Chapter 1 April 17 1906 4 30 p m The box of groceries nagged Han from its perch on the counter He was to deliver it to a house outside of Chinatown Not just yet An off-key hum drifted from the storeroom where Father was counting inventory Through the shop’s front window Han watched a man and two little boys cross the street Each boy’s long braid swung from side to side as if the queues danced to a rhythm only they could hear Han crossed his fingers and waited The trio passed by He had the store to himself and enough time for some adventure Plunging his hand into a jar of sugared almonds Han grabbed one and popped it into his mouth He crunched down on the treat and picked up the novel Miss
Cameron had loaned him for the third time this year He opened the book to his favorite scene a murder in a graveyard at midnight As Han read his mind entered the story and the room around him transformed Store shelves became the branches of an elm tree Barrels of dried oysters abalone and cuttlefish turned into tombstones The Chinese lantern that dangled from the ceiling was the full moon Han turned the page Three men stood beside an open grave One was a doctor who wanted to experiment on the corpse in the coffin The other two were outcasts hired to dig up the body The diggers demanded more money but the doctor refused A thrill of excitement crept up Han’s spine as the diggers and doctor grappled Han’s heart beat faster as one digger picked up a knife
The man lunged for the doctor The knife hovered above the doctor’s chest Suddenly the book disappeared from Han’s hand He looked up and blinked The graveyard had vanished Han was back behind the counter of the Liu Grocery & Dry Goods store on the corner of Dupont and Clay Streets in Chinatown San Francisco Next to him stood Father an angry scowl on his face and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in his hand Why are you still here Father nodded at the box on the counter The Zhangs are waiting for their groceries Guilt and irritation battled in Han’s stomach Guilt won Sorry Father he said I just sold some sugared almonds to Miss Cameron and she loaned me this book I’ll make the delivery now
