"What a strange name for an Italian restaurant," August pondered as he strolled into "Il Piccolo Belga." It was a new place in the heart of the Hong Kong Wan Chai district. The strange mixture of Belgian and Italian cuisine made it the talk of the town. Locals didn't seem too fond of a combination between waffles and pasta. But expats, they always want a taste of home, no matter where they are. Or what it is.
It wasn't his type of kitchen, though. Surprisingly, it was Ying Li who brought it up during the English Literature class they take together. And since they share a common passion for the written word and above all since Ying Li is intrigued by the charismatic figure that August is, she scraped all of her courage together and asked August out for dinner. Much to her and his surprise August accepted.
Vincenzo was to be their waiter for the night as he led August to the table where Ying Li was already seated.
August gently kissed her on the cheek and said: "Hi, Ying Li. You look great." She blushed and stammered something that, in her head, sounded like "Thank you. You look great too." He smiled.
Chianti, Valpolicella, Lambrusco. He read the words; he read the names of the wines. But his head was elsewhere. He too, was fond of Ying Li. There was something about her he just couldn't grasp. She reminded him of his past. As far as he could tell, she was one who had lived many lives. An old soul. Was it for that reason that he said yes? Or was he falling in love? In his head, he was already plotting an escape. He was not going to commit himself to anyone. That was not his destiny. Not according to the Apprentice, it wasn't.
He hated wine and had absolutely no knowledge at all about flavor, taste or smell. Alcohol blurred his mind. He didn't want to lose control of his thoughts; not when the 28th birthday was soon to happen. Reluctantly, he swallowed the Chianti he chose and said it was perfect. Ying Li sipped off her glass and complimented him with his pick. As far as she was concerned, August was flawless.
This dating thing was not new to him. It was his exhaust. A getaway from the dark cloud of guilt that had always hung above him.
But somehow, with Ying Li, it was...
"Different. That's the least you can say about a waffle Bolognese," Ying Li said.
"It sure is. But I'm not surprised," August replied, "In the universe, there are but three certainties. First of all, good always overcomes evil. Secondly, it's impossible to have a thought or an idea that no other human being has ever had before. And third and far most: if you do succeed at the latter, yours is likely to be crap. Like a waffle Bolognese."
She laughed.
The evening passed and so did dinner.
"I don't know why everyone is going on and on about Swiss chocolate. This Belgian chocolate mousse is heavenly."
"Ow, I wov if..." she mumbled with a mouth full.
"You know, if they would simply call this 'The Belgian' and left the whole pasta combination out, it would be a great restaurant," said August while he draped a silk scarf over her shoulders.
The two left the restaurant and it came to the part where August would usually go about doing his escape routine. But not tonight. This time, he hesitated and before the silence transcended to the point where it would be called awkward, Ying Li took him by the hand and said: "Walk me home, August. Please?"
He agreed and the two set off on a nightly saunter through the streets of Hong Kong.
August knew the district by heart, as countless were the nights that he wandered through this city trying to find a spark of redemption for running from his destiny. Sadly, without any luck. The only reward he got from this fruitless quest for forgiveness was that he knew every inch of Wan Chai.
It somehow felt right, holding hands with Ying Li. A warm and soothing feeling. He was positive that it wasn't the wine talking.
The neon lights were once again turning the island into a fluorescent wilderness. And meanwhile the urban sounds were violently trying to enter the cocoon of happiness that was surrounding the couple. Cars honking, screams, laughter, music... it was as if it just wasn't there for the two of them.
Ying Li felt a slight squeeze in her hand as August stopped.
"Hey, Ying Li, look over there. I can't remember having seen that place before?"
"What place do you mean? That antiques shop?"
"Yeah. Zhi Yun Antiques. I don't understand."
"It means something like 'wise one born in the clouds," she replied.
"No, I mean that the place wasn't here yesterday, Ying Li. It just wasn't here. The whole building wasn't here. And it looks old and shabby. It doesn't make any sense at all."
"Well, let's go and have look. No point in standing here," she said.
The two approached the shop and a cold shiver went down August's spine. There was something out of the ordinary about this place. August hesitated as he grabbed the doorknob.
"Come on August, let's do this. What's the worst thing that can happen? Some old Chinese guy trying to prevent us from buying a fluffy animal which we can't feed after midnight?"
He laughed and opened the door. It squeaked.
"Exactly what you'd expect. An old squeaking door, darkness and the smell of incense just like in a church. And I really hate churches," August said.
The place was indeed nothing less than an old Chinese antique shop stereotype. Furniture that came straight out of a Bruce Lee movie, pottery that could very well be Ming dynasty vases and trinkets that were only to be found in those type of pawn shops who rarely see the light of day.
