Where The Mountain Meets The Moon Part 14

Minli wrinkled her forehead in confusion, but was too eager to get home to her parents to ask any more questions. Minli hugged Dragon goodbye. He returned her hug warmly, but she could tell he was distracted. She held out the round ball she had taken from Dragon's head. "Do you want this?"

"No," Dragon glanced at it absentmindedly. "You can have it."

Minli shrugged again, but the urge to go home began to pull at her strongly. She waved goodbye to Dragon and began to run toward the village.

It was late at night when she finally reached home. The slumbering village was silent and as Minli crept into her home the pale goldfish greeted her.

"Shh," the goldfish said to her. "Your parents are sleeping. Welcome home."

Minli was a little surprised to see a goldfish, but smiled a greeting. Moonlight misted over the rough floors and made the spa.r.s.e room glow silver, the goldfish bowl looking like a second moon. The shabby walls and worn stones seemed to s.h.i.+mmer as if a translucent silk veil covered them, muting any flaws and transforming the house into a dwelling of luminous light and delicate shadows. Minli had never seen her home look so beautiful.

Tiptoeing, she put her bag and the dragon's stone on the table and went into her room. Smiling, she climbed into her bed and went to sleep.

CHAPTER 47.

"Minli? Minli!" Ma and Ba's happiness burst from them like exploding firecrackers and even before she could open her eyes they had flung themselves upon her. The joy! How it flowed and flooded over her! More golden than the king's dragon bracelet, sweeter than a peach from the Queen Mother's garden, and more beautiful than a G.o.ddess of Heaven! Minli smiled, treasuring her good fortune.

Ma and Ba only stopped hugging her when her stomach began to grumble with hunger. Ma rushed to make a special breakfast, taking out the carefully saved dried pork to make Minli's favorite porridge, while Ba jumped to get some fresh water to make tea.

But when Ba went into the main room, he made a choking noise that caused Minli and Ma to come running.

"What is that?" he said, pointing. Minli followed his finger and saw him pointing at her traveling possessions on the table. The fish swam merrily around in its bowl as the silk of her brocade bag made the sunlight skip around the room.

"That is a bag given to me by the King of the City of Bright Moonlight," Minli said. "It is very fine, isn't it?"

"Not that," Ba said, waving the bag away. "That!"

And now Minli saw that he was pointing to Dragon's stone ball.

"It's just a gift from a friend," Minli said, handing it to her father. Ba took it in his hands reverently, a look of awe on his face.

"This is not just any gift," Ba whispered, and he took his sleeve and gently rubbed the surface of the stone. To Minli's great surprise, the grayness of the stone began to smudge away and a translucent, l.u.s.trous glow seemed to s.h.i.+ne through. "This is a dragon's pearl."

Minli and Ma stared. "A dragon's pearl!" Ma said slowly. She sat down and looked at Minli. "A dragon's pearl is worth the Emperor's entire fortune."

Minli opened her mouth but before any words could come out there was a great shouting and clamoring outside on the street. Ba quickly, but carefully, put the dragon pearl back on the table before they all hurried out to see what the uproar was about.

"What is it?" Ma asked, grabbing a neighbor. The entire village had flowed into the street, talking and shouting like a flock of birds discovering a feast. "What is happening?"

"It's Fruitless Mountain!" the neighbor said. "Fruitless Mountain has turned green."

"What?" Ba said.

"It's true, it's true!" another neighbor chimed in. "Fruitless Mountain is no longer fruitless! And the Jade River is clear and fresh too!"

Minli, Ma, and Ba looked at the mountain. It was true. Fruitless Mountain was no longer a black shadow above them. As the day dawned, the mountain had transformed. A green lushness seemed to bloom from the rock - a jewel-colored splendor softened the sharp edges that had painfully sliced the sky. The sky itself seemed to be embracing the mountain. The wind softly caressed the newborn greenery with a nurturing breeze and skimmed the Jade River, the water now as clear as tears of joy.

"How is this possible?" Ma asked.

