云月之间

Chapter 2

Yue Er drags her feet into her tiny rundown hut and set the boy down on the bed – a layer of straw covered by some old blankets. She forces herself to get up and start a fire to boil some water. Then she found a small sharp knife and cleaned it. The water was taking too long to boil. Heating the blade over the fire, she wiped it again. It should be clean enough.

Carefully, she cut open the boy's dull grey garments, revealing the wound. It looked like a small scratch, but the poison was doing its work. The edges around the wound are turning red and swollen. Black blood was crusting on the skin. Taking a clean hankerchief, she dipped it in some clean water and wiped the opening of the wound. Then she carefully slid the tip of the blade over the crusted blood, opening the wound again. Blackish blood oozed out and she wasted no time sucking out the poison and spitting it into a bowl.

She could instantly taste the sharpness of the poison and wondered what it was made of. Her tongue and lips felt numb after a few minutes. By then the redness had subsided a little. She pressed another clean piece of cloth over the wound to stop the bleeding.

The boy's fever did not go away instantly and he remained pale. There was nothing Yue Er could do about it. She was too poor to afford a physician and the best she could do was to place a damp cool cloth over his head and neck. The numbness on her lips and tongue made breathing and swallowing difficult for her. I must have swallowed some of it, she thought. For the next couple of days, she tended to the boy who drifted in and out of consciousness, while trying to stay awake herself.

At midnight, Yeo Woon awoke with a start. In the dim light of a single candle, he saw rags, broken furniture, pots and pans and a pile of tattered looking garments. He was lying on a bed that was mighty uncomfortable. Looking to his side, he saw someone had a grip on his arm. His reflexes kicked in and he tried to jerk his arm aside, but pain seared through his shoulder.

Yue Er felt the sudden movement and awoke immediately. She kept her grip on his arm, fearing movement would make things worse. "You're awake," she said in relief. "Don't move your arm," she said, pointing to the wound.

"Who are you?" Yeo Woon demanded. He sat up and glared at her. Yue Er stood up immediately but her head spun. She felt heat rushing up her spine and perspiration broke out on her brow. In the next instant, a chill overwhelmed her and her legs buckled. Yeo Woon caught her with his good arm as she fell.

"I took the poison out," Yue Er said to him weakly, pointing to his wound. "I'm glad you are alright now." And then her head drooped and she was unconscious.

The next moment, Yue Er opened her eyes and it was morning. She was sleeping on her bed just like she always did. As her eyes adjusted to the sunlight, a mild numbing sensation in her mouth reminded her that all was not a dream.

She exited the hut slowly, still slightly dizzy from the night before. The boy she had rescued was standing in the yard, flexing his left arm. "Who are you?" he asked without turning around.

"My name is Yue Er. Who are you?"

"Why?"

"You saved me, do you remember?"

"Yes."

"You were hit by a poisoned dart."

"I know."

"I saved you."

"I know."

Thunder rolled in the distance and dark clouds appeared on the horizon. Yeo Woon and Yue Er watched them approach without a word. The first raindrops fell at their feet quietly. Finally, Yeo Woon turned and headed back towards the hut.

"Come inside, it is raining."

"What is your name?" she asked again.

"Yeo Woon."