In a Green Shade

Friday, 16 January 2015

Fragment 9 - Posted 16th January 2015 (Final Fragment)

We set out in the morning, all three of us with packs on our packs. We avoided the Main square, but made our way by roundabout routes to O Mei's hut, and up Ghost Mountain. Shrr Li was having difficulties with our plan of action. "It's not exactly hiding," she pointed out. "We're in plain view up here. As soon as the police look up they'll spot us." "That's not the point," I repeated, "We're heading for the circle of stones that we made." "I know that," she answered. "but I still don't understand why." I decided to take it slowly. "This is where he arrived," I said. "Yes," said Shrr Li. "People sometimes leave by the same door they use to come in." "But there isn't a door up here... " she started, but stopped as she began to understand. "Do you think it will work?" she asked. "It happened in the first place," I shrugged. It took some time to set up the tent. We had to move the stones so that all of them were outside. The tent was green, but not a green that matched the grass of the hill. As Shrr Li had said, we were in plain view. It was little more than a bivouac, but it gave shade from the sun. By the afternoon we had finished our water. "Shouldn't we keep White Ghost in the tent as much as possible?" Shrr Li wanted to know. "Perhaps we should, but I don't see how we can," I replied. "As long as he sleeps in it, that's as much as we can ask. And this is something that happens at night, I think." We were considering what to do about water, when O Mei appeared climbing up the slope with a great bundle on her back, and two bottles of water. "What is all this?" we asked. "Your Mistress sent two girls with a pair of quilts," she explained. "Those girls weren't fit for getting up a hill, and I'm used to carrying things. I thought you could use some water. There isn't any up here." We thanked her gratefully. "Don't imagine I'm going to do this every day," she said. "If you want more water, there are jars at the back of the shed. Ma Chao sent this." She handed over a packet, which turned out to contain dried fried lentils and chickpeas. "It wouldn't be enough to keep me going, but you girls look as though you could lose a bit of weight," she grinned. Shrr Li opened her mouth to protest, but saw that O Mei was pulling her leg. "Your Mistress will have her girls leave food for you at the back of the shed. I'll be out looking after the animals, so you will have to collect it yourselves. How long do you think you'll be up here?" "We have three days from the end of the licence," Shrr Li told her. "Or is it two?" "It's three," I reassured her. "Are the Police particular about White Ghosts?" I asked O Mei. She frowned. "I don't know," she answered. "They do seem slack about some things. I wouldn't take the chance." She stood up, looked me in the eye, and winked. "Clever girl," she nodded. "You don't know what you can do till you try. Good luck to you." She waved as she stumped back down the hill. The quilts made a big difference. We spend part of the time going over the ground beneath the tent, lifting up every lumpy weed and stone. That made some difference too. We made ourselves a latrine, up the hill to avoid any smell. I was utterly distracted at the sight of White Ghost making water standing up. I had never seen it before. Poor White Ghost had no privacy. Every time he set off up the hill I followed him to watch. I never tired of it. He seemed to find it reassuring that we all ate the same provisions, but the portions were small. We sat looking at the view as night fell. The sunset was beautiful, but lasted a very short time. You can see the stars much more clearly when you are away from the lights of the village. White Ghost slept between us, just as he did at home. In the morning, White Ghost was still there. Of course he was still there. "Good morning," murmured Shrr Li. "You don't look very happy." "He's still here," I explained. I watched her. You could see the wheels turning. At last they got there. "That's not good," she admitted. "What do we do now?" "We stay here!" I said. "It might not happen every night! Of course it doesn't happen every night! But if it happens at all, it happens up here! We are staying!" "Okay, okay, we're staying," she grumbled. "But I'm going down the shed to have a wash." The day dragged. In the afternoon Shrr Li suggested lighting a fire, "just to cheer us up, and maybe we could heat up something to eat." "Good idea, " I agreed. "I'll help you look for wood." I stayed sitting as Shrr Li stood up. Ghost Mountain has no trees. She sat down again in disgust. By evening we had sung every song we knew, twice. White Ghost was beginning to learn the words to some of the simpler choruses. As night fell, I wondered if the policewoman would use her sword up on the mountain. Probably not. That would mean the bodies would have to be carried down. The police paid attention to details like that. My skin crawled and I thought I would never get to sleep. As soon as I closed my eyes, I was gone. Morning was just the same. White Ghost was still there. Shrr Li knew better than to say anything. We were reduced to seeing pictures in the clouds. Whatever I saw they turned into policewomen with swords. Shrr Li remarked that she was sorry she hadn't thought to bring the kite. It would have been a good idea. The wind was steady on the hillside. "Will they come today, do you think?" she asked. "Tomorrow. They'll leave it to others as long as they can." I replied. "Well, someone is coming," she pointed out. It was O Mei. She wasn't carrying anything large. When she sat down she tossed a small package towards me. It was a packet of incense. "Thank you very much, O Mei! What shall we do with this?" "When you have done all you can, then it is time to ask for help," she remarked. "Pray to the Goddess, you mean?" I asked. "It can't hurt," she answered. "Keep you busy, anyway." "We'll do that this afternoon," I said. "That's a good thought. Thank you." She kept us company for a while, but left before the day grew hot. After midday heat, we set about lighting the incense. It took us some time. Once the sticks were lit, we stuck them in the earth and sat down to pray. The smoke spiralled about us in the steady drift of wind. We prayed silently for a while, and then agreed to chant the "pleading" sutra. We chanted it three times. White Ghost sat and listened. I looked up. I felt we had done all we could. Shrr Li was chanting again. She must have shared my despair, for she was chanting the "ending" sutra. I joined her. When we finished we sat in silence. It was comforting in its way. "At least the incense has stopped blowing in our faces," Shrr Li said. She was right. The wind had changed. This encouraged me. I don't place any faith in omens, but this felt like an omen to me. It felt like our prayers had been answered. I wondered if it were the "pleading" sutra or the "ending" sutra. Either one would do. I didn't mention it to Shrr Li. The sunset was brilliantly coloured, like the feathers of a parrot. Night fell like a hammer-blow. As we settled down in the tent, I thought about the stack of pictures. What if he didn't go back to the picture he came from, but went on to a different one? If he landed up a mountainside, might he fetch up high up in empty air, or over the sea? What if it was some dreadful place of ice and snow, like in stories? I was with my head full of wild imaginings like this, that I fell asleep.

