Rolling through an outdoor brick mall, sitting on a scooter made of rollerblades. Very uncomfortable. I come across a midget I know from way back. I greet him warmly and ask him how he's been since I saw him last year, and he turns away disgustedly. I can see that something has eaten away half of his face, which looks like burn scars. It's New Year's Day, I realize. The day when all the deformed and crippled people come out in public and people greet them warmly because they are prepared and therefore not shocked to see the shut-ins. It's a national tradition, and only comes once a year. Near my midget friend is a guy in a wheelchair with the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up. Over three quarters of his face is just skull, but shiny and beautiful like a well polished netsuke carving.