Chinatown in lower Manhattan has an incredible lure that comprises fright with yummy thoughts of egg rolls, dumplings and chow mein. The name itself inspires fear, and mothers hold their kids’ hands tight when they walk the alleys and narrow streets. As if some Oriental dragon might emerge and suddenly pounce. The background of tenements, lonely and dark, is menacing. People fantasize about the dreadful things that are taking place within.
Alas, this week a tragedy took place within. Allow me to quote a paragraph from the NYTimes news report by Christine Hauser (2/25/09, A23).
“A fire that swept through a Chinatown tenement early Tuesday, killed two tenants, injured at least 18 others and forced residents to stumble blindly through clouds of smoke, jump from windows and climb onto fire escapes in the bitter cold and darkness.”
Our imaginations could not top such a scene from hell.
AgeBuster 