The Turquoise Feather
Alexander was a man of Philadelphia who had recently been sent to study at the Pennsylvania State University. He was an intelligent fellow who would often go to study in the Penn State computer labs. Upon his arrival in the Gateway computer lab, he noticed a beautiful woman perched behind the consultant desk. He tried as hard as he could to focus on his school work, but he found himself enamored of the young lady whose hair was of strawberry and whose blue eyes he could not tear himself away from. The consultant was not at all disturbed at his staring, delighting in the attention. By and by, another woman entered the lab and tore Alexander’s attention away from the young lady. Realizing that this other woman was his girlfriend, he had no option but to accompany her out of the lab, though he looked one last time at the lady behind the desk. From then on, Gateway was the only computer lab that Alexander studied in, and soon he worked up the courage to talk to the beautiful woman that had so entrapped his fancy. “My name is Peach,” she said, “I see you here quite often.” “I’m Alexander, and this is my favorite lab to study in,” was his reply. On hearing her speak, the spark of interest that he had in her grew to a great fire, and he found himself constantly searching out her presence. His girlfriend was not pleased, and took it upon herself to get rid of this computer lab consultant. She noticed that many of the men who ventured through the lab became similarly interested in Peach, and decided that some trickery must be involved. She travelled west to speak with a Native American shaman, explaining that this woman seemed to draw men under her spell. The shaman declared that this woman was a ghost searching for her lost lover. He gave the woman a feather telling her to leave it on the ghosts chair so that she could be pacified.
Feather in hand the girlfriend returned to Penn State and placed it upon the ghost’s chair. There she waited for the ghost’s return. When Peach returned to the Gateway lab, she was afraid of the feather, and for a long time she stared at the chair. The sun gleamed through the window and glinted off the turquoise plume, and still she did not move. A noise behind her caused her to turn and see Alexander’s girlfriend. At that moment she was engulfed with rage and, overcoming her fear, she took up the feather from the chair and flung it at the woman who had planned her doom. The feather pierced the girlfriend’s temple, and she crumpled to the floor. At that instant, Alexander entered the room. He saw his girlfriend’s blood oozing onto the floor. The consultant’s features had changed; she was no longer the beautiful strawberry blonde that he had been taken with. Her eyes were puffy as if she had been crying, her hair had gone gray, and she bore the wrinkles of age. He tried to turn and run, but Peach appeared before him, “For years I have waited for the man who could end my restless wandering upon the earth. Why couldn’t you just leave that horrible girl? Now you will join her, and the rest of the people who scorned me.” With that she tore Alexander’s intestines from his gut and strangled him. Then, dragging the bodies from the lab she buried them among the bushes outside. She again donned a girlish figure and took her place behind the consultant’s desk. An intelligent young man entered the lab, and though he tried to focus on his work, he could not take his eyes off of the beautiful woman behind the desk who didn’t mind at all that he was paying so much attention to her.
(Elizabeth Mertz, 28 September 2008)
The Brushes In a small village, inside a small old house lived Ming Fu and Ah Xin. All the nearby villagers knew them as the happiest lovers. They were two poor orphans, having only one little private gallery shop, selling Ming Fu’s paintings. Ming Fu wanted to take Ah Xin as his wife, but he felt shameful to ask for her permission without any wealth, therefore, he decided to take the upcoming Examination.
Two nights before the examination, Ah Xin went into Ming Fu’s room.
“I have nothing too precious to give you,” she held out a brown wooden writing brush, “this is my grandfather’s, that I now give to you. I believe you can pass the examination!”
“If I do, will you be my wife?” Ah Xin blushed. And realizing what he had said, Ming Fu blushed too.
The young scholars in the village all rushed to see if their names were on the passed list. Ming Fu saw his name on the list!
The wedding ceremony was planned to be on the third week after the list was posted.
Finally the day arrived. Everything was prepared for the new couple and everyone in the small village was invited to attend. Many of the attendants were poor neighbors, so it is was expected for them to show up empty-handed. However, an old man showed up with a wooden box for the new groom. He said to Ming Fu, “I am near my death date now, with no son and grandson, this golden brush is my little gift for you, I believe you will be a good official.” He accepted the gift with gratitude.
