Pakinggan Pilipinas recently released their May story: “Reunion” by Palanca Award-winner (and Usok contributor) Eliza Victoria. You can find the story here. Here’s some background to the story, from the author herself (from the Pakinggan Pilipinas Facebook page):
I remember I was ironing my clothes one day and, as what usually happens during empty, boring hours, I began thinking of a story I might write next. I realized then that I haven’t actually written anything “epic” – meaning, anything big in scope, a story with a long timeline and several settings.
I’ve always been fascinated by the Children’s Crusade, and I wanted to write a story that would start with that. I read about the cholera outbreak in Manila while at work, and I wanted to put that into the story, too. I thought it was a mess.
At the time I only had this vague story idea involving two young men trying to look for each other through the centuries. For several weeks I wondered what their relationship might be. One day I decided they would be brothers. But who are they? I asked myself. And why are they looking for each other?
When I was able to sufficiently answer these two questions, I hunkered down to write the story.
