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.

April 4, 2013

Dear Master Jack:

Welcome home! I know you must be delighted to be back in your own house, and I have heard that you have a new pet. How exciting!

The last time I wrote I told you about how I met a young human called Li and how I found out that his father had the Wasting Sickness, which is a very serious illness. After Li told me the symptoms that his father was experiencing (very serious ones might I add), I decided to go back to the Clan Hall to ask Lady Bao, my great-grand mother, for some of the herb mixture remedy that she’d invented. Over the years she had dosed many dragons with the remedy after the dragons had contracted the Wasting Sickness from humans. As I flew back to the Hall I worried that I had made a promise that I might not be able to keep. What if Lady Bao did not give me some of the remedy? What if she would not agree to treat a human?

When I got to the Hall I quickly sought out Lady Bao, and still out of breath I ran into the room where she and a young dragon were working on some new medical recipes. Both were grinding up spicy smelling substances using a mortar and pestle. Jars of many sizes were on shelves lining the walls of the room, and they were full of powders, liquids, and strange swirling substances. Some of the jars had labels written in our language on them, while others had labels covered in text that I did not recognize. I collapsed at Lady Bao’s feet, a tangle of legs and coils and panted out my request.

“My dear youngling, calm yourself. I cannot understand a word you have uttered. Take a breath, here have a sip of water,” Lady Bao said. Though her tone was gentle, the look in her eye was steely and I knew better than to disobey. Lady Bao was very old and now also very frail, but she was a very strong-willed dragon who deserved (and expected) respect.

I drank the water I was given, took many deep breaths, calmed my inner fire, and then bowed low in front of Lady Bao. “My Lady, I have made a friend whose father is very ill with the Wasting Sickness. Will you give me some of your remedy so that I might give it to my friend?”

“Youngling Lian, I know about every sick dragon in this clan and in the other clans in this area. You are not asking about one of our kind are you?”

Feeling afraid I shook my head. We dragons cannot lie and so I told the truth. “Lady Bao, I met a human boy whose father is gravely ill. He is afraid that his father will die and I want to help. Are we not taught that it is the duty of every dragon to help others? Does this law only apply to other dragons?”

Lady Bao smiled at me and I saw the softness in her eyes and felt the warmth of her affection. “Dear Lian, I am proud that you want to help someone in need. No, the law does not apply only to dragons. We should show compassion to all, and share what we have with those who need our help. I will put together a bag with enough doses of my remedy in it to cure this boy’s father. You will have to explain how the remedy is to be used to the boy. Will you be able to remember my instructions?”

“Oh yes, Lady Bao,” I said bowing so that my forehead touched the floor. “Thank you. Many times thank you. I will remember every word that you tell me.”

Soon I was flying as fast as I could back to the temple on the mountain, muttering Lady Bao’s instructions under my breath as I flew. The sun seemed to be in a terrible hurry to set and give it’s place in the sky to the moon, and I was afraid that Li would leave the temple before I got there.

When I arrived at the temple, the sky was turning a darker blue and I could tell at once that no one was there. I could not smell Li, or any other human for that matter. My disappointment filled me. All that flying had been for nothing and poor Li’s father would not get the help he needed.

I was about to begin my flight back to the Clan Hall when I remembered the look on Li’s face. I had given him hope. Was I going to abandon him now? Was I going to give up so easily?

Taking a deep breath, I rose into the air and began to follow the stone stairs down the mountain. I was hoping that Li was the last human to leave the temple and that I would soon encounter him on his journey back to the town.

Down, down, down those stairs went, and down, down, down I went flying above them. I began to appreciate how much effort it took to climb all the way to the temple on two short legs. Poor Li must have been exhausted by his climb up the mountain. Living in the mountains was a lot easier when you could fly up and down the slopes.

Below me I began to see the lights of the town, and I felt prickles of fear tingle along my back. I could not go much closer I knew. I could not risk letting all those humans see me. Why, they might attack me or take me prisoner. Though we dragons mean the humans no harm, they are frightened of us and most of them will attack first and ask questions later.

Then, at last, I saw a small figure trudging down the stairs. I saw the grief in his hunched shoulders and smelled his disappointment. It was Li.

March 21st, 2013

Dear Master Jack:

Let me tell you what happened after I saw the human through the temple window.