Fragment 8 - Posted 16th January 2015

Saturday, 27 December 2014

Fragment 7 - Posted 27th December 2014

When Mistress' business and social obligations were fulfilled, there remained two weeks until the end of the licence, and Mistress declared a free-for all. In theory this meant that the running of the house went on as normal, but any of the staff could make use of White Ghost during any free time, if the custodians permitted. We asked the Mistress if she had any recommendations how we go about this. "I do," she said. "This specimen seems polite and friendly. I think you should let him off the leash during the mornings, and take him off to the park for recreation in the afternoons. No need to watch too closely – one of you on duty should be enough. He may need to rest in the afternoons." When the word went out, the house bubbled with a carnival atmosphere. Pairs of giggling young women were forever moving swiftly through parts of the house where they were not normally to be found. Rooms were found unaccountably locked for short periods. Cupboards resounded with squeals and strange thuds. Flushed maids tripped hastily back to their tasks, and Ma Chao was continually yelling at kitchen staff to wash their hands. Once I even caught Ma Peng pulling down her skirts with a twinkle in her eye. Through all this, White Ghost stumbled and reeled as if in a daze. No-one approached the custodians for permission. How their faces fell when we clipped on the leash and set out for the meadow! The atmosphere turned sombre when the day arrived that the licence expired. Breakfast was something spicy – I forget what – which was unusual. Faces were pale in the kitchen, and one girl fled into the courtyard in a fit of tears. Ma Chao had a set look about the face, and looked as though she had been crying too. She set a bowl before White Ghost and hastily turned away. No-one had much appetite, but we ate determinedly. It took longer than usual, but in time all the bowls were empty. White Ghost could see the mood was odd, but ate heartily. We knew to make ourselves scarce for the morning. As we opened the gate to the lane, Ma Chao appeared and wrapped her arms around White Ghost in a great hug. Without a word, she ran back to her kitchen. By the time we reached the meadow, White Ghost was showing signs of discomfort. We settled him under the trees and moved away. We were torn. Both of us wanted to stay with him, but neither of us wanted to watch. We crouched in the far corner of the meadow, gripping each other's hands and listening to groans and yells. As the sun rose higher in the sky we could see the maids approaching, carrying the stretcher, and we made our way back to White Ghost. He was pale – stark white – and sweating in a frightening way. He had emptied the contents of his stomach, and was still alive. We looked at each other in a mixture of relief and fear. "Now What?" asked Shrr Li. "Take him back, I suppose," I guessed, and that is what we did. There were four of us to manage the stretcher, and White Ghost moaned every time the stretcher shook. When we set the stretcher down in the servant's courtyard, Ma Chao came to look. When she saw he was alive, she ran for some cold water . We helped White Ghost to sit up to drink it, and that seemed to help. Ma Chao ran back to her kitchen and returned with some plain rice in a bowl. He did not want to eat, and vomited once or twice. Ma Chao encouraged him by eating some of the rice herself, and finally he consented to swallow some. We brought him into the garden courtyard, and set an awning over him for the heat of the day. By afternoon, some of his colour had returned. We had no idea what the Police would say. It was the same policewoman, and she was unperturbed. "This sometimes happens," she said. "The law is lenient in these cases. You have three days to arrange things, and after that it becomes a police matter. Three days' grace, three days' leeway." We left the gate of the servant's courtyard open that evening, which I thought was ridiculous. Everyone studiously looked away, but White Ghost ignored it quite much as they did. White Ghost had no notion of the hints and opportunities that were offered to him. Shrr Li wondered how he could be so stupid. "This is the only home he knows here, " I pointed out. "Why is he going to walk away from that? In the state he is in he won't be able to go far anyway." Nobody had any better ideas. We talked to Meng Chu in her study. Ma Chao was apologetic. "I followed the instructions to the letter, Mistress," she swore. "what was in that bowl would have felled an ox." "Have you any more of it?" Meng Chu inquired. Ma Chao looked sour. "Yes I do," she replied smartly, "but don't ask me to use any more on this poor creature, because I won't. You can call the police if you like but I won't do it." "Be easy, Ma Chao, " Meng Chu assured her, "The responsibility is mine. All we can do is leave this to the police." That was my cue. "There is something else that could be done, Mistress," I said. "It may not work, but it is worth a try." Mistress heard me out and considered for a while. Then she gave her consent. "We lose nothing by this. The licence has already expired. The police may consider you culpable, but that is the risk you run. You had best begin as soon as possible."

