I met a puppy today, curled up in the arms of a little Vietnamese girl. They were stationed at the entrance of a grand Chinese meeting house, ready to welcome guests inside.

The hall itself was okay, but by the time I got there, I was over the ornate architecture, the altars, the fruity offerings, and brass pokers. I was too busy thinking of that puppy.

It wasn't until I was leaving the Hall that I saw him again. In the small adjoining gift shop, a bag of red and gold silk scraps lay on the floor, no doubt leftover from lantern-making. Nestled on the bag lay the soft little puppy…

Who happened to have a silk thread on his nose.