said Mr. Black. Bren tried to smile, without much success. “Is something wrong?” Bren had waited until he made sure he wasn’t bleeding before he came in. The cut was minor, but he was afraid Mr. Black would still be able to see it, so he kept looking down to hide his neck. “Nothing,” said Bren. “It’s just . . . the coin . . .” He took it off and laid it on the table. He didn’t want Mr. Black looking at him. “Ah yes, I’ve been doing my homework on that,” said Mr. Black. “Look . . .” Bren tried to say, reaching out for the coin, but Mr. Black set a large book on top of it, turning pages until he came to a chapter entitled “The Mongol Post System and Passports.” He ran a long, bony finger up and down the pages until he found “Yuan Dynasty.” “Yoo-an?” said Bren. “The dynasty established by Kublai Khan,” Mr. Black explained. “From the Marco Polo stories!” “You make him sound like he was a fictional character. He was very real. . . . I’m not as sure about Marco Polo’s stories.”
What do You think about The Vanishing Island (2015)?
