Child of the Mind
By Ldynwaitin
Chapter Five
The Market
Daniel happily laughed. He was sitting on the porch looking at several children playing with a kite. One of them was Ying Lee. He looked up as the kite flew high above the houses. It was shaped like a blue dragon. Daniel turned his head when he heard the door to the house slam open.
"Daniel!" Yong angrily shouted, as he and Zi stormed out of the house. "What are you doing out here?"
"Look." Daniel pointed up. "I was looking at the dragon kite." Staring up at it he said, "It is beautiful."
Yong and Zi sat next to him. Daniel could see that Yong was very angry with him. He had no idea what he did wrong. "Did I make you mad?"
Yong and Zi was tending to a small garden while Daniel slept. Entering the house, they checked on Daniel. Yong's heart skipped a beat when he saw that he was gone. Where would he go? If he left the house alone, he would not be there to protect him. Hearing laughter outside, they both ran out of the house.
Yong took in a deep breath. He needed to explain to Daniel why he was mad. "Daniel, you are a stranger here. You cannot go anywhere in the village without me or Zi. I promised I would protect you. I cannot do that if you go somewhere alone."
Daniel bowed his head. He seemed to be doing a lot of things that made people mad. "I am sorry, I woke up and heard the children laughing. I had to see what they were laughing at."
Zi gently touched Daniels hand. "Daniel, we are not mad at you. We were frightened for you. We just want you to let us know where you are going first. Some of the villagers are afraid of you. They may want to hurt you."
"Me?" Daniel said. He looked at the children playing. Down the street he saw people standing in front of their houses staring at him. "Why?" He really had no idea why anyone would hurt him.
"You are…different," Yong said.
"Is different bad?" Daniel searched into Yong and Zi's eyes for an answer.
"No, Daniel. Not to me and Zi," Yong truthful replied. Daniel's mind was so simple, Yong knew he needed to explain to him why he had to be careful while in the village. "We know you. We know that inside you are honorable and good. But there are others who refuse to see past your differences. And sometimes bad things happen to people that are different."
Daniel saw some of the villagers intensely watching him. He didn't like the way they looked at him. "I am sorry I am different. I do not want to be."
Zi took his hand. "Daniel, it is all right to be different. Our Junjie was different." She sadly looked at the kite flying in the air. "The other children thought he was strange. Because he loved animals so much. But they did not know him. They did not know that his heart was filled with so much love, he shared it with anything he touched. Just like his father."
Yong stood up, he sat next to Zi. He lovingly smiled at her. "I do not deserve you to be my wife."
"Yes," Zi said. "I am too good for you." They both laughed.
Seeing them laugh, Daniel joined them.
Ying Lee saw Daniel laughing, she and a young boy ran to him. Daniel brightly smiled. "Hello, Ying Lee."
"Hello, Daniel," she replied. "It is good to see you."
"I am Mah, Ying Lee's brother," a stocky boy said. He looked a bit younger than Ying Lee. He pulled on his kite string as it fought to drag him away. "Ying Lee told me about you. She was right, you do have blue eyes. Just like Xin, the blue dragon. I love dragons, Xin is my favorite."
"I like dragons too," Daniel said. "I like your kite."
"Thank you, Daniel. It is Xin, he flies high today." Mah whispered to Ying Lee, "You are right sister, he is nice."
Ying Lee heard a woman call to her. "That is my mother, she is afraid of you, Daniel. But I am not." She leaned in and stared at him. "Your eyes are so beautiful. Why do you hide them behind those pieces of glass?" She blushed when Daniel smiled.
"They help me see better, Ying Lee."
"Ying Lee," Mah said. "Mother is calling." He started walking away.
"I hear her, Mah." Blinking at Daniel, she softly said, "I like your smile, too. Goodbye, Daniel." Spinning around, she skipped to her waiting mother.
"Yong," Zi said. "I believe she likes, Daniel."
"Yes, she does." He sadly whispered, "Let her have her fun, she deserves it."