Monday, 8 December 2014

Fragment 6 - Posted 8th December 2014

"She was terrible! They were both terrible!" Xu Xan uttered, in a hoarse whisper. I don't know why she was whispering. No-one was likely to hear us. We were strolling around the meadow, while White Ghost was asleep in the shade of some trees. "She wouldn't stop squealing!" I admitted. "My ears are still ringing!" complained Xu Xan. This was some days later. We had had the three formal nights with Meng Chu, followed by two days recovery. Then work began in earnest. This was Dai Yan, the first of Meng Chu's business acquaintances to have accepted the offer of a night in the Good Fortune suite. I don't know what she had expected, but it was clear she had never seen a White Ghost at close quarters before, and nor had her maid. We had massaged her and relaxed her, but as soon as White Ghost showed his interest, she started to squeal and her maid ran away and hid herself. "He did make a brave effort, though." I felt I ought to stand up for White Ghost. "He did his best to introduce himself." "I think she went into spasm. It was sheer hysteria. It would have taken a chisel to get past that one. I would have given up, if I were a White Ghost. I'm not surprised he left her alone. No chi for her, then." "Oh, didn't you see?" "See what? I was trying to settle Mrs Scream-down-the-ceiling!" "Meng Chu managed to catch the chi in her mouth, and deliver it where it was expected." "Wretched woman didn't deserve it! Would that even work?" "I have no idea. I thought it was very resourceful of Mistress, though." "I wonder if Dai Yan would have brought a legal case against Mistress if nothing had happened properly?" "How could she do that? She behaved like an idiot! If it came to a court case I would have given her a red face. And that pathetic maid of hers. " "I know. Me too. But the threat is often enough to bring some kind of settlement." "That sounds like blackmail!" "Yes. That's business for you. Fortunately there's no chance of that now. The others are social acquaintances, aren't they?" "So I understood. They can't be as bad as that, can they?" "I certainly hope not. Did you know the maid wet herself?" I rolled my eyes. "Remember when we said this was a sinecure?" Xu Xan laughed. "White Ghost looks thinner," she remarked. "Speaking of which..." I started. "Waistband a little tight?" Xu Xan suggested. I nodded. "Mistress seemed to think it was the case for her, immediately. Can it be so quick?" "Based on the evidence, it seems so. All three of us. Do you feel any ill-effects?" "Not really. Although..." I hesitated. "What is it?" "I yearn to take an interest." Xu Xan looked at me seriously. "We can hardly wake him up. Plus Mistress would notice if there was any failure in his performance. Perhaps this is something we could take care of between ourselves? I confess I feel much the same." "That is certainly worth a try," I agreed. It was some time later that I said, "I think we succeeded." "Respectful Greetings," said White Ghost. "Oh good, he's awake," said Xu Xan. "He's been watching us," I giggled. "How do you... ...I see what you mean," Xu Xan muttered. "Oh well, a kitten can look at a queen." "So sorry, White Ghost, but you must conserve your strength for later." "I told you he likes to look at people." "Well, he will have someone new to feast his eyes upon tonight. Come on, let's get back to the house." Our guest, Li Sza, surprised us by arriving without an attendant. She was a unremarkable except for her piercing dark eye. She was of a rounder figure, but not soft, as Dai Yan had been. Li Sza was firm, and well kept-up. The lack of an attendant was enough to put Meng Chu on her alert, and discreetly she asked if there was anything special that Li Sza required. "I want to be beaten," she announced. Xu Xan and I caught our breath, but Meng Chu did not bat an eyelid. "It is the duty of a hostess to accommodate her guests," she replied sweetly. She directed us to bring out the stocks, and the leather saw-horse, which had puzzled me. Lis Sza removed her robe. We fastened Li Sza into the stocks, by means of her neck and wrists, for which she had to crouch, as the stocks were low. We were to put the saw-horse under her hips, which raised her hindquarters and left her helpless. Mistress then opened the mysterious cupboard, and removed a long quirt of light-brown leather. She smiled when she saw our anxious expressions, and flicked the quirt in the air to test it. At the whistling sound of the quirt, Li Sza moaned. "Are you ready?" asked Meng Chu. "I am ready," Li Sza gulped. Looking us mischievously in the eye, Meng Chu put a finger to her lips and waited. "I'm ready, I'm ready," Li Sza repeated, and without reply, Meng Chu raised the quirt and struck her repeatedly on the legs and buttocks with a violence that shocked me. Li Sza cried out, in pain, as I thought, but the repetition began to sound more like gasps of pleasure. Meng Chu stopped to draw breath, and I touched her arm to quietly ask her if it was wise to show so much vigour in this beating. Meng Chu smiled, and replied "I would be a poor hostess if my guest did not receive the best beating I could muster. And if she deceives herself in asking for a beating, do I not show my kindness in making her understand the error of her request?" As Li Sza was already raising her voice to ask for more, I had no answer to this argument. Mistress threw off her robe and let the quirt fall with an arm unhampered. I realised that Meng Chu enjoyed this, quite as much as Li Sza, and myself began to find a pleasure in the sight. Xu Xan, too, showed a heightened colour, when I turned to look. White Ghost stood beside her with an expression I could not read. Mistress continued her work until she saw that White