A flurry of feather hits the pavement with a clack. Bernard stops in front of it. He identifies what's resting before his paws as a shuttlecock. In the Heavenly Pavilion, children play these to pass time. A colorful feather is anchored to three thin plastic plates stacked vertically, its total weight no greater than a pebble, when thrown to the sky it sails the wind and descends down an arc. The game starts with a child flinging the featherball so then the second will strike it on landing wit...
