Beautiful5
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Trying hard to fill the emptiness
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Meilin didn't realize she had fell asleep until she awoke the next morning. She thought about XiaoLang holding her in his arms and how safe and secure she felt there but then she remembered that he was going to never hold her again like that again. She felt so helpless at the mercy of her emotions.
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The sun was already up when she walked outside and breathed in the morning air. It was heavy with dew but so refreshing.
She was ready to go back to find the woman whom had given her the pendant. She hasn't worn it since and decided to wear it today with the matching hairpin in her hair bun. The way the red and gold contrasted with her black hair and her black Chinese dress was just perfect. She walked with confidence to the gate but was stopped by one of the maids.
"Miss, your Aunt Yelen would like to talk to you later."
"When?"
"She wants to meet with you for afternoon tea, in the main garden."
Meilin nodded and was off again. Today was going to be different, she could feel it.
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Walking down the same street she'd been walking down for the past three days she noticed nothing different. Everything was exactly as it was when she left it. Except, she noticed a stall that she missed yesterday. It was small and contained a few items; the man was selling jewelry. How could she miss this stall?
She walked up to it slowly as if it would disappear when it noticed her. "Excuse me, sir."
"Yes, how may I help you today."
"I was wondering if you'd ever seen this kind of pendant before?" She handed him the pendant.
He examined it a moment before speaking, "I have one kinda like that but isn't as nice."
"A woman was selling that about a day and a night ago, do you happen to know who she was?"
"I'm sorry but there is no woman on this street who sells this kind of jewelry."
"Okay, thanks anyway." Meilin turned to go back home, when he called her back.
"I do know someone who use to own a pendant like that but she wasn't here a day and a night ago," he looked at her uneasily, "she was my mother. But she's been dead for over 15 years. She looked kind of like you. In her pictures she looked like you, anyway…" Meilin looked at him stunned "I never actually saw her myself, she died after giving birth to me. In every picture I have of her, she's wearing that pendant and that hairpin. They were made for her. She was buried with them on."
Meilin didn't know how to respond to what he just told her, "…"
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't had said all that to you. I'm sorry."
"No, no, it's okay. Do you happen to have any pictures of her with you?" he pulled out a wrinkled picture from his wallet. Meilin looked at it carefully. The woman was wearing the same exact pendant and hairpin. She looked exactly like Meilin. "When was this taken?"
"About a year before she died. It was the day she met my father. Kind of scary, isn't it?"
"I guess you could say that. Can I ask you something about her?"
"Sure."
"Did she possess any magic?" He looked at her in disbelief, "I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked you that." Meilin saw the time on one of the clocks behind him, "Sorry but will you be here tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Can I come back and talk to you tomorrow, I have to be somewhere?"
"Sure."
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She didn't have time to collect her thoughts before her meeting with her aunt. It had been a while since her last conversation with her. People rarely spoke to Meilin; they often spoke of her but not to her. By the time she reached the gazebo her aunt had already finished her cup of tea.
"Sorry I am late Aunt Yelen."
"That's okay Meilin," she sat down across from her aunt and accepted the cup being handed to her by the maid. "As you know XiaoLang is going to marry Sakura. But you were promised to be with him." Meilin didn't speak but listened carefully. "Are you okay with this."
Meilin thought that it was kind of late to be asking her things like this, "I gave him consent and encouraged him to marry Sakura."
She looked at Meilin sympathetically and noticed her new pendant, "That's quite a pendant."
"Oh, yes. A woman I met about two days ago gave it to me."
"Then who gave you the hairpin."
"Oh," Meilin gave it considerable thought but couldn't come up with an answer, "I can't remember."
"I use to know someone who owned a pendant and hairpin that looked exactly like those but…"
"She died 15 years ago and looked exactly like me?" Yelen looked at her in shock. "The reason I was late was because I was talking to her son."
"Zhuge Liang, he should be around you and XiaoLang's age."
"Did she possess any magic?"
Yelen judiciously chose her words, "They were as strong as mine now, before she passed away."
"Then why don't I possess any magic?"
"She is not you, Meilin."
"But I am a Li and all Li's possess magic, even if it is not much. Both my mother and father possess strong magic."
"Everyone grows with their own time."
"I've grown and I haven't received any magic, Aunt Yelen. Besides everyone was born with magic in their blood, except me. Even the elders have said that I won't receive any magic."
Meilin didn't wait to get dismissed she walked out of the main garden into her own garden.
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[End of CH 5.]