Ghost's interest had been raised. She threw the quirt on the divan, and grasped White Ghost by his interest, and drew him towards her victim. Her private place was clear to view, and the scent told that pleasure was on her mind. Meng Chu stepped aside saying "Please," which White Ghost now understood very well. Placing his hands on Li Sza's hips he introduced himself, and set the saw-horse rocking with a rhythm of his own. Meng Chu stole behind White Ghost, and waiting until the rhythm paused, struck two fierce blows on his backside. All three yelped – perhaps it was all five – as the matter was concluded. White Ghost gasped, and turned to find Mistress with the quirt in hand. She proffered the weapon to him, and bent over the divan in submission. He waved the quirt experimentally and returned her injury, blow for blow and no more. Then turning to Xu Xan and me, made to chase us. We darted around the room, but knew that this was amusement only. I bent over the divan as Meng Chu had done, and took my two blows with more delight than pain. Xu Xan submitted to her punishment, and the quirt was discarded. Mistress retrieved it and checked to see if Li Sza was ready to be released from the stocks. Apparently she was not. Meng Chu's face darkened, and she strolled to the sideboard and poured out the liqueurs. She passed two glasses to Xu Xan, and explained that one was for her, the other for her to give to Li Sza while she remained in the stocks. White Ghost took a glass, and reclined on the divan, watching Xu Xan helping Li Sza to drink. It was not easy, given the angle at which she was fixed. Mistress beckoned me to the far corner of the divan. "Li Sza wishes for attention to be paid to her other place." "Her other place!" I echoed. "Will White Ghost do that?" "I will not allow White Ghost to do that. It is unhealthy and can lead to disease. I will not put my property at risk. Nevertheless, the wishes of a guest are paramount." "What is to be done?" "I need your assistance with this device. " She led the way to the ornate cupboard, and took from it a v-shaped object hung with straps. She handed it to me to hold while she closed the cupboard, and I looked at it closely. It was like the two great interests of two White Ghosts, fixed base to base. "It is called a feign," she explained. "...because it feigns interest?" I suggested. Mistress smiled and nodded. "What is it made of?" I could not help but ask. "That one is made of wood. There is another of ivory." she answered. "What is ivory?" I wondered. "A hard substance like bone," she replied. Her answer made me smile. "Now help me here," she ordered. Her private place swallowed one half of the v. The effort made her gasp. One strap went around her waist. One went around each thigh, and she could not easily fasten them alone. The last strap went underneath and secured to the belt. "Is it firm?" she asked. "I think so," I said. "Tighten that one," she directed, "and then flick the end." When I did it made her catch her breath. "That will do." she decided. She waved the quirt before her, but her reach did not satisfy her. "This thing gets in my way," she sighed. "You and Xu Xan will have to beat her, and keep White Ghost out of the way." "Now?" I squeaked, as she handed me the quirt. "In a minute. Finish your liqueur first. Let her get a little impatient. Anticipation is part of the pleasure." So we finished out drinks in comfort, as Li Sza fretted and twisted and fumed. Xu Xan brought the empty glasses, reporting, "she's really getting angry." I readied myself and stood waiting. "What's taking so long?" she cried, but the last word was lost in a yelp of surprise, as I followed my instructions. It is a pleasure to give pleasure, and it is a pleasure to give a beating, so the enjoyment was doubled. When my arm tired I passed the quirt to Xu Xan, who took over with enthusiasm. I stepped back and moved against White Ghost, considering how best to occupy him. If I could hold his interest to begin with, then perhaps kneeling against the divan would satisfy us both, and allow me to watch the activities. Xu Xan was producing a steady lash, as if beating a drum, but Mistress could see that the moment had arrived, and waved her to one side. She pressed against Li Sza, who squirmed uncertainly. She drew the tip of her feign to the other place, and pressed home. White Ghost pressed home behind me. Li Sza moaned, and I bit my lip, not wishing to draw attention. Meng Chu moved and Li Sza moved with her, and I could see that the device was having its effect on both women. I wondered what Li Sza would think if she could turn her head, but her neck was fixed. I laughed and felt White Ghost's hands grip tightly on my hips. LI Sza howled and Meng Chu howled, and I howled too. As White Ghost withdrew, so did Meng Chu, and she and he stepped into each other's places. Mistress nodded at Xu Xan to release our prisoner. She twisted her neck to ease the stiffness, and her eye glowed with understanding as it lit upon Meng Chu and me. "I wondered what else was going on," she admitted. "Meng Chu, I did not know you took recourse to such things. Tell me, girl, does this satisfy you?" "Very much so," I declared, glancing at Mistress as demurely as I could. Li Sza's lip twisted, which made me smile. White Ghost was amused by the feign, and peered at it closely. He made to touch it, and Mistress prevented him, directing Xu Xan to fetch a cloth and some white spirit from the cupboard. Xu Xan set about cleaning the exposed parts of the feign. I raised a hand to undo the straps, but Mistress waved me back. "Don't bother," she said. "Once it is on, I keep it on. Throw away that cloth when you are finished." Everyone was interested in the feign and gathered around it. Now that it was