I lay on the ground shaking with fright. Though I was three years old and already knew three languages and had learned much about my world, I had never met a human before. I had been told that humans not only seem to enjoy harming one another, but they are likely to harm a dragon if they encounter one. I heard strange sounds coming from inside the temple and my curiosity overcame my inclination to flee. Slowly, I got back to my feet and peered into the window once more. The human, on the other side of the wall, was doing the same thing and once again we found ourselves face to face. This time though we did not react so abruptly. Instead, we stood there staring at one another. I marveled at how vulnerable the human looked. Why, it had no scales to protect its body, not horns, and no teeth of any consequence. How could such a weak looking creature be dangerous?

“Greetings dragon,” the human said in a quavering voice. “I am Li.” I could not help smiling when I heard this. It was strange that such a frightened creature should be given such a name. Li means power or strength, and this poor human did not look as if it had either. There again, the human was speaking to me, which I had to admit showed that it had courage.

“I am Lian, daughter of the Huangshan Clan,” I said.

“You are a female?” Li asked.

“That I am. And you?”

“I am a male of course. Do I look female?” Li said, getting red-faced and looking annoyed.

“Forgive me Master Li, but I have never met a human before and do not know how males and females of your kind differ.”

“Humph” Li said, the annoyed expression on his face fading. “I suppose under such circumstances such a mistake is acceptable,” he said. “You are the first dragon I have ever seen.” He gazed at me with great interest. “You are not very big. I thought dragons were supposed to be large creatures.”

I felt myself get stiff with indignation. “I will have you know that I am only three years old,” I said, trying not to lose my temper, “and that when I am full grown I will probably get four times as big as I am today,” I added, smoke starting to drift from my nostrils.

“Ah. Then you will be a very grand looking creature when you are older,” the boy said nervously. I realized then that my anger had frightened him. It was wrong of me to lose my temper in such a way. After all, the human did not know about dragons and our ways.

“Perhaps you could join me behind these rocks and tell me something of yourself,” I said, trying to be gracious. My parents always told me that it is the job of those who are bigger and stronger to show extra consideration for those who are smaller and weaker. Though I was only three, I was still a fair bit taller and longer than the human.

Li, surprised by my invitation, left the window and soon the two of us were seated behind a large rock that hid us from view. Our cause was helped by the fact that fog had drifted around the temple. People walking up the many steps to the temple would have no idea that we were so close.

The first thing Li did was to offer me some food. Cautiously I took one of the round cake-like things and when I nibbled on it I found that it was a kind of fried bread, and a tasty treat. In whispers we talked and I learned about the boy’s life, his family, and his hopes and dreams. I found some of what he said hard to understand. It seemed that humans greatly valued possessions not because they were beautiful or useful, but because owning such things made them look important in the eyes of other humans. We dragons do not feel the need to seem more than we are.

When I told Li that there is no ranking system or leadership in dragon clans he was astonished. “Who makes all the decisions and maintains order?” he asked. “Who makes sure that laws and rules are obeyed?”

“We make decisions together, and we do not have any interest in breaking our clan rules,” I explained, somewhat mystified by his attitude. “We are equals,” I added, “though we do ask the Elders to advise us on occasion.”

“Do you mean that you, a female, is the equal of your brothers?” he said in astonishment.

“But of course. I am as strong and as intelligent as they are. I can think and reason as they do.”

“But females are weak and cannot learn as males do,” he said.

“Perhaps with humans this is the case, but not with us.” I spoke very forcefully bringing that conversation to a close.

Li and I spoke for some time longer and then he said that it was time for him to head back to the town. “I came to pray for my father, who is very ill,” he said sadly, “to ask that he be healed.”

“What is wrong with him?” I asked, and when Li described his father’s symptoms I knew at once that the man had caught a disease that was common in human settlements. We dragons had heard of it and my great-grandmother had a mixture of herbs that she used to treat the illness, which dragons sometimes caught when they went to trade with humans.

“We dragons know how to treat this illness,” I said, and I offered to bring some of the herb mixture to him.

“Truly? Do you really know the cure?” Li asked, his eyes wide, hope shining in his eyes. “Will you really share it with me?”

