April 11, 2013

Dear Master Jack:

I hope you are enjoying being back at school and that you are enjoying being with your friends again.

Last week I told you about how I managed to get the remedy that Master Li’s father needed from my grandmother, Lady Bao. I had to carry the remedy to Master Li before he got too far down the mountain because I would not be able to deliver the precious medicine to the boy at this home in the town. Thankfully I got to Master Li just in time.

I swooped down to where Master Li was and landed right in front of him.

“Whaaa!” the boy screeched. Then he leaned against a rock with a hand on his chest. “Lian, it’s you. You gave me such a shock. I am sure that my heart stopped beating for a moment.”

“I beg your pardon Master Li. I did not mean to alarm you. I have the remedy that you need and my grandmother gave me instructions that you must to follow very carefully.” I handed the bag to the boy and then repeated the instructions that I had memorized. I made Master Li repeat them back to me several times until he got rather impatient.

“I know what to do Lian, I am not a fool.”

“I know that you are not a fool, but if you make even the smallest mistake, you might kill your father. This remedy is very powerful.”

When he heard these words, Master Li got serious. Very serious. Carefully he recited the instructions back to me until we were sure that he had memorized everything.

“It is time for me to go, Lian,” he said, and we looked at one another for a moment or two in silence.

“Yes indeed, of course,” I said, not sure how to say goodbye to this human.

“I am really grateful for what you have done. Is there anyway…”

“That we can see each other again?” I said, finishing his sentence. “I should like to know how your father is doing,” I added. We both thought for a moment or two, and then Master Li smiled.

“I will put some lamps on the roof of my house at night, arranging them in a circle. Look down on the town every night until you see my signal. I will meet you at the temple where we first met at noon the next day.”

“I can do this,” I said, pleased that he had come up with a plan. “Good luck to you, Master Li. I hope to see you soon.” Master Li bowed very low to me.

“Blessing on you Lady Lian,” he said, and resumed his journey down the stairs. This time he held his head high, and there was a confident air about him. As I watched him disappear into the fading light, I hoped that the remedy would work, that the boy’s confidence would not be shattered.

Every night for five nights I left the Clan Cave and flew in the dark to a place where I could see the town. I looked for a ring of lights, but saw nothing that looked anything like a ring, and every night I flew back to the Clan Cave very dispirited.

On the fifth night and I went to see Lady Bao in her work room when I got back to the Clan Cave. She was mixing together some liquids, quietly humming a song under her breath as she worked. She looked up as I came into the room. “Why, youngling, you look very dejected and lost. What is troubling you?” she asked, looking into my face and setting aside the jars and bowls that she was working with. One of the things I loved about my grandmother was that she always made time for us younglings. She always knew when we needed someone to talk and she was a wonderful listener.

I told her about the arrangement I had made with Master Li. “I have seen nothing for five nights now. Maybe he has forgotten about me. Or maybe his father has died,” I said.

“And maybe he is just too busy caring for his father. Remember that the treatment requires many days of care, and perhaps Master Li is the one who is doing most of the work. Perhaps he is exhausted after taking care of his father. Give him time, youngling. I have a feeling that this human will not forget you.”

Every night for four more nights I looked for Master Li’s lights. Every night I went to Lady Bao’s workroom and worked by her side, not saying anything about the lights that were not there. She did not say anything either because she knew. I found her workroom restful and liked chopping, mixing, stewing, and grinding the ingredients that she used to make her remedies. I also found out that Lady Bao had a rich sense of humor, and she her stories and her descriptions of the humans and dragons she had met over the years often made me laugh.

On the tenth night I was considering not going. It was a very cold outside and frost was touching the trees and rocks on the mountain when I poked my nose out of the Clan Cave doorway. I was just about to close the door and go back to the big fireplace when Lady Bao came up to me. “Little Lian, you must go tonight. If you do not you will always wonder if you missed Master Li’s signal. Go, and then come back to the cave and I will have a hot drink waiting for you.”

Reluctantly I flew out into the night. I was cold in just a few minutes and was seriously thinking of going back to the cave, but I kept on until I got to the mountain peak that overlooked the town. I perched on a rock and looked down and there it was, the signal. A bright circle of lights glowed into the night and though my face was numb with cold, I knew that I had a smile on my face. Master Li had not forgotten me after all.