Flashing

The heat lightning looked like fireworks, so at first I didn't pay any attention. Fireworks are a common occurrence in China - nearly a nightly event. The tradition of fireworks stems from the belief in warding off evil spirits with loud bands. Some habits die hard.

But this evening, when I had a brief fifteen-minute break between classes, I stepped out onto the balcony off the kitchen and watched the sky flicker in front of me. It was concentrated only in one small section of the sky. The flashes of light looked like electric sparks trying to trace patterns in the east. The pollution haze was so thick that at time there was no visible bolt, only the linings of particular clouds becoming clear against the night. I still have yet to see a star in China.