“Truly we do know the cure, and of course I will share it with you. Wait here and I will bring the herb mixture to you,” I said.

“You must be quick. I must be back home before it grows dark,” Li said. “Otherwise I will not be able to find my way home.”

“I will be back as soon as I can,” I said, and I flew away at speed, flying just above the trees into the fog.

March 14th 2013

Dear Master Jack,

“My clan lives in the Huangshan mountain range,” Lady Lian said, settling down on a pile of coverlets that had been placed on the floor for her. “It is a place of great beauty, with steep rocky peaks and beautiful pine trees. Over the centuries, we have carved hidden caves into the rock, caves that are many hundreds of feet up from the valley floor. In some places in the mountains, humans have carved steps into the stone, many hundreds of them, but they cannot reach our caves because the sides of our mountains are so steep and the rock is too hard.”

“It is a very beautiful place,” Grandfather said, “and I was reluctant to leave when Branwen and I visited you.”

“It is indeed very beautiful, and maybe one day you will come and visit us, little Gryf.” Lady Lian’s golden eyes rested on me for a moment or two. “When I was three years old and had enough flying experience, my parents decided to take me to visit my aunt’s family. Aunt Ah-lam lived with her partner’s clan in the mountains around Mount Tai, to the north of where we lived. We set off one summer morning and were there a few days later. Aunt Ah-lan’s clan lived in a huge complex of caves, and the entrance was carefully hidden. I remember flying towards the mountain and it was only when we right at the cave mouth that I was able to see it.

“Mount Tian is a sacred place for humans, and they have built many temples on the sides of the mountain. The city of Tai’an lies at the base of mountain, and I saw it briefly. I had never seen a human settlement before and was very excited to see so many humans walking around, and to see their homes, temples, and shops. There were stairs with many thousands of steps that curled their way up the side of the mountain to temples that were built into the rocky slopes.

“We were given a grand welcome by my aunt’s clan, and I quickly made friends with Aunt Ah-lam’s younglings, my cousins.” Lady Lian sighed. “Two of them died of the sickness that killed my hatchlings soon after our visit. Back then, before your Lady Branwen’s visit, we did not understand the source of the illness and we therefore did not know how to cure it.

Lady Lian sighed again and then continued with her story. “Soon after we arrived, after we had rested, Aunt Ah-lam held a wonderful party in our honor, which was held in the Clan Hall.”

“Was it like the party we had last night?” I asked.

Lady Lian smiled at me and crossed her paws. “The atmosphere was similar, but the music, food and dancing was different. The Mount Tai dragons had a unique way of dancing. They took flying leaps in the air and some even did a loop. They were very acrobatic!”

“What do you mean?” I asked. How could a dragon do a loop?

Lady Lian got to her feet. “Follow me and I will show you,” she said, leading me out of the cave into the sunshine. As we all watched, she launched herself off the landing area in front of the cave and into the air. Since she had no wings I expected her to fall like a stone, but instead she flowed through the air with grace and ease.

“I still get amazed every time I see Chinese dragons fly,” Grandfather said as we watched Lady Lian’s body curl like smoke above the trees.

“How do they do it, Grandfather?” I asked. “How do they stay up? They have no wings.”

“I have no idea, Gryf. It is a mystery,” my grandfather replied, shaking his head and smiling.

As we all watched, Lady Lian curved her back and then she was upside down! Then she curved more and she was almost touching her own tail, creating a large golden O in the sky. Now I knew what she meant by a loop! As we clapped and cheered, she came out of the loop, twirled a few times, and then landed in front of the cave.

“Oh, that was wonderful,” I said, barely able to contain my excitement. “I wish Welsh dragons could do that.”

“Technically speaking we can fly upside down, but I am afraid the effect will not be very graceful,” Father said, laughing.

We all trooped back into the main hall in our family cave and took our seats once more. “So the Mount Tian dragons put loops into their dances?” Grandfather asked.

“Yes they did. Their Clan Hall was the biggest Clan Hall I have ever seen. The ceiling was high enough to allow for such displays. Mind you, the dragons themselves were a lot smaller than I am now. They are small green dragons that can fly at great speeds. China is such a big place that there are several dragon species living there. The Tian dragons are the smallest ones.