cleaned, White Ghost tapped it and made a face at finding it solid and hard. Mistress turned him around as if to use it on him, but he hastily turned back and sat down. It made everyone smile. "Is it uncomfortable?" we asked. "A little," Meng Chu admitted, "but it is pleasant too. It is more cumbersome than uncomfortable." She could not sit straight, but had to recline, resting her weight on her hands. "You bump into things," I remembered. She thought about this, and answered slowly. "It is more that I am afraid I will bump into things. I don't really walk about much while I am wearing it." "Perhaps you should," we suggested. "Just for practice." Meng Chu smiled politely, a hostess indulging her guests, stood, and walked about the room. Her step was shortened by the straps around her legs, but it was clear, after a few steps, that the feign was having an effect. The more she moved, the more her breath shortened. Her colour rose, and she waved for Xu Xan to lend her an arm. Xu Xan helped her to the divan, and invited her to lie down. Mistress lay, but gripped Xu Xan's hand. Xu Xan understood what was wanted, and straddled her at her chest. She lowered herself onto the feign, and lowered herself onto Meng Chu. They set themselves to rocking in a rhythm to please them both. I looked back at White Ghost, to see how his interest was showing, to find that Li Sza was bending forward towards him. She was going to keep White Ghost docile, in the way O Mei had told us. It made me smile to think of her, and then a thought occurred to me. Surely Li Sza understood where White Ghost's interest had just been? I blinked in horror. His interest had not been where she supposed. Did she know that? She shot a sly glance at me, from below, which made me recoil. I could tell that she was deceived in her understanding, and this was deliberate, but she delighted, too, in my distaste. I watched in fascination. I wondered how this would taste and recollected that she was saved from that, at least. Perhaps she wished to use all three opportunities of her body to collect the chi. If that was so, I would choose to order the sequence differently, I thought. You shouldn't think that all our guests were odd or peculiar. There were graceful, accomplished women who entertained us with stories and poems, and those who danced, and those who sang, and even those who played on flute or pi'pa. Without being able to entirely reproduce the stories or the songs in detail, these would be empty narratives. I could list the attitudes in which pleasure was sought, and the pairings and triplings, but you would do better to imagine them for yourselves. I must tell you of one guest who was unusual. We were struck by the look of her as she arrived. She was thin, and had a curious look in her eye. I asked Mistress if she knew her well. She replied, "No. She is recommended by a friend of a friend, and I feel there is something not right about this person. By your question, you feel the same. Keep White Ghost away from her, and we will see how she behaves." White Ghost also seemed to find her suspicious, and politely kept his distance, to her obvious dismay. We sang songs and drank toasts, but did not encourage any serious activity. The guest, whose name was Chen Na, removed her robe and struck a pose that was clearly meant to be provocative. This, more than anything, convinced us that something was wrong. Out of sight, I assisted Meng Chu in attaching the feign. We managed this behind the painted screen. Chen Na's face fell when she saw the feign. Mistress announced that there was a procedure in these matters, and that the feign prepared the way. Chen Na leapt for White Ghost, who seized her around the waist. She moved against him, but his interest was low, and he dragged her from the divan. She struggled viciously, and even bit Shrr Li, but we trapped her in the stocks. With the saw-horse under her hips, she could only kick, and to no good effect. We held her legs as Mistress approached her. As her private place swallowed the feign, she went limp, as if defeated. This was unnatural. Mistress plumbed a little, explored gently, but there was no response, no reaction. She withdrew in some puzzlement. As the feign passed my face, I saw white scars on the dark wood. Mistress' face darkened. "Send a maid to fetch the police," she said. We ordered tea while we waited. The policewoman was the same woman whom we had seen before. She listened to the story and inspected Chen Na and White Ghost. "You must understand that there has been no crime here," she said. "Your property is unharmed. The damage to the feign is trivial. There may be intent, and there may not. Intent is a difficult thing to prove. A magistrate would not accept such a case." "Are we to let her go? This woman is dangerous," complained Meng Chu. The policewoman smiled. "There are other ways of dealing with these things." So far she had only examined Chen Na as to her external appearance. Now she bent and used her finger to explore her private place. Her expression changed, and when she drew out her finger it was torn and bleeding. We were horrified, but the policewoman smiled. "That is a serious assault against an officer of the law," she declared gently. We bound up her finger, which was badly cut. The policewoman produced a length of cord, and when Chen Na was released from the stocks, bound her thumbs together. A stiffer cord went around Chen Na's neck, and the policewoman used her drawn sword to urge her forward. She drove her prisoner forward through the double doors and began to descend the staircase. "Wait!" I said, "Let me get you her clothes!" "That won't be necessary," said the policewoman with a laugh that chilled us. They limped down the stairway. That was the last we saw of them.