"Jade Dragon must be happy again," Ba said. "Perhaps she is reunited with one of her dragon children."

Dragon! Minli thought, and her quick-thinking mind seemed to spin. Dragon said he was making his home on Fruitless Mountain. Could he be one of Jade Dragon's children? But how? Dragon was born from a painting, from paint brushes and ink stones... and like an echo, Minli remembered Ma talking about the artist who had come to Fruitless Mountain many years ago. Minli thought, and her quick-thinking mind seemed to spin. Dragon said he was making his home on Fruitless Mountain. Could he be one of Jade Dragon's children? But how? Dragon was born from a painting, from paint brushes and ink stones... and like an echo, Minli remembered Ma talking about the artist who had come to Fruitless Mountain many years ago. He took the mountain rock to carve into inking stones. He took the mountain rock to carve into inking stones.

Perhaps Dragon was born from an inkstone made of Fruitless Mountain, the heart of Jade Dragon. Then perhaps he was was one of Jade Dragon's children. And by bringing him to Fruitless Mountain, Minli had discovered how to make Fruitless Mountain green again. one of Jade Dragon's children. And by bringing him to Fruitless Mountain, Minli had discovered how to make Fruitless Mountain green again.

"Minli!" A villager, finally recovered from the shock of the green mountain, stared at Minli. "You came back! Look, everyone! Minli has returned!"

As the neighbors clamored around, Ma sighed. But it was a sigh of joy, a sound of happiness that floated like a b.u.t.terfly in the air. "Good fortune has come to the village," Ma said, smiling. "And to us, as well."

"Yes," Ba said, looking affectionately at Minli. "But the best fortune is the one that returned."

Minli smiled back. And suddenly, as she thought about her journey to and from Never-Ending Mountain, Minli realized that while she had not asked the Old Man of the Moon any of her questions, they had all been answered.

CHAPTER 48.

The goldfish man shaded his eyes as he pushed his cart along the Jade River. Yes, he was almost there. How long had it been? Two years? Perhaps three. Yes, the poor Village of Fruitless Mountain should be ahead soon, Yes, the poor Village of Fruitless Mountain should be ahead soon, he thought. he thought.

But, possibly, he was mistaken. When he had been there last, the most striking characteristic of the landscape had been the black mountain, its shadow casting gloom upon the village. But there was no dark silhouette in the sky now; in fact, the landscape looked like as if it were from a heavenly painting. A majestic green mountain sat in harmony with the deepening blue sky, the sun spreading its light for the last time before it set. Had he taken a wrong turn somewhere?

As he gazed, two flying figures in the sky caught his eye. Red and orange, a dragon and his mate frolicking amongst the clouds... wait, dragons? The goldfish man shook his head in disbelief, rubbed his eyes, and looked again. Only the dimming sky and feathery clouds fanning the wind were above. I must have been imagining things, I must have been imagining things, he thought. he thought.

The goldfish man pushed onward. The water in the fishbowls rippled and waved as the fish gazed calmly; their brilliant colors against the abundant green land glinted like gold and jade.

As he entered the village, the goldfish man again began to doubt if he was in the right place. Smooth stone lined the roadway and, instead of the rough board houses he remembered, rich wooden doors - some elaborately carved - lined the street. As he pushed his cart down the narrow street, lively children dressed in gay colors flew toward him like a festival of silk kites. "Goldfis.h.!.+ Goldfis.h.!.+" they cried. "Ma! Ba! Can we get one?"

Parents walked over and smiled indulgently at their children, and by the time the sun disappeared, the goldfish man had sold out of his wares. Clearly this was not the same poor village he had come to before, where only that one girl purchased a fish.

But then he remembered hearing a story about how a family that lived by the Jade River had given the King of the City of Bright Moonlight the incredible gift of a Dragon Pearl, refusing any payment. In grat.i.tude, the king presented the entire village with gifts of seeds and farming equipment that brought more prosperity than any reward of gold and jade. Maybe this was the place.