April 24, 2003
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Trying hard to fill the emptiness
----------
Meilin didn't realize she had fell asleep until she awoke the next morning. She thought about XiaoLang holding her in his arms and how safe and secure she felt there but then she remembered that he was going to never hold her again like that again. She felt so helpless at the mercy of her emotions.
----------
The sun was already up when she walked outside and breathed in the morning air. It was heavy with dew but so refreshing.
She was ready to go back to find the woman whom had given her the pendant. She hasn't worn it since and decided to wear it today with the matching hairpin in her hair bun. The way the red and gold contrasted with her black hair and her black Chinese dress was just perfect. She walked with confidence to the gate but was stopped by one of the maids.
"Miss, your Aunt Yelen would like to talk to you later."
"When?"
"She wants to meet with you for afternoon tea, in the main garden."
Meilin nodded and was off again. Today was going to be different, she could feel it.
----------
Walking down the same street she'd been walking down for the past three days she noticed nothing different. Everything was exactly as it was when she left it. Except, she noticed a stall that she missed yesterday. It was small and contained a few items; the man was selling jewelry. How could she miss this stall?
She walked up to it slowly as if it would disappear when it noticed her. "Excuse me, sir."
"Yes, how may I help you today."
"I was wondering if you'd ever seen this kind of pendant before?" She handed him the pendant.
He examined it a moment before speaking, "I have one kinda like that but isn't as nice."
"A woman was selling that about a day and a night ago, do you happen to know who she was?"
"I'm sorry but there is no woman on this street who sells this kind of jewelry."
"Okay, thanks anyway." Meilin turned to go back home, when he called her back.
"I do know someone who use to own a pendant like that but she wasn't here a day and a night ago," he looked at her uneasily, "she was my mother. But she's been dead for over 15 years. She looked kind of like you. In her pictures she looked like you, anyway…" Meilin looked at him stunned "I never actually saw her myself, she died after giving birth to me. In every picture I have of her, she's wearing that pendant and that hairpin. They were made for her. She was buried with them on."
Meilin didn't know how to respond to what he just told her, "…"
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't had said all that to you. I'm sorry."
"No, no, it's okay. Do you happen to have any pictures of her with you?" he pulled out a wrinkled picture from his wallet. Meilin looked at it carefully. The woman was wearing the same exact pendant and hairpin. She looked exactly like Meilin. "When was this taken?"
"About a year before she died. It was the day she met my father. Kind of scary, isn't it?"
"I guess you could say that. Can I ask you something about her?"
"Sure."
"Did she possess any magic?" He looked at her in disbelief, "I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked you that." Meilin saw the time on one of the clocks behind him, "Sorry but will you be here tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Can I come back and talk to you tomorrow, I have to be somewhere?"
"Sure."
----------
She didn't have time to collect her thoughts before her meeting with her aunt. It had been a while since her last conversation with her. People rarely spoke to Meilin; they often spoke of her but not to her. By the time she reached the gazebo her aunt had already finished her cup of tea.
"Sorry I am late Aunt Yelen."
"That's okay Meilin," she sat down across from her aunt and accepted the cup being handed to her by the maid. "As you know XiaoLang is going to marry Sakura. But you were promised to be with him." Meilin didn't speak but listened carefully. "Are you okay with this."
Meilin thought that it was kind of late to be asking her things like this, "I gave him consent and encouraged him to marry Sakura."
She looked at Meilin sympathetically and noticed her new pendant, "That's quite a pendant."
"Oh, yes. A woman I met about two days ago gave it to me."
"Then who gave you the hairpin."
"Oh," Meilin gave it considerable thought but couldn't come up with an answer, "I can't remember."
"I use to know someone who owned a pendant and hairpin that looked exactly like those but…"
"She died 15 years ago and looked exactly like me?" Yelen looked at her in shock. "The reason I was late was because I was talking to her son."
"Zhuge Liang, he should be around you and XiaoLang's age."
"Did she possess any magic?"
Yelen judiciously chose her words, "They were as strong as mine now, before she passed away."
"Then why don't I possess any magic?"
"She is not you, Meilin."
"But I am a Li and all Li's possess magic, even if it is not much. Both my mother and father possess strong magic."
"Everyone grows with their own time."
"I've grown and I haven't received any magic, Aunt Yelen. Besides everyone was born with magic in their blood, except me. Even the elders have said that I won't receive any magic."
Meilin didn't wait to get dismissed she walked out of the main garden into her own garden.
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[End of CH 5.]
April 24, 2003