"AAAAGH!" Ying Li yelled.
A white cat jumped straight into her arms. It was as if the animal knew her as it purred against her arms.
"It's just a cat. You're lucky it wasn't a cupboard," August winked, "but it seems very fond of you."
"Yeah, perhaps he got me confused with someone else. Seeing that he can't see..."
The cat was missing both of its eyes. In a very peculiar way. When any type of living being is missing an eye, the eyelid is often stitched together. But not with this creature. In its eye pits, there was a black void. The darkest black one had ever seen. As if the sun had disappeared and all that was left was the conviction that no light whatsoever would ever reappear.
"I knew it was a bad idea. Put the cat down, we're getting out of here, Ying Li."
"Relax, August. It's just purring."
"Greetings, visitors. I see you have met Di Jun, my furry little friend," an old withered voice interrupted the conversation.
"Good evening, sir. My name is August Booth and this is Ying Li. She's my erm... we take a class together."
"Yes... yes... excellent... yes you are," the man replied, "You can call me George. I've been expecting you. Very much so. Oh, so excellent. The wooden man and the archer. Excellent, truly."
He didn't look much of a George. He was an old man with a long white beard and a face scarred by time. His long fingernails were filled with an edging of black dirt. Textbook Hollywood stuff.
"Ok, that's it. Come on Ying Li, we're getting out of here."
August grabbed Ying Li by the hand and as she dropped the cat, it made its way towards the door. The animal tilted its head towards the doorknob and it vanished. Where the oak wooden door handle was supposed to be, there was nothing left but a black hole.
"No hurry. Need no hurry. Patience and virtue. Wooden man. No lies for wooden man," George sniggered, "I have gift for archer, you wooden man."
"Is he talking about you, Ying Li?"
"I have no idea. I don't know him and I certainly don't know anything about archery."
"SILENCE! You explain him. You explain him about Di Jun! You archer."
The floor started the tremble. August knew the feeling.
"Earthquake!"
He pulled Ying Li under the table. They kneeled and held on to each other.
The trembling didn't stop and a threatening wind started to howl. It was as if the world was going to end.
The floor was about to give.
"Hold on Ying Li, we're going down. The whole thing is going to..."
Collapse... that's what it did. Everything turned dark. It was as if they were twirled through a giant tornado of space and time. They felt as if the drop would never end and their breath was cut off. They couldn't scream and were choked by the thought that this would be their final moments on earth. It was a done deal.
"Smack!"
They plumped down in a never ending landscape of sand.
August lay head down in the dirt as Ying Li slowly opened her eyes.
"Au... August...," she tried, "August. Are you ok?"
No reaction.
She slowly crawled back up and at a glance, tried to get a grasp of where they were. Miles and miles of sand was all she could see. And bright sun. Burning bright sun. This was not a good place to be. Of that, she was sure.
She shambled towards August, got on her knees next to him and turned him on his back.
"August, talk to me. August, are you ok?"
His face was covered in sand and she tried to wipe off most of it using a napkin she took from Il Piccolo Belga. It was one of her things...
August coughed and said: "What... what the hell just happened... where are we?
"I don't know. But we can't stay here. That's for sure. Can you get up?"
"I... I think so. Are you ok?"
The sun was at its peak and they both were close to exhaustion. They had been walking for hours through the desert without seeing a single point of hope. No oasis, no trees, not even a rock where behind they could find shelter from the sun.
"I knew it was a bad idea," August sighed.
She tried to smile.
"The heat is one thing," he said, "But we must find some kind of shelter, or we'll freeze to death tonight."
Miraculously, as they were standing on top of the next sand dune, they saw one single Mongol tent erected in the depth below them. They were saved!
From the outside, it seemed abandoned, but they both remained cautious.
"Wait here," August insisted, as he cautiously opened the tent to have a look inside.
There was no one to be seen.
"All clear... and there's water in those jars. It looks fresh. We're saved Ying Li."
They drank and drank, until they were full. It was as if the supply of water wasn't ending. The jars looked to be refilling their selves. Other jars held rice. There was brim wood, pottery, two beds and even fresh cloths. Old Chinese costumes. For a man and a woman.
Ying Li held a dress in front of her. "Seems exactly my size, what about you August, will you try on one of those costumes?"
There really wasn't much choice, as their own clothes were drenched in sweat and sand.
She got behind the old Chinese folding screen and started to undress. August couldn't help but looking and he was fascinated by the beauty of her curves.
"No looking," she laughed.
August bashfully turned his head away. Like a small child who got caught stealing a piece of candy.
