Mini-story: The Way

“Is anyone familiar with the concept of the Dao?” The man stood at the front of the makeshift classroom, its high windows looking out on a grey afternoon somewhere in the city, transparent from within but opaque from the outside. His face was constantly pensive — distracted, almost — but he was clearly focusing on what he was saying. Anwen knew him only as Faine, and she had met him just that morning. He was one of those men with a vaguely academic air; dark eyes, and darker hair that was a little longer than average. He was the sort of person who could have been from almost any period in history. His clothes were dark too, and had an unremarkable and faded eccentricity. He looked every inch the teacher. Anwen watched him carefully as he glanced around the room at the mere half-dozen faces looking back at him. No-one had raised their hand. “That’s probably for the best,” Faine continued. “Suffice it to say that it’s something the ancient Chinese never quite succeeded in explaining.”…