“In the days after the party, I went exploring with my cousins. We flew up to touch the tops of the mountain and then we spilled down the sides at great speed, flying just above the trees. We played in mountain streams and sat in waterfalls of freezing water. Though I enjoyed these activities, I wanted to go and see the humans, but my cousins told me that it was forbidden. As I am sure you can imagine, being told that I was not allowed to see humans made me all the more curious to do so, and one afternoon I managed to sneak off on my own.

“I flew just above the trees to where a little temple stood. It was built in an open space all my itself and I saw several humans walking up some stairs to the little building, their backs bowed with weariness. I crept around to the back of the building, peered in a little window, and found myself practically nose to nose with a human. We both cried out and fell backwards.”

March 7, 2012

Dear Master Jack:

Lady M tells me that you are doing extremely well. I am so very glad to hear this.

Let me continue to tell you about the celebration that was given for my siblings and I. After all my family members had greeted Lady Lian and thanked her for coming (all the way from China no less!), the rest of the dragons who were at the celebration came up and introduced themselves. There was much bowing, and many of the older dragons greeted the golden dragon with flowery language that made us younglings giggle. I thought it was rather silly until Grandfather Frenthfar explained that Chinese dragons are used to talking in such a way, and our guests were doing their best to show respect for Lady Lian.

When all the greeting and bowing finally ended, the musicians returned to their instruments and the dancing resumed. Lady Lian stood on the sidelines and watched the guests circle and dip, step and sway. She seemed to be enjoying herself and her head nodded slightly with the beat of the music. Grandfather Frenthfar danced with Mother and with Aunt Branwen and then I saw him go over to the musicians and whisper in Grandmother’s ear. 

When the piece of music ended, instead of beginning another one Grandmother talked to the other musicians for a moment or two and then she began to play an exotic sounding melody on a six-stringed instrument. I watched as she drew a bow across the strings to make a silvery sound that was quite lovely. The other musicians joined in and soon the Hall was full of the sound of tootling pipes, whispering flutes, soft little bells, gentle drumming, and Grandmother’s melody. To everyone’s amazement, Lady Lian began to sway and rock. Slowly she danced into the center of the room and her beautiful golden body rippled and curved. I now understood that Grandfather Frenthfar had asked Grandmother to play a piece of music that Lady Lian would like, a piece that was like the music she heard at home in China.

The music was so magical that I felt drawn by it. Though I felt shy and unsure of myself, I joined Lady Lian and tried to copy her movements. Since I was a small Welsh dragon with short legs, a little body and stubby wings, I found it hard to do what she did. Tesni soon joined me and we had a grand time trying to be graceful like our guest. I am afraid that the best we could manage were some rather clumsy wiggles, but Lady Lian smiled and encouraged us. Soon the room was full of dragons dancing the dance of the golden dragon.

When the Chinese melody ended Grandmother Frenthfar played in Irish dance and soon we were hopping around and clapping, having a wonderful time. Lady Lian joined in and seeing her shimmy and skip around with the rest of us made me feel warm all the way through.

Eventually I grew tired. Father made a big soft bed of blankets for me and I lay down. Tesni and the others soon joined me and I remembered falling asleep to the sound of feet stamping, claps, and ripples of harp music.

When I woke up I was back in my bed at our family cave. Someone had carried me and my siblings home in the night. I heard Father’s voice, and then Lady Lian’s voice. Delighted to find out that the Chinese dragon was visiting us, I quickly got up and went out into the main cave. My parents and Lady Lian were sitting in front of the fireplace, sipping from mugs of steaming cider.

“A good morning to you, Gryf,” Father said. “I hope you slept well.”

“Yes thank you, Father, though my legs feel a little sore.”

“You are not accustomed to dancing, Gryf,” Lady Lian said, her golden eyes smiling down at me.

“No, I have never danced before, but I thought it was wonderful fun,” I said, feeling a little shy.

“That it was, and your parents have kindly invited me to stay with you for a week or so. I have never traveled to Wales before and it will be interesting to see how my dragon kin live in this part of the world.”

“Have you been to many other places and seen many kinds of dragons?” I asked.

“Yes indeed, I have been lucky enough to travel all over Asia, to Africa, and to the forested lands in the north where very few humans live.

“Ooh, do tell me about the dragons you have met and the places you have seen,” I begged.