Eric's Beijing Diary

Last night I woke abruptly to the sound of someone prowling around in my pantry, which is really just an entryway between the outside and my bedroom. The light was on and a lady appeared to be looking for something. I jumped out of bed and blurted out, in English, "What are you doing in here?" I was greeted with a sight that was as absurd as it was comical. My landlady was standing on the balcony looking in the window. A slender woman who turned out to be one of my neighbors, had been recruited by my landlady to squeeze herself through the porch window. My landlady told me that there was water coming through the ceiling down below, and they were convinced it was coming from my apartment. I quickly pulled my pants on and let her in so she could check my toilet.