After Mah left, Daniel was thinking about Junjie, he began to wonder how he died. "Zi, would it make you sad if you told me what happened to Junjie?"
Yong looked at Zi, they both still felt the sting in their hearts from losing him. She quietly nodded her head.
Zi took in a deep breath. "One early morning, Yong was going hunting. Junjie felt he was old enough to go with his father, but I told him he was not." She sadly looked at Yong. "Yong told me he had a bad feeling that something would happen if Junjie stayed. But I did not listen."
"The look on our Junjie's face that morning, he was so anxious to go on the hunt, but I told him he had to stay. I did not want him hurt on the hunt."
"Something…some," Zi found it hard to speak. It was still difficult for her to talk about what happened. Yong saved her.
"A branch on one of tree's outside the wall had grown too long. It was to be cut that day. It was early when I left for the hunt. They said the night before a young Shiz-ong climbed the tree and used the branch to come inside the village. Junjie was outside, alone. He was tending to an animal I found in the jungle." Yong's head hung low. "We are thankful that they said it was quick. The guards managed to kill it, it could come in, but was unable to leave."
Zi rubbed the medallion she wore. "We spread his ashes in the jungle that he loved so much."
"I am sorry," Daniel sadly said.
"Do not be," Yong said. He took Zi's hand. She lay her head on his shoulder. "He gave us such joy in his short life, that he will remain forever in our hearts."
Wiping a tear from his eye, Yong slapped his thighs and stood up. "Enough sadness. Come, Daniel. I will take you to the market. The butcher will have cut my portion of the hunt. You can help me pick it up."
"Yong," Zi said. "Are you sure it is safe?" She was starting to care for Daniel. He was so sweet and innocent. She didn't want to see him hurt again.
"If he is to live here, the people need to get used to him, Zi. Now is as good a time as any. Do not worry, I will not allow anyone to hurt him."
Daniel's eyes grew wide in amazement as he saw Yong leap in the air and kick out before landing. He spun in the air, kicking out two times. Bracing himself, he smiled at Daniel before flipping backwards two times. He alighted squatting on one knee, one fisted hand extended the other held tight to his side. Standing, he pressed his hands together and bowed.
Seeing the surprised look on Daniels face, Yong said, "In my youth, I was a warrior."
"He was the best fighter in the land," Zi proudly declared. Blushing she said, "That is why I fell in love with him. It is a rare thing to marry someone that you truly love."
"What happened, Yong?" Daniel asked him. "Why did you stop being a warrior?"
"One day we were ordered to invade a town. One of our warriors began killing children. Children should never die, not even in a war. I stopped him. He lied to the generals. He said it was me that killed the children. They believed him. Guotin knew I was innocent. He pleaded that I not be killed. I was allowed to live but was left with this as a reminder of what happened that day."
Yong lifted his white headband. Daniel saw a symbol burned on his forehead. He knew it meant Guàiwù. He was branded a monster. Yong quickly covered the symbol.
"It is why our house is next to the wall. It is a dangerous place to live. But at least we are protected from the jungle. Here I am now respected. I have become the best hunter in the village. Now come, Daniel. Let us go to the market and fetch dinner."
Daniel jumped up. He was looking at Zi for her consent. "Please, Zi. I want to help him. Can I go?"
Zi's heart fluttered. He was asking for her permission. For a second, she saw her Junjie in his expressive eyes. She bowed her approval. "Go then, Daniel. But you be careful and listen to Yong."
Daniel's grin grew so wide his eyes smiled. "I will, I promise." He joined Yong.
Zi watched them go. Daniel was so much taller than her Yong. But his heart was as young as her Junjie. She stayed on the porch and would wait for their return.
Going down the narrow streets, Daniel tried to take in everything he saw. The houses came in all colors and sizes. He saw some houses with people of all ages living there.
Yong took him to an open market that was close to the gates. He noticed people avoiding him, as they walked by him. But he didn't care, he was happy to be with Yong.
