THE woman was holed up in a vacant house. There was only darkness there. The wall panels were already rotten. The roof tiles were covered with moss, and some had been replaced with rusted aluminum sheeting. Here in this decrepit hovel, the washerwoman lived with her two daughters.

I have lived at this station for two years, said Aminah. At the Ule Lheu Train Stationabout 8 kilometers from the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque of Banda Acehthis 55-year-ol