I am writing a scene for my YA novel “Ghost Moon Night.” The time is New Year’s Eve in the Philippines. I googled fireworks, or “paputok.” As I read the familiar words, I remembered my childhood new year’s eves, when we would go to my uncle’s house and light fireworks and blow into noisemakers out on the sidewalk. One word, “turotot,” or trumpet, triggered a vivid image. I am a child again, my lips forming around the trumpet mouthpiece, that gummy taste of cardboard and plastic, the bleating of the holiday toy; the smell of burning watusi or rebentador filling the air. I love writing about the Philippines; it brings back wonderful memories.
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