Do You Fear the Line ? by Wong Shu Yun

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// DO YOU FEAR THE LINE ? a personal narrative by Wong Shu Yun

In 2008, I witnessed the hopes and dreams of Nepal as it turned from a monarchy to a republic. I was there as a journalism intern for six months—a short and a long time all at once. By day, I wrote for a weekly newspaper. By night, I walked down the streets of Kathmandu. For a while, I wandered off to Pakistan. What can a Singaporean learn from these foreign lands? Lots, apparently. After all, travel is never just about places. What I also remember most vividly are the conversations on love, loss, friendship and forgiveness. So here’s the other side of the story that has gone unreported. In Do You Fear the Line?, every character has had to walk a distance, transcend an invisible boundary or confront the unfamiliar. ~ Wong Shu Yun

Published by MATH PAPER PRESS (2011)

Distributed by MATH PAPER PRESS ISBN-13: 978-981-07-0421-6 Retail Price: SGD 10.00

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“Maybe, this is how it feels like to be in love—in a film. The complexities aren’t in the backdrop. It’s simple. Imagine fields spanning the landscape, vast with the raw scent of grass, and hills drawing simple curves on the skyline. All that breathes blossom from the ground with an easy freedom to search and be found. Once upon a time, against this backdrop, lived a boy on the plains in a house made of painted bricks and firewood. He said, “No more buses. You stay at my home until tomorrow?” It was hard to refuse because his heart carried a kind of warmth enough for the winter’s night. Nepal was where the scenes played out. I arrived here on a cold, dry evening, began wandering as if I was searching for something, someone. And then I got lost. But the 13-year-old boy of the hills, Sandip, found me. He said, “No problem.” I was in his home in Budhanilkantha and I snuggled underneath the blankets. I couldn’t decide if should sleep or keep awake. It had only been my first few days in this landlocked country. Sandip said groggily, “Good night for the last time.” He had said that three times. The next morning when I woke, Sandip wanted to take me up the hills. He had lived here his whole life. Fascinated with the first foreigner who had ever stepped into his home, he was excited to show me around. “We need to start on our journey now,” he said in a very official manner, a boy with a man’s mission. I put on my shoes, not quite sure where we were heading to. It didn’t matter anymore.

— If you ever make a trip to Nepal, do forget the map, lose your directions and get a little lost. Wherever you end up, you will find home, And yes, I remember you, Sandip. It all began here.”

— Excerpt from Do You Fear the Line? by Wong Shu Yun

Published by

MATH PAPER PRESS

by BooksActually No. 9 Yong Siak Street

Singapore 168645 t / +65 6222 9195

http://booksactually.com/mathpaperpress.html

Math Paper Press is a small press publishing by BooksActually that deals with short experimental novellas, poetry and essays.

Math Paper Press also distributes books by selected small presses.

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