Friday, 28 November 2014

Fragment 5 - Posted 28th November 2014

We were distracted and absent-minded all morning. We made our usual excursion to the meadow, but limited our play to kite-flying and skipping. We didn't trust ourselves to play tag. I carried the stick and kept a look-out for bandits, but there were none. I thought we might revise our instruction-book during siesta, but Shrr Li didn't want to, and once she had said so, I realised neither did I. So we fretted and dozed during the midday heat. White Ghost slept soundly, as far as I could tell. Ma Peng told us that we were to eat early and report directly to the Good Fortune Suite, and hinted that White Ghost should be in "parade-ground order". I think she imagines she is still in the army. It was helpful advice all the same, and we spent an hour and some hot water making sure he was as clean as we could make him. He submits to this obediently and with resignation, but I think he secretly enjoys the attention. Then of course we had to tidy ourselves. Ma Chao served us a light meal of spiced noodles. As she collected our bowls, she shot a meaning glance at White Ghost's tooth stick, which was another useful hint. We were clean, neat and fresh of breath when we climbed an unfamiliar staircase, and presented ourselves at the Good Fortune Suite. Meng Chu herself opened the doors to us. They were large double doors and very formal, and she shut them firmly behind us. I touched White Ghost on the back of the hand, which is his signal, and he bowed and said "Respectful Greetings!" Meng Chu clapped her hands and gave a peal of laughter. She was wearing a long flowing garment in broad red and white vertical stripes. It was not clasped, but cunningly weighted at the collar and hem, so that it hung partially open, neither exactly concealing or quite revealing. The sleeves were short, to cover only the upper arm, but cut very wide, although they did not gape. It was plain and rich at the same time, and fascinating to the eye. She let us admire the robe, and explained, "This is the formal garment of the Good Fortune Suite. I have yours here. While you remain in these chambers, these are the only garments you should wear. There are closets here for your normal clothes. When you are ready, please come through." We spent a little time admiring ourselves in these new garments. There was none for White Ghost, nor did we expect any. The closets were carved wood, very rich, and as we put away our clothes we admired these too. Taking a deep breath, we passed underneath the arch and found ourselves in the most elegant room we had ever seen. "Please take your time to look around, " said Meng Chu. The ceiling was arched, or rather domed, with a high lantern that filtered the sunlight and mirrored it around the room. The dome was gilded with an intricate interwoven pattern that dazzled the eye. There were two broad lattice windows , curtained with fine muslin that let the breeze pass, but shielded us from view. In all four corners of the room there was a large oil lantern, each with a shade a globe of frosted glass, so it looked as though a moon floated there. In the centre of the room was a low, padded dais, furnished with bolsters, cushions and pillows. This was big enough to accommodate four people, and I understood that this was bench, divan and bed. A sideboard held a tray of sweetmeats, a decanter and glasses. There were two upright chairs, which seemed a little out of place, and large cushioned footstools. There were also some curious articles I had never seen before. One resembled a woodworker's sawhorse, but upholstered in dark leather. There was a large cupboard with wonderful carvings of dragons and peacocks. I didn't dare to open it. Through another arch was a tiled room with washing facilities and commodes. The main room had large, grand tapestries on the wall, with brilliant colours and eye-catching subjects. One was of goldfish in a pond. Another was of two cranes at sunset. A third depicted a bunch of peonies. The last, which White Ghost was studying, was the Moon Goddess at her bath. Shrr Li was examining a large painted screen, which showed figures of women and ghosts in various forms of embrace. The surprising thing was that the ghosts were not white, or even black, which sometimes happens, but bore the same features and colouring as we do ourselves. "Mistress, I beg to ask, how old is this screen?" The Mistress rose and gazed at the screen wistfully. "You need not be so formal in these chambers. You may call me Chu within these walls. Outside, it will be different, naturally. The screen? I am not sure. Two, three hundred years? It dates from before the second revolution, and possibly before the first. " Shrr Li ventured, "Maybe before the plague?" Mistress blinked, and said, "You mean the plague of plagues? That is only legend, a fairy story. We have no reliable history from that time. But yes, it dates from before the time of trouble." We gazed at the screen, sombrely, each lost in our own thoughts. "What kind of a hostess am I, " wondered Mistress, "letting the mood sink to these depths? We must be friends and we must be cheerful. Let me pour you a glass of this excellent liqueur, and we can nibble on these dainties while we amuse ourselves. Please let White Ghost do his party piece again!" On cue, White Ghost bowed and uttered his "Respectful Greetings", and Meng Chu again clapped her hands and loosed a peal of laughter. "Very good!" she cried. "Can he say anything else?" "Only our names," admitted Shrr Li. "We were thinking of 'please' and 'thank you' but hadn't quite managed it yet." I pointed to myself, and White Ghost managed "Xu Xan". Shrr Li pointed to herself and the name was not quite so clear. Delighted, Meng Chu pointed to herself and White Ghost managed "Meng Chu". "Admirable!" exclaimed the Mistress. "We must learn 'please' and 'thank you'. And this is such a suitable occasion. May I offer you this glass?" She lifted the liqueur glass towards me. Glancing at White Ghost, I said "please", and as I took the glass, "thank you." White Ghost pricked up his ears and was listening carefully. Meng Chu repeated the tableau with Shrr Li and finally, with eyes twinkling, raised a glass towards White Ghost. "Please," he said. He took the glass, and said "Thank you!" Meng Chu laughed delightedly and kissed him on the cheek. This took us all by surprise. We sipped our liqueur. It was sweet and pleasant and very strong. I could see the colour rising in Shrr Li's cheeks, and White Ghost was blinking. "Now make yourselves comfortable, while I do my party piece," announced Meng Chu. We lounged on the great divan and