Note from the author
My loyal readers, I've received some questions about how much truth there is in this story. Readers argue this story cannot have really happened, because it involves so many "secrets that no homin knows", and if those were true and I knew about them, how could they still be secret?
I welcome speculation about my stories, but some even argue that this story proves my work is fiction, and that the story of Ayuko Wa-Hu must thus also be fiction. This is a grave injustice I do not wish to inflict on Ayuko's legacy, so I will answer these concerns.
Their argument about the secrets is quite right ofcourse, but there is more truth in this story than you might think. The events in the story did in fact happen several years ago, and I learned about them recently through a friend in the Zoraï intelligence agency. That inspired me to write this story.
I have personally spoken to Biani Li-Quao, and up to the present day the events of his life have been exactly as I've written them, although his further future and possible other futures are ofcourse still speculation. The bits of general knowledge about the Zoraï that feature in the story are also true as far as I can tell from my own experience.
As for the parts that are written from Vao-Shu Milang's point of view, I have not spoken to her personally but I've approached her thoughts as closely as possible from the reports I've read of the case. And I have no doubt she believed what she thought. The Kami have ways to tell when a homin is telling falsehoods. But as for what she believed was the truth, or just her belief... that I cannot say, nor can anyone I've spoken to.
But isn't that what we all wonder? Whether what we believe is the truth or just our belief? If there is any moral to this story, let it be that. That one should never be too sure of one's beliefs, because things may always be different than they seem.
My loyal readers, I've received some questions about how much truth there is in this story. Readers argue this story cannot have really happened, because it involves so many "secrets that no homin knows", and if those were true and I knew about them, how could they still be secret?
I welcome speculation about my stories, but some even argue that this story proves my work is fiction, and that the story of Ayuko Wa-Hu must thus also be fiction. This is a grave injustice I do not wish to inflict on Ayuko's legacy, so I will answer these concerns.
Their argument about the secrets is quite right ofcourse, but there is more truth in this story than you might think. The events in the story did in fact happen several years ago, and I learned about them recently through a friend in the Zoraï intelligence agency. That inspired me to write this story.
I have personally spoken to Biani Li-Quao, and up to the present day the events of his life have been exactly as I've written them, although his further future and possible other futures are ofcourse still speculation. The bits of general knowledge about the Zoraï that feature in the story are also true as far as I can tell from my own experience.
As for the parts that are written from Vao-Shu Milang's point of view, I have not spoken to her personally but I've approached her thoughts as closely as possible from the reports I've read of the case. And I have no doubt she believed what she thought. The Kami have ways to tell when a homin is telling falsehoods. But as for what she believed was the truth, or just her belief... that I cannot say, nor can anyone I've spoken to.
But isn't that what we all wonder? Whether what we believe is the truth or just our belief? If there is any moral to this story, let it be that. That one should never be too sure of one's beliefs, because things may always be different than they seem.