I'd 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, a dead person would be brought in, stuffed into a body bag, and we'd work together to carry him 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 come to the morgue unless there was a body to deliver or take away for cremation. Of course, I still didn't have enough money to buy books, and for now, 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 getting a turn on the day