sipped our drinks while the Mistress sang a song about a little girl who had lost her ball. She sang with gestures and facial expressions. It was long and very funny. Shrr Li and I were shaking with laughter and had to use the little tables to set our glasses down , so we could applaud. White Ghost was laughing too, at the gestures and faces, or perhaps just at Shrr Li and me. Meng Chu sighed and collapsed onto the divan. "Who is next?" she asked. We looked blank. "Don't be shy," she said. I hear you singing in the courtyard all the time. Sometimes I stop work to listen. You have lovely voices!" Shrr Li was crimson with embarrassment but I hauled her to her feet and muttered, "The song of the owl" to her. We faltered as we began, but soon sang at full volume, and Shrr Li so far forgot herself as to start treading as if she were in a laundry tub. This was so ridiculous that I had to do the same, and Mistress and White Ghost howled with laughter. When we had bowed to our applause, we made to sit down, but Mistress stopped us, saying, "But there are two of you! You must do two!" I couldn't think of anything, but Shrr Li lifted up her hands and said, "Pat-a-cake!" "Which one?" I asked. "Shoemaker's daughter!" she said. She stamped her foot to give the rhythm, and we pat-a-caked "Shoemaker's daughter". "Again!" she said, and stamped a faster beat. When we finished, I was out of breath and put my hands behind my back, refusing to do more. White Ghost and Meng Chu were clapping wildly. "How lovely!" remarked Meng Chu. "It is such a long time since I've heard such a thing. What a shame it is that we neglect these simple pleasures as we reach maturity. I insist you come and practice these with me. I shall make a point of it. But now, please enjoy your drinks while I light the lamps." In a fluid motion she rose, and lit a taper at wide candle. Lifting the shade she light the wick and trimmed it, then crossed to the opposite corner for that lamp. When she had done she gazed around the room. "I think two lamps are sufficient, don't you?" she remarked. The frosted shades gave the room a kind of welcoming twilight, softening every edge, and blurring every shadow. "Let me take your glasses," she said draining her own. We followed her example, and I felt my head swim for a moment. She stacked the glasses on the sideboard, and shrugged off her flowing robe. In the moody light she was the image of the Moon Goddess at bath. She sank onto the divan and gave each of us a long, slow appraising look. I slipped off my robe and moved forward. She lifted a pale hand and stroked White Ghost where his interest lay. "He is not yet quite ready," she murmured. Shrr Li sat perfectly still, as if afraid to move. "Shrr Li is shy," Meng Chu observed, "Let us make her comfortable." She reached into Shrr Li's robe and caressed her breast. Shrr Li moaned and lifted her face. Meng Chu mirrored her moan and moved forward as if in mute question. At once their lips met, and their bodies too. Shrr Li struggled out of the hampering robe, and I drew it away from her. Meng Chu stroked he breast, her back, returned her kisses, but her eyes returned to White Ghost. I stroked his chest, and felt his interest quicken. Now Meng Chu was lying back on the satin cushions, as Shrr Li plied kisses on her face and breasts. But Meng Chu's stare was fastened on White Ghost, daring him and drawing him. I moved behind Shrr Li, and cupped my hands beneath her breasts. She sighed and leaned back against me, as White Ghost moved forward and centred his interest on Meng Chu's private place. I looked from them to the painted screen and could see the embrace duplicated, there and by my side. We stroked and caressed each other and watched the heaving bodies until the chi was spent, and Shrr Li writhed and pressed herself under my fingers. Can I tell it all? I should consider the honour of the house, my Mistress, my own privacy... But you who read this, you know me not, to whom my secrets are no more than another leaf on the forest floor, you may not judge me. You who are from another village, or another country, or another time, listen, and I will tell you of how we lay glutted with pleasure, and feasted our eyes upon each other's naked bodies until the passion roused again. I will tell you how White Ghost lay prone while we two raised his interest, and with our other hands steadied Meng Chu to stand and straddle him, and lower herself to her best advantage, and to his. Shall I tell you how we kissed Meng Chu's body as she moved, and how White Ghost's hands possessed us both? Can you understand how four bodies can lose themselves together in one act of passion? Distant reader, I wish this joy for you. I woke to find Meng Chu standing, absently watching us, or watching nothing, with a strange smile on her face. As I raised my head she turned to me and spoke, as if to herself. "I feel my body change, like ripples moving on a pond. The chi has quickened within me and I can feel life stirring." I looked and wondered how this could be so. "No-one can know such a thing, and yet I know it. I know it as I feel the sun on my face, or as I walk a path by moonlight." She lowered herself to the divan and whispered in my ear, "the next chi must be yours." I lay and looked at the gilding on the dome, the pattern shifting and wavering in the dim light, and slow as syrup she lay next to me. She took my hand, and kissed it, and her other hand moved slow as syrup between my breasts, down, and down. Her fingers moved, slow as syrup, and stirred my longing, until my hips moved to move her fingers faster. Her hand withdrew, and I lifted my head to ask why, and there was White Ghost, and I drew him to me. How the flesh can be like bone! How the flesh can be like fire! How fire and bone produce such storms and waves! How the raging storm blows out, and leaves such gentle calm! I hugged him to me. My head was pillowed upon Meng Chu's belly when my eyes opened to daylight. Meng Chu lifted her chin so that I turned my head to look. White Ghost and Shrr Li were lying legs entwined. I felt a qualm of jealousy, that died in a moment against the fluid symmetry. Meng Chu and I smiled, and dozed. Breakfast was left on a tray outside the door. We ate informally on the divan, being beyond manners by this time. When our bowls were empty Mistress stretched and yawned. "White Ghost has performed heroically, and we should not expect so much of him on later occasions. We must vacate this room so it can be cleaned. When you take your exercise, take gentle exercise only. I look forward to your company this evening." We were charmed by her solicitude, and we took our leave.

