Page 33 of My Darling Girls

“I need to talk to Hong. Can you please ask him to meet me in the back alley behind the laundry? It won’t take long.”

Mei raises both eyebrows. “What do you want from Hong? He ain’t selling.” There is an edge to her voice, and Jo realizes what Mei means—Old Zhang isn’t selling anything to Jo. Did he see her steal the opium vial?

“I just need to talk to him. Nothing else.”

Mei shakes her head and pulls another shirt from a pile in front of her. She straightens its lapels. Buttons the shirt all the way. Smooths the sleeves. Her movements carry some unexplainable weariness.

“Please, Mei. I—” Jo tries to put all the right words together, polite yet convincing, but her voice trembles. “I really need to talk to Hong. Nothing to do with opium.”

“Talk about what, then?” The shirt is folded, and Mei rests her hands on it.

“About my opium dreams.”

“What about them?” Mei leans over the counter, her eyes fused to Jo. Her hair has a touch of amber in the weak light of the room. The girl inspects Jo with sorrow in her face but also brazen curiosity. “Do you talk to the dead in your dreams?”

Mei’s question lands hard. Like a blow. “I dream of a place. A courtyard. I never had any dreams until recently. I usually just sleep. But now, I go to this courtyard where the dead talk to me. Ask me to do things for them.”

“What things?”

“A dead girl asked me to find her killer.”

“And did you agree?” Mei gives Jo an appraising look. “Did you say yes?”

“I agreed.”

Mei clicks her tongue. Shakes her head.

“Can I talk to Hong, please?”

“You don’t need my father. I can tell you everything you need to know about the courtyard. Though it has a different name. Most people call it the other realm.”

“Others go there too?”

“Some do. Not everyone. Only those who can hear the dead. Like you.” Mei squints at Jo. “Can you hear the dead? In our world?”

Jo’s soul shrinks from fear. She nods, unable to speak.

“If you hear them, you must listen.”

“Can the dead cross the realms and come into our world?”

Mei shrugs. “Sometimes. You think you brought something from there?”

Jo takes a deep breath. “I’m not sure. But it’s possible. Yes. Something followed me. Someone.” The thought of her brings goose bumps to Jo’s skin. “Can I send it back?”

“Have you met the master of the realm?”

Jo looks at Mei and sees a shadow of something ageless deep in the girl’s eyes. Old before its time. A wisdom, a knowledge beyond this world. “The horse?” Jo asks. She sounds like a silly schoolgirl.

“He takes different forms.” Mei nods, not amused. “He’s the only one who can help you. And if you agreed to help the dead girl, you must fulfill your part of the deal. You need to face whatever unfinished business you have, Josephine.”

“My penance.”

“Call it whatever you want.”

“How do you know all of this?”

Mei pushes herself away from the counter. Her eyes set on the window behind Jo. “I go there to see my mother.” She pauses. “In order to talk to my mother, I must remember, relive things I’ve been trying to forget for a long time. That’s my penance.” Her eyes glisten, and her words echo somewhere in Jo’s chest. “It’s hard. Isn’t it?”