A short story inspired by an artifact from EKU’s Special Collections and Archives.
This short story was inspired by the artifact, “Empress We Ze Tian.” I wanted to draw upon the themes of nature and spirituality often explored in classic East Asian literature. In the story, Song finds the artifact the same way it fell into my hands: as a picture with centuries of history. I wanted to explore the beginnings of a tale that would become a legend—one that starts on a quiet, sleepless night in the Chinese countryside.