"I was a failure. I hardly 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 applied for many jobs, but no one hired me. Perhaps nobody liked someone who wasn't good with words, didn't enjoy talking to others, and hadn't shown enough ability.
"For three whole days, I ate only two loaves of bread. Hunger kept me awake at night. Fortunately, I'd paid a month's rent in advance, so I could keep living in that dark basement instead of going outside to endure the unusually cold winter wind.
"Finally, I found a job keeping watch at a hospital at night-keeping watch over the morgue.
"The hospital was even colder at night 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. From time to time, a dead person would arrive in 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 visit the morgue unless there was a body to deliver or take 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 for now.
"I had to thank my former colleague. If he hadn't suddenly quit, I might not even have gotten a job like this.
"I dreamed of rotating onto the day shift. Always sleeping when the