The incantated jute strings were put on to free the patient from the possession of the spirit causing the disease.

They discourage their young children from engaging in rough-and-tumble play. One mother said, “I like Hai-Mei quiet. I like her playing Barbies, writing, and singing.”

“I've told you,” a man's voice was insisting, “You've been given it all— every strip.” The portable lamps, clipped to the overhead beams, revealed three figures. The two shabby nethermen moved like clumsy predators; […]

limp as an unstuffed cushion