Fortune

I always remember the first time I picked up a turtle from a jar at the 'flower bird and fish market' in Urumqi (Aquarium & Aviary Market). There were so many choices – some more exotic than others, some with more freedom than others. As a kid, I tried to figure out which one was prettier, which one could speak to me like in cartoons. The turtle I chose escaped from the tank not long after I took it home, and I never saw it again in my life. But the sense of dominance I felt as a young child is vividly etched in my memory.