In the new (wedding) room, Ming Fu took out a painting and said to Ah Xin, “Thank you for giving me this chance to give you a better life. The night before the examination, all I can think of is you. I wanted to ask for your permission to be my wife even if I didn’t pass, so I drew this painting of you with the lucky brush of yours, thinking it should the dowry. It is not anything expensive but I did put my heart into it. I want to fill in the color with you.” They hung the finished painting in the new room.
Months passed, Ming Fu was extremely busy, always being occupied with cases to resolve. The two spent less and less time together as the days passed. Ming Fu was a great government official, his diligent spirit quickly moved him up to a higher position. Despite this joyful news, Ming Fu and Ah Xin’s world grew further apart.
One chilly spring morning, in the palace, before the king arrived, the officers were gossiping…
“I feel even lonelier these days” Ming Fu chatted with the other officials.
“Why, have you not taken a fair wife?” asked one of the officials.
“I have, but we no longer seem to communicate on the same level.”
“Nothing to worry of, the matter is quite easy to solve, take a concubine,” the official replied with ease.
“Yes, do take another one and you’ll find yourself occupied with fresh beauty! It is very common, I myself have two concubines,” said another official.
“I have four and they blessed me with four sons. My days have never grown lonely after that!”
That night, Ming Fu sat in his library and thought of the officials’ words. Then he shook his head, “Ah Xin is seven months pregnant, our son will solve any loneliness.” He then tried to occupy himself with something. He spotted the box with the golden brush inside and thought, “why not take a painting break.”
Ming Fu opened the hard wooden box and took the golden brush out. Underneath, he found a white slip of paper and read it:
For once only,
I can help you with your wish.
It will only last three months.
Then I will be of no use.
Use wisely.
He was puzzled by these words but he was too distressed to bother with it; Ming Fu trashed the paper, he just want to paint freely.
For five minutes, he couldn’t think of what to paint. “I haven’t painted for so long, now my imagination is fleeting!” Then the officials’ advice came back to bother his mind again. “I can at the very least imagine her.” He thought, and he sets off to paint the fair young girl that he could only imagine to be his concubine. After several hours, the painting was done. Ming Fu yawned, stretched, and accidentally knocked over the black ink bottle. He immediately turned the bottle upright. It spoiled the painting with a black spot near the right of the girl’s chest. Frustrated and disappointed, Ming Fu left the library for his room. After tossing and turning in his bed for quite a while, he went to the library again, hoping to cover up the ink spot with layers of colorful garments.
As he approached the doorway, the door swung open and the beautiful girl he had painted took Ming Fu into the library. He was frightened at first to see his creation come alive and he quickly turned for the door.
“Please don’t leave. I am of no harm!” said the girl. Ming Fu continued inching to the door.
“You created me, where is your responsibility for what you did?” Hearing this, he paused. The girl moved forward, “I am a real person now, I mean no harm.” Ming Fu turned to face her. Now, taking a closer look, he found her to be stunningly beautiful, more beautiful than when she was just a painting on paper. He called her Meng (Dream).
Two days later, Ming Fu took Meng as his concubine. Ah Xin was fairly upset about sharing her husband, but she realized she could not make him smile like she used to be able to, nor could she be a helper to him like she used to be.
Two and a half months passed. Ah Xin was seen smiling more. Ming Fu came home to dinner every night with joy and excitement to hear Meng talk of her wonderful day at the market buying jewelries and cosmetics. Ah Xin was also happier now that she had another companion, although Ming Fu spent more time taking Meng out to play than spending it on his piling cases, while telling Ah Xin, “Our precious son will be ready to meet us soon, you should stay home and let the maids take good care of you.” Meng would add, “Sister, I cannot wait to see my precious baby, take good care!”
On a particular day, however, Ming Fu didn’t take Meng out. He heard some bad news in regards to his position and he needed to hurry to the palace. Ming Fu left the house early. Rushing down the foggy street, he passed by a Daoist priest.
“Young man, you encountered some dirty things. I urge you take this mirror with this strip of yellow paper on it,” warned the priest. Ming Fu ignored him and continued on his way.