Monday, 20 October 2014

Fragment 4. Posted 20th October 2014

"Respectful Greetings, O Mei!" "Respectful Greetings, White Ghost! Does he write poetry, too?" O Mei asked, with a squawk of laughter. "We are keeping quiet about that until the book comes out," said Shrr Li, deadpan. O Mei cackled. "How did you know I was here?" she wanted to know. "Just lucky," smiled Xu Xan. The kind of luck where you call in at someone's home for three days until they finally turn up, she thought. Shrr Li smiled sweetly too. "What can I do for you girls?" "We wanted to know where you found White Ghost," Shrr Li announced. Xu Xan nodded. "O, my trade secrets! That's easy enough. It was around the back here," O Mei jerked a thumb. "Can you show us?" "Certainly!" cried O Mei, and stamped off around the hut, with the others following. White Ghost was looking around with interest, as O Mei flattened herself against the back of the hut. "I got him like this, here, with my crook!" The girls looked questions at White Ghost. He nodded and took O Mei's place against the hut. O Mei stood back. The girls frowned. "Where was he coming from?" Shrr Li wondered. "Up there, I should think," O Mei waved an arm in the direction of the hill. "Ghost Mountain!" said Xu Xan. "Of course!" "Why of course?" countered Shrr Li, "There are hundreds of Ghost Mountains." "Well, aren't there hundreds of White Ghosts?" Shrr Li had to think about this. "Mm. I think I see what you mean. You think they hatch up there, or something?" Xu Xan rolled her eyes. "Or something, yes." White Ghost was already heading up the slope. When they caught up with him he was traversing the side of the hill, examining the ground and studying the view. "I wish I hadn't worn my good shoes," lamented Shrr Li. White Ghost was moving more slowly now. O Mei and the girls took in the landscape. "Pretty! We should come up here more often," said Xu Xan. "Perhaps we should suggest it to Meng Chu for a picnic," retorted Shrr Li with delicate irony. "Good idea!" Xu Xan said, oblivious. White Ghost was standing still now. He looked towards the girls, then lay down on the slope. Xu Xan jumped up and down. Then she motioned to White Ghost to stay where he was. "I should have brought something to mark the spot," she moaned, looking around her. "Why bother? He didn't take long to find it, he can find it again," Shrr Li pointed out. "He might not be here," hinted Xu Xan. Shrr Li pursed her lips and frowned. "We could mark it with stones," she suggested. "Excellent! O Mei, can you help?" "Yes, yes. Go up the slope and roll them down. It's easier than carrying them up. You want big stones or you won't see them. " Once the first few stones were in place, White Ghost was allowed to move, and he helped. When at last they had a ring of stones, he lay down again in the middle of it, stood up to check the view, and nodded. "Is that it?" asked