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"The moment I jumped off of it was the moment I touched down."
Lanterns hung, like many pastel moons, from the ceiling. Incense smoked in their painted jugs. The smell mingled with that of pressed chrysanthemums and daisies, and led me farther into the tiny, cluttered shop. Small wicker bins full of assorted stones were situated upon sills that jutted from the walls; others, of beads and pendants, had been arranged on circular tables that were shrouded with burgundy velvet. Nearly fifty plump Buddhas stood shoulder-to-shoulder on a shelf in the corner. The floors were littered with pots of various herbs—mint, rosemary, sage, thyme. A dormant birdbath held a massive replica of Krishna, along with the dried, withered petals of a Lotus blossom. |