The Measure of a ManThe sun had been out for hours when Kardo began walking down the path diverging from the village road. From a distance, within earshot, the house where he grew up appeared like an old altar seeking shelter under the overhanging branches of mango trees.
From childhood, that old house had been a symbol of all the simple joys beloved of a son nurtured by the village. Those with weary bodies drew renewed strength from it, hunger was alleviated and thirst satiated in its welcome embrace, and it was where pain and loneliness gave way to healing. His face broke up into a smile at the cascade of thoughts rushing through his mind. But the smile was instantly wiped off and the man took a deep breath.
He let his eyes wander among the many houses spread out all over the vast fiel