They passed by tables filled with so many different things. Daniel saw fabrics with all the colors of the rainbow. Exotic fruits were piled high on one table. He stopped by a table that was selling scrolls. He picked one up and began to read it.
"Chang'e," Daniel whispered.
"Daniel," Yong said. "Can you read?"
"Yes," he said. "I love to read. This is the story of Chang'e, the moon goddess. It says she took an elixir of immortality from her husband, Hou Yi."
"We hold a festival for her each year," Yong said. "In celebration of the white flower, Yǒngyuǎn. It is what Zi used to heal your wound."
Daniel looked around, he saw some tables selling items used to celebrate.
"Would you like the scroll?" Yong asked Daniel.
Daniel hugged the scroll to his chest. "Yes, please. I love to read."
"What would you like for the scroll?" he asked the merchant.
The merchant eyed Daniel. "On your next hunt, I want a large cut."
Yong bowed his head, "Done." He patted Daniel's arm, "It is yours now, Daniel."
"Thank you, Yong." Smiling, Daniel tucked it in his shirt. He continued walking in the market. On one of the tables they were selling caged birds. Getting closer Daniel saw that they were not birds. They looked like baby dragons. They hissed and chirped to him.
Yong grabbed his hand and pulled him away. "Daniel do not get them upset. The trader will not be able to sell them if they are upset." Yong bowed to the seller, "My apologies."
"Take your giant away," the trader yelled at Yong.
Yong took him to the end of the market. The smell coming from the house was not a good smell. Double doors were wide open. Yong took Daniel's hands.
"Wait here, Daniel. I want to see if my portion of the hunt is cut. I will be back."
Nodding his head in understanding, Yong walked into the butcher shop. With Yong gone, Daniel turned and looked around the market. He saw people rushing through the narrow aisles to buy things. Children ran around the seller's tables. He saw several boys playing with small round balls. He noticed that Mah was with them. He waved at Daniel. Taking a few steps away from the shop, he waved back.
Daniel saw the boys playing a game. They put a small ball in their mouths and spit it high in the air. They then would catch it in their mouths. They were each trying to spit it the highest.
Ying Lee walked up to Daniel. "Hello, Daniel."
"Hello, Ying Lee," Daniel absently replied. He pointed at Mah. "What are they doing?"
"Silly boy games," Ying Lee said. She stepped closer to him. "They try to see who can spit the ball the highest." She looked indifferent. "I no longer play that game. Mah shouldn't either. He is much too old. But he loves the game."
Stepping closer she whispered, "Daniel, you are the handsomest man I have ever seen."
Daniel didn't hear her, he was watching Mah take in a deep breath. He smiled and laughed with joy when he saw the ball go high into the air. He saw the ball drop and go into Mah's mouth. He did it several times. Mah looked at Daniel. Hearing him laughing he tried to get the ball higher.
Spitting the ball out, as he waited for it to come down, he took in a deep breath.
Daniel happily watched Mah's ball fall into his mouth, but it didn't come out. He saw him grab his throat and struggle to breathe. Daniel realized that something was wrong. The ball was wedged in Mah's throat. He immediately ran to Mah with Ying Lee.
"He is choking on the ball," Ying Lee cried out. She had no idea how to help him.
Hugging Mah's chest, Daniel jerked his hands in, Mah still struggled to breathe.
"Mah, spit it out," Daniel shouted. He tried again, Mah coughed. Ying Lee was thankful to see Mah spit the ball out. Mah took in deep life-giving breaths.
Daniel happily grinned once he got the ball out of his throat. He cried out, when the men around the market grabbed him.
"The giant, he attacked Mah," an old man cried. He grabbed Mah as he continued to cough.
Ying Lee cried out, "No, he was helping him."
But the men would not listen to her. They began beating him. Daniel fell to the ground and covered his head with his arms. Ying Lee knew she could not stop them, but she knew someone who could, she ran to get Yong.
Yong was waiting for his order in the shop when he heard a commotion in the market. Looking outside, he saw Ying Lee running to the shop. "They are beating, Daniel," she shouted. "Help him!"