The Homeless Ancestor

Savannah Ho Yik-yeung
2023-06-11

6
28 min

We cannot escape from bureaucracy in life as well as in death. Quickie promises his grandma to handle the forced removal of his great-grand aunt’s niche. But without the ancestor’s identity documents, Quickie cannot apply for public columbarium niches. On the other hand, grandma refuses to have the evicted ashes brought home for fear of bad luck. As he struggles with bureaucratic red tape, Quickie thinks of one inventive solution after another to find a temporary home for the ashes. The story is a biting commentary on ridiculous public policies rendered in vibrant, energetic colours and groan-inducing jokes to highlight the absurdity of the situation.