They both were a rare sight for sore eyes. The dress seemed like she had never worn anything else. And August? Well he was just an all-American guy at a costume party. Albeit with a good taste of picking a great costume.
August lit the fire and started to boil some water for the rice.
He suddenly recalled the old man saying something like Ying Li having to explain about Di Jun.
"Well, I don't know much about it. And I certainly don't know what I have to do with it, but..."
"In Chinese mythology, there is the tale about Di Jun, God of the Eastern Heavens, who had 10 sons with Xihe. Those sons were also suns. So in ancient times Earth had 10 suns. For obvious reasons, these 10 suns couldn't appear in the sky all at once, so they took turns. Each day, one of the 10 suns was driven around earth in a carriage pulled by their mother. One day, they all grew tired of this ritual and they decided to, all ten, rise at the same moment.
The earth was transformed into a place of heat. No crops were growing; people were dying of famine and thirst. But the 10 sons of Di Jun kept on shining.
Yao, who was emperor at that time, decided to seek for divine intervention and sought the help of Di Jun. He was the God of the Eastern Heavens and agreed that his sons' behavior was not to be tolerated. So he sent Houyi down to Earth to teach his offspring a lesson. Houyi was the God of Archery and he was equipped with 10 magic arrows to scare the suns away. Upon arrival on Earth, Houyi was infuriated by the human suffering they had caused. Beside himself with rage, he decided not to just scare the indocile suns, but to kill them one by one.
Upon aiming his last magic arrow towards the final sun, Emperor Yao begged him not to shoot, as this would leave earth a cold and uninhabitable place. Houyi gave in and saved mankind. He was regarded as a hero by humans, but Di Jun banished him to live on Earth as a mere mortal. Di Jun only wanted him to scare his sons and not to kill them. He was no longer a god..."
"Fascinating story," August said, "But I still don't see what it has to do with us and that old Chinese guy in the shop.
"Neither do I. It's just a story, like so many others in my culture. But anyway...let's eat and rest. We must try to get home tomorrow."
"That will be a challenge. It would help if we knew where we are.. But the rice is good, Ying Li. Who knows how long this has been lying around? Days, months, ages...although I would have liked a waffle to go with it."
They laughed. Reluctantly. As they both knew that they were in trouble. They were overwhelmed by the whole situation.
"Wait, is that what I think it is..." August suddenly broke the silence, "Is that a sextant?"
It was. And it was the first time August would use one of those. Sure, he wrote about it in one of his books and he knew how he was supposed to use them, but still. August aimed at the horizon and at the moon. He then tried to aim it at the horizon and the North polar star.
"This can't be. How can we go from being with a mad Mr. Miyagi in Hong Kong at one moment to..."
"Where, where are we, August?"
"Somewhere in the southern part of the Gobi desert, as far as I can tell".
Ying Li burst out in tears. She knew that their chances of ever being found were very slim. They had to rely on each other. August held her in his arms and tried to comfort her. "Shhh..Ying Li, don't worry. I will get us out of here. I promise." Slowly, they both fell asleep.
Bright light.
Sunrise was still hours away, but yet the tent was filled with bright light. A glare so white they couldn't open their eyes. And then, total darkness fell, only to be broken by the cold but soothing glim of the moon.
A bow and arrow were slowly levitating through the room.
"Ooh...kay... now what's that?"
"Besides stating the obvious? I'm guessing it's meant for us."
A familiar grim voice resounded through the tent: "Stay away wooden man. It is for archer. Archer only"
"Well I'm guessing the guy wants me to stay away. Which clearly means the opposite," August laughed. He looked at Ying Li but there was no reaction. She just sat there, silently. Her eyes were closed.
"Ying Li? Are you alright?"
August approached her.
"Ying Li? Talk to me."
No reaction.
For some reason, he didn't really know why, he held his head right in front of her. He didn't know if he wanted to kiss her of just look at her to see what was going on.
"Ying Li?"
Her eyes opened. They were all white.
She punched him right on the nose. He passed out.
...
As August regained consciousness, he touched his nose to see if it wasn't broken. Seemed ok.
Ying Li was gone. And so were the bow and arrow. Could it be that these were the weapons that angered Di Jun. Could this be the very same bow that killed all, but one, of his children? August had to go after Ying Li. He filled some flasks with water and went on his way. There were still footmarks in the sand so she couldn't have gone that far.
There he was again, paving his way through the Gobi desert. But this time he was well equipped. He looked like a nomad and had one goal in mind: to find Ying Li and get them both home. Her tracks seemed endless and yet again the sun was burning. Could that shining circle in the sky really be the last of Di Jun's offspring? "Rubbish," he thought, "The sun is a burning star providing us with life and warmth. Heat actually. Science would laugh at his thoughts. Then again. He himself was a boy who got pushed in a magical tree to escape a curse. Eat that, science."