"Little one," the goldfish man asked a young girl dressed in a peony-pink silk jacket and leaf-green pantaloons, "the last time I was here, the last time I came to the Village of Fruitless Mountain, a child ran away from home. What happened to her?"

"Ran away from here?" the girl looked at him in disbelief, as if the idea was foreign. Then she nodded. "Oh, you must mean Minli! That's when this used to be called the Village of Fruitless Mountain. Now it's called the Village of Fruitful Mountain."

"Yes, Minli," the goldfish man said. "I think that was her name. What happened to her?"

"She and her family live over there," the girl waved her arm. "They built a courtyard in front and in back of their house. It's behind the gate with the pictures of the lucky children on the door."

The goldfish man wheeled his empty cart to the indicated gate. On each half of the crimson doors hung a painting of a round-faced, laughing child dressed in brilliant red. Their pink cheeks and merry smiles made it impossible not to smile back, and as he grasped one of the metal door knockers shaped like a grinning lion head, he realized that the painting on the left was of a girl and the one on the right was a boy.

The door flew open as soon as he knocked and the goldfish man was face-to-face with a woman he scarcely recognized. He recognized her even less when she threw her arm around him like an old friend.

"You!" she said to him, her face wrinkling in cheerful smiles. "Come in, come in! My husband will be happy to see you."

The goldfish man, speechless with surprise, let himself be led through the gate doors. Was this the mother with angry eyes he had met in the woods long ago? Yes, this pleasant-faced woman, her plum-colored coat embroidered with flowering trees, was the same person. He shook his head in disbelief.

As he glanced upward, he realized the courtyard was like a well for the sky - the stars and night seemed to flow into it endlessly. Was the courtyard built for just that purpose? Was the courtyard built for just that purpose? he wondered. Light from the house streamed through the lattice-patterned doors, illuminating the enclosure like a lit lantern. There, the father was surrounded by visiting children, whom the goldfish man recognized as his earlier customers. Some of the children were playing on the ground with clay toys of boys, buffalo, monkeys, and rabbits while others were being served tea by the father. "This tea is a gift from our faraway friends," the father was saying as he handed a child a cup. "They call it Dragon Well..." he wondered. Light from the house streamed through the lattice-patterned doors, illuminating the enclosure like a lit lantern. There, the father was surrounded by visiting children, whom the goldfish man recognized as his earlier customers. Some of the children were playing on the ground with clay toys of boys, buffalo, monkeys, and rabbits while others were being served tea by the father. "This tea is a gift from our faraway friends," the father was saying as he handed a child a cup. "They call it Dragon Well..."

"Husband," the woman called. "Husband! Look who is here!"

As he caught sight of the goldfish man, the father stopped in mid-sentence, and his face broke into a wide smile. "Ah!" he cried. "Dear friend!"

And like the mother, before letting him bow politely, the father embraced him warmly. "Come," the father said, "have some tea. My wife will bring out some cakes and snacks."

The goldfish man finally found his voice. "I am glad to see you and your wife so happy and prosperous," he said. "I only stopped to see if... last time we met... how is your daughter?"

"Minli?" the father said, laughing, waving his hand towards the house. "She is in the back. She will be happy to see you too, but she will come out later. This is the time of night she likes to watch the moon."

"She returned, then?" the goldfish man asked. "I thought she would. What happened?"

"Ah, my friend." Ba laughed again. "You have come at the right time. Why do you think these children are here? They come here every night because they want to hear the story again - the story of Minli's journey to and from Never-Ending Mountain! Come, sit! You can hear it for the first time."

The goldfish man sat down willingly on a stone seat and found a fragrant cup of tea in his hand. The children clamored around Ba, each more excited than the last and eager for the story to begin. But as Ma went inside the house to get refreshments, she left the door wide open and the goldfish man could not help peering in.

