The Ghosts of Hong Kong Palace
Dusty red and gold lanterns droop from a yellowing ceiling in the dark. Antique wooden tables hide under white cotton tablecloths. Unfilled cardboard boxes stand atop one another on the brown laminated floor in the corner of the room. The stillness in the closed restaurant is lonesome. Abandoned ghosts serve an empty building that has fallen into disrepair. The Hong Kong Palace only accepts orders from the past. Still, the deliveries continue to roll out to customers that don’t exist anymore. Outside, overgrown weeds split concrete footpaths that exhibit fading graffiti. Across the street from the Chinese takeaway stands the Anglican Church of the Holy Redeemer. The fragmented house of prayer is forever waiting. Waiting for the sun to rise. Waiting for the street lights to change. Waiting for the years to pass. Waiting for the presence of the Holy Spirit. Always waiting for salvation. Perhaps, one day, the ghosts of Hong Kong Palace will find themselves here, enduring worship and hav