Meanwhile Yin Li arrived at an ancient Chinese pagoda. The building was 10 stories high. She was in a sort of trance. Her eyes were still white and she seemed to know where she was going. The hot and strong desert wind had gone. There was total silence surrounding the pagoda.
"Come here... come here archer child," the voice from the antiques shop commanded.
She followed blindly and entered the pagoda.
"Finally our moment has come. Kneel for me child, as for I am Houyi, and you are my descendant. Di Jun forsakened me. He betrayed me. He made me a fallen god while I saved mankind."
On her knees, her head bowed, Yin Li listened to the story told by Houyi.
"His ten children were destroying mankind. Heat on earth was unbearable. Rivers vaporized, crops burned and the tears that mothers shed for their dead children were gone before they could hit the soil of the graves. If nothing was done, the human race, Di Jun's greatest creation of all time would be gone. And that only because he and Xihe were incapable of keeping the 10 in line. I destroyed them, one by one. They fell from heavens and became wishing stars. People wished for crops to grow back and lakes to be filled again and they did. The wish of the first person to see the wishing star was granted. And so it happened that a great magician from the west, a man so powerful he turned straw into gold, wished that the shooting of the tenth sun would grant me eternal life and immeasurable strength. I do not know why he did it, child, but the people of earth pleaded for me to spare the tenth and last offspring. And I did spare him. I spared the last child of Di Jun, saved the human race and yet I was to crumble like an ordinary human. He took away my divinity because I saved everyone."
"I am dying, my child. Life is slowly flowing out of me. Di Jun turned me into...this. Look at me... LOOK AT ME!"
Ying Li raised her head and saw the old man seated on his thrown. His meager and wrinkled hands, skin over bone, grabbing hold of the seat. Trying not to let go, trying not to slide away. There sat a fallen god. Punished for saving the human race.
"I am but a weak mortal. But I will not give in. There is still one magic arrow to be shot. The wish of the magician from the west. A wish undoubtedly inspired by pure evil. That wish will be my salvation. The tenth sun will be shot. Your eyes will be my eyes, your hands will be my hands, and your aim will be my aim. You, my child, will be my archer."
August saw the top of the pagoda rising behind the next dune. He knew that Ying Li would be there. He also knew that he had no time to lose. He ran. The heat was killing him. But he kept on running. He opened the door of the pagoda and saw the old man from the shop. He was making slow gestures all of which Ying Li was imitating. It was just as if the old man was controlling her. He was the puppeteer and she was the willess doll. The strings were invisible, but they were there. A feeling August knew all too well.
"Ying Li! Ying Li... look at me. Let it go. I am here."
She didn't even blink. Her eyes were still white and she was still under Houyi's control.
"You are too late, wooden man. She is gone. She will shoot the tenth son and the sun will vanish. The wish of the magician will be granted as for I will be the young thriving god I was, once more. Immortal and ready to become the new God of the Eastern Heavens. Mankind will fall into darkness. A small price to pay for my vengeance!"
He mimicked the movements of an archer and Ying Li grabbed the bow and magic arrow.
Houyi aimed for the sun.
Ying Li aimed for the sun.
Houyi pulled the string of an imaginary bow.
Ying Li pulled the string of the bow.
August ran. He placed himself in front of the head of the arrow. Between Ying Li and the sun.
"Ying Li. Please wake up. Don't do this. This isn't you, Ying Li.
As Houyi was aiming more intensely, so was Ying Li.
"Ying Li. Stop!"
She closed one eye, aimed again and was ready to release the magic arrow.
"Ying Li. Don't. I love you"
All of the sudden, her eyes no longer were white, they regained their beautiful green color.
"Go away wooden man. You are too late. Your Ying Li is gone"
A tear slid down from her left eye.
She tried to regain control of her own body, but it was a fight she could not win. Although Houyi was a fallen god, his remaining powers were too strong to overcome.
In apparently excruciating pain, she stammered: "I... I love you too... August. I'm... I'm sorry"
She dropped the bow, held the arrow with both hands and pointed it right in front of her heart.
"What are you doing archer... what are you..."
She pierced the bow right through her heart and collapsed. At the very same moment, so did Houyi.
"Noooooo... Ying Li," August cried. He held the woman he loved in his arms and cried.
"Aug...August. Fulfill... your destiny..."
"Ying Li... please don't go."
August was inconsolable. He held his head against hers.
His true love gave the ultimate sacrifice in order to save mankind.
He opened his eyes and found himself sitting on the pavement of some Hong Kong street. A postman stopped. "Sir, are you alright?"