He could see all the way through the house to the back courtyard where the figure of a young girl sat on a bench, a small pond of fish at her feet. The moonlight washed over everything like a rich bath of gold and silver, making the fish s.h.i.+mmer like pearls and the girl glow with a magical glory reserved for the stars of heaven. But Minli was obviously unaware of all around her, lost in faraway dreams. For even in the misty light, the goldfish man could see her smiling a secret smile up to the sky to where the mountain meets the moon.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

By the age of eleven, I had fully disregarded my Asian heritage. My wise mother, knowing that any type of forced cultural exposure would lead to scorn, silently left half a dozen Chinese folktale and fairy-tale books on the bookshelf. Unable to resist the pull of a new book, I very quietly began to read them.

At first I was disappointed. The translation from Chinese to English had left the stories extremely thin and at times rough and hard to understand. There were hardly any details or descriptions and the plain ill.u.s.trations would be best described as rudimentary.

But slowly I began to overlook these flaws. Even in the barest of states, the timeless stories had a charm of their own - and I began to add my own details to the stories. My imagination disregarded dynasties and historical elements, and I filled the stories with my own images and fanciful layers.

Over time, I began to embrace my roots. I visited Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China and was able to steep myself with the vastness of those lands; the stories that I had read and imagined seemed to come alive again. But the stories continued to deviate, tinged with my Asian-American sensibilities. I found myself enjoying the Chinese tradition of h.o.m.ophonic puns, but I conceived them in English. I invented storylines for one-sentence legends, created histories for nondescript mythical characters, and pictured a Chinese girl free of real-life cultural limitations as a spirited heroine.

And these are the stories and characters that make up Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. It is a fantasy inspired by the Chinese folktales that enchanted me in my youth and the land and culture that fascinates me in my adulthood. I hope there is magic in it for you as well. It is a fantasy inspired by the Chinese folktales that enchanted me in my youth and the land and culture that fascinates me in my adulthood. I hope there is magic in it for you as well.

Some of the books that inspired.

WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON.

Birch, Cyril. Tales from China (Oxford Myths and Legends). Tales from China (Oxford Myths and Legends). New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Editorial Committee of The Overseas Chinese Library. Folk Stories Number 2002. Folk Stories Number 2002. Taipei: The Overseas Chinese Library, 1985. Taipei: The Overseas Chinese Library, 1985.

Editorial Committee of The Overseas Chinese Library. Stories From Cla.s.sical Allusions Number 3001. Stories From Cla.s.sical Allusions Number 3001. Taipei: The Overseas Chinese Library, 1985. Taipei: The Overseas Chinese Library, 1985.

Editorial Committee of The Overseas Chinese Library. Stories From Mencious Number 2003. Stories From Mencious Number 2003. Taipei: The Overseas Chinese Library, 1985. Taipei: The Overseas Chinese Library, 1985.

Fang, Linda. The Ch'i-lin Purse, A Collection of Ancient Chinese Stories. The Ch'i-lin Purse, A Collection of Ancient Chinese Stories. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1995. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1995.

The Frog Rider - Folk Tales from China (First Series). Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1980. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1980.

Hume, Lotta Carswell. Favorite Children's Stories from China and Tibet. Favorite Children's Stories from China and Tibet. Rutland, Vt.: Tuttle Publis.h.i.+ng, 1962. Rutland, Vt.: Tuttle Publis.h.i.+ng, 1962.

Kendall, Carol and Yao-wen Li. Sweet and Sour, Tales from China. Sweet and Sour, Tales from China. New York: Clarion Books, 1978. New York: Clarion Books, 1978.

Roberts, Moss, trans. Chinese Fairy Tales and Fantasies. Chinese Fairy Tales and Fantasies. New York: Pantheon Books, 1979. New York: Pantheon Books, 1979.

Various. Folk Tales of the West Lake. Folk Tales of the West Lake. N.p.: Olympia Press, 2007. N.p.: Olympia Press, 2007.

w.a.n.g, Gia-Zhen. Auntie Tigress and Other Favorite Chinese Folktales. Auntie Tigress and Other Favorite Chinese Folktales. New York: Purple Bear Books, 2006. New York: Purple Bear Books, 2006.