The day I received the scholarship, my grandmother’s house—her lifelong sanctuary—caught fire. The flames devoured the attic where she had stored her treasured heirlooms. I watched, helpless, as the fire consumed everything she’d built.
My first conference abroad, I was lauded for a groundbreaking presentation. In the same week, a close friend in my hometown suffered a severe injury in a car accident that left them bedridden.
“To the one who reads these words: May the rabbit grant you a wish, but heed this warning—what you ask shall be taken in kind.”
At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but soon I realized that something was very wrong. My hands started to shake, my vision blurred, and I stumbled over my own feet. The bunny cackled – yes, cackled! – and I knew I was in trouble.