"Your child will be in danger!” The priest yelled after him. Ming Fu turned furiously and pointing his index finger at the priest’s chest, said, “My son is not born yet and don’t you curse my son!”
The priest continued with the same calm voice, “Your child will not be born naturally, she will be torn out of her mother’s stomach.”
“What are you babbling about?!” Ming Fu retorted.
“She is beautiful and she wants to be a real human beauty for life. Her only way of avoiding her death date of the third month is to eat the heart and drink the flesh of a pre-born baby girl."
Instantly, Meng’s beautiful face flashed through Ming Fu’s mind. He stole the mirror from the priest and rushed on his way again- towards home.
The maids’, cooks’, and servants’ dead bodies littered the court yard. Ming Fu flung open Ah Xin’s bedroom door to see Meng turn to look up at him, holding the pre-born infant girl near her mouth with Ah Xin lying open-stomached beside her. Meng flashed a pair of glaring green eyes at Ming Fu. Horrified at the site, Ming Fu held the mirror directly at Meng. There was a white array of light and piercing screams; then silence. The white light absorbed the dark black ink into the mirror and it fell onto the ground, shattered.
On the floor lay Ah Xin with her opened stomach, the bloody infant, and the flat painting of the fair girl. Crying profusely while throwing up and shaking simultaneously, Ming Fu burned the painting and prepared for Ah Xin and his baby girl’s burial.
The dead were all buried. Ming Fu, having his high position taken away by the king due to his neglect of the piling cases, dragged himself back to the old house. In his arms were stacks of rolled up paintings .
Seeing the old house, all the happy-old-days-with-Ah-Xin memories filled his mind. His eyes tearing while at the same time smiling, then laughing… then crying again.
At night, when Ming Fu couldn’t fall asleep, he got up and unrolled the painting he gave Ah Xin as a dowry. Looking at the painting of Ah Xin, tears rolled down his cheeks onto the painting. Ming Fu pretended to have a conversation with Ah Xin:
“Remember the night I was having a stressful time studying for the examination, you came into my room with that delicious chicken potato soup and told me with delight, ‘I cooked Abalone and bird’s nest soup to nurture your brain, I expect you to cook the same good stuff for me after you passed the examination!’”
He paused to sob some more.
“I will do anything to taste your chicken potato soup once more. Forgive me for my selfish mistake!”
Ming Fu shouldered back to take a good look at the painting of Ah Xin and saw water rolling down from the painted eyes of Ah Xin. They were her tears.
(Dong Ting Ting, 28 September 2008)
One day Man Lin went to the market in search of a special medicine to cure his wife of a deadly rash that she had on her arm. He traveled a great distance to reach this market, for it was well known for carrying the best medicine and herbal treatments around. Man Lin and his wife were poor, so it took most of their savings for Man Lin to travel and pay for this herbal medicine. After traveling for days, Man Lin finally arrived at the marketplace. He had never seen anything like it, there were tents filled up with jars and different treatments for any ailment you could think of.
As he was walking, Man Lin was pulled aside by a tiny old man with beady eyes that seemed to flash a hint of red anytime he faced the sun. He told Man Lin, “I am Chi Wei, I know of the trouble that your family is going through and I can help you with what you need. Follow me.” Unsure of whether or not he should trust this little man, he cautiously followed Chi Wei into the back of one of the tents. Chi Wei said, “Your wife is sick, and this gourd right here is the cure for all your troubles. You must keep this gourd in your bedroom and things will happen that you never expected. It will release luck in bursts of a clear gas. You will be rich and your family will be healthy.” Chi Wei took out the gourd which was almost hypnotizing with its colorful pattern. As soon as Man Lin heard that this thing could make him rich, he completely forgot that he traveled so far in search of medicine for his wife. Greed took over him and he was determined to own this magical gourd.
Man Lin, eager to have the gourd in his possession asked what did he need to do in order to have this gourd. Chi Wei informed him that he wanted all of the money that he brought and he must have the magical sword necklace that Man Lin wears around his neck, which is used for protection from ghosts and devils. This is when Man Lin became skeptical. This sword necklace was given to him a long time ago by a priest who told him that the sword would keep the devil and ghost spirits away, which had saved him many times while walking through the graveyard near his home. At this point Man Lin questioned Chi Wei, “If this is really the gourd of luck like you say it is, why wouldn’t you keep it for yourself and enjoy the riches it has to offer?” As if he had been anticipating this question, Chi Wei immediately replied, “I am afraid that the gourd chooses who it wants to honor, and you were chosen. I often dreamt of you and your sick wife who live on the other side of the graveyard. I have been waiting for your arrival for many years now.”
Man Lin was sufficiently convinced by what Chi Wei told him and was now even more eager to take the gourd home with him. He emptied his pockets and with sadness he removed the magical sword necklace. Chi Wei smiled greedily at receiving the money and necklace and gave Man Lin the gourd. They exited the tent, and as Man Lin turned around to thank the little man, but he was already gone.
When he arrived home and showed his wife what he got in place of the medicine. His wife was enraged, “How could you be so foolish! That gourd is the home of the devil. You must get rid of it immediately or you will plague our family and lose your soul to the devil!” Man Lin did not believe his wife and he said he wouldn’t get rid of it. His wife left and vowed that she would not remain in a house with the gourd that kept the soul of the devil. She knew of it from her grandfather who had made the same mistake of purchasing it from a street vendor. The gourd had taken her grandfathers fortune and soul, leaving him a hopeless man who remained paralyzed in his room until his death. Knowing that she would not be able to convince Man Lin to get rid of the gourd, she left the house but left him with these words of advice, “You must get rid of the gourd. The only way to do that is to sell it to another man who will give you a magical sword necklace to keep the spirits away. If not, he will take your soul and continue to plague men all over
Unbelieving of his wife, Man Lin let her leave and slept with the gourd in the living room, just in case. However his greed blinded him and he continued to wait for the riches to come. As the days went by the hypnotizing pattern on the gourd began to change and a clear gas was coming from the gourd. On the third night while Man Lin slept, the gas took over the room and crept into Man Lin’s open mouth. The following day Man Lin noticed that the gourd shrunk to the size of a small plum. “This must mean its working,” he said to himself. Thinking that his wife would return when he was rich he thought nothing of it, when he started to feel less and less like himself. By the end of day six, his soul was gone and his body was left lifeless. The devil succeeded in taking his soul and with his new soul and borrowed body, he went off to market to find someone else to sell the “lucky gourd” to.
(Oralis Ramos, 28 September 2008)
Ning LaiChen was an ordinary Chekiang man who was very loving and caring. He had just turned twenty and his family urged him to find a wife quickly. Ning did not want an arranged marriage like the rest of his friends and the towns-people because he believed in love. Besides, he felt that he was not ready to take care of his own family yet.
It was Ning’s goal to start up his own small business before he got married. Therefore, he started to save up money two years ago, when he started his career as a waiter, and estimated that it will take another year for him to have enough to open up a small store. Two months after his birthday, he was awarded with a promotion, as a manager of a restaurant a few miles away from home. He decided to take it because it had an excellent paycheck. He purchased a horse and promised his parents that he would be home every weekend. He started his new job nicely. The workers there loved their new manager because Ning cared for them. When he was there, the business went up so Ning’s paycheck increased. After a few months, Ning earned enough money to begin his lifelong goal. He planned to go home and start up a business.
On his last day of being a manager, Ning saw a girl outside his workplace staring at a table full of food. Just by looking at her, Ning knew that she did not have enough money to buy food. Ning went up to her and asked, “Are you hungry?” “Yes,” she replied. Ning offered her a few plates of food and the girl was very grateful. Ning asked, “What is your name, and where are you from?” “My name is Hsiao Chien,” and then she began to weep. “Why are you crying?” ask Ning. She explained, “Everyone in my whole village died from a great fire. No one survived. Now I have nowhere to go.” Ning feeling sorry for her, told her about his family and offered her to live with them. He brought her home and his parents are delighted to take her in. A few months after, Ning started his own business and fell in love with Hsiao. They got married and their wedding party was one of the best in their hometown.
Seven years had passed, and Ning and Hsiao still didn’t have any children. Ning’s business was doing great, but Ning’s parents only cared about when they will see their grandchildren. They only cared about having a descendant to carry on their family name. Although they rarely mentioned it, Hsiao knew what Ning’s parents were thinking about, after having been with them for so many years.
Hsiao wept one night and when Ning came home from work, he asked her, “What’s wrong?” She didn’t reply and only wept. Ning poured her a cup of tea and waited for her to say something. After a while, Hsiao suddenly said, “I don’t think I can have a child.” Ning asked, “Why not?” feeling somewhat sad. Ning noticed that the Hsiao was struggling with her next few words. “I am a ghost, I died seven years ago.” Ning said in disbelief, “I don’t believe you.” Just after that, Ning noticed how pale Hsiao was, and then, she seemed to be vanishing. Afraid, Ning quickly left the room.
Sitting alone in a dark room, Ning had many flashbacks of all the happy moments he had with his wife. Then he realized what Hsiao had said when they first met. When she said “everyone” had died in her village, she must have included herself! Then Ning thought, “Why was I scared of Hsiao all of a sudden. If she is a ghost, she is still the person I married and had been with me for over seven years. She had never tried to harm me, and only took care of my parents and me.” Ning quickly rush home and found Hsiao in the bedroom. Ning told her, “Whether you are a human or a ghost, you are still my wife and the only one I will ever love.” Hsiao said, “Thank you Ning, that’s all I wanted to hear.” After that, Hsiao vanished, and in her place, was left a baby.
The Inspector
In the province of Lao She, there was a medicine man named Mr. Chu. Mr. Chu was an honorable and noble person; widely renowned for his good nature. His skill with ancient Chinese medicine carried his good name far and wide. Many of the most important men and women in China would travel long distances for his consultations. He was especially known for his ability to mix his strong knowledge in traditional medicines with new and untested methods from far and wide.
Mr. Chu’s practice was a flourishing one. He would see patients all day, one after the other. While he had many assistants at his practice to help him run his office, he would personally attend to every man, woman, and child that came to him seeking his help. With great care and precision, he would listen to the individual’s problems and determine the appropriate medical steps to take. Only on the rarest of occasions would someone who had received Mr. Chu’s medicine have to come back because they were still ailing from the same sickness.
Because Mr. Chu greatly enjoyed helping other people, his life was a fulfilling and rewarding one, but, there was one problem that he could not seem to cure. Inspector Wong was the health inspector for the region, and was known as a tough rule enforcer. Whenever Inspector Wong would make his weekly visit to the clinic, he would find no problem issuing citations to Mr. Chu for even the slightest infraction. While Mr. Chu was held in the highest regard by the people, Inspector Wong was looked down upon by them. He was seen as vindictive and angry. He always took his dislike of common people out on them whenever he saw fit, frequently keeping the fines he imposed on them for himself.
One day when Mr. Chu was seeing his regular lot of patients, Inspector Wong made a surprise visit. He said, “Mr. Chu, I have this terrible cough that I can’t get rid of. And by the way, this floor is too dirty. That’s going to cost you ten piece of silver. Can you help me?”
Mr. Chu, never willing to let a sick person go untreated, reluctantly agreed to help the Inspector. Even though he never refused his services, he had serious second thoughts about this particular patient. The Inspector had mercilessly fined his practice for ten years now, and every time Mr. Chu took the unwarranted fines in stride. But now the inspector was asking him for his help. Did he not see the strain he had brought on Mr. Chu’s practice? Halfheartedly, Mr. Chu brought Inspector Wong to an examination room, and performed a series of observations. In no time, he had diagnosed the Inspector and had prescribed him some roots to take home and brew into a tea. The Inspector left, promising to return in a couple of days to get another examination.
A week passed with no word from the Inspector and Mr. Chu’s practice carried on its business as usual. Then one day, a member of the town ran into the clinic and asked Mr. Chu if he had heard the news about Inspector Wong. He said he hadn’t, and was told that Inspector had been robbed by bandits on his way home from work and was killed. Mr. Chu, with a practically indistinguishable wry smile on his face, replied “That is one ailment I cannot cure.” From then on, Mr. Chu’s clinic operated without the burden of the Inspector’s inappropriate fines.
(Ryan Nagarkar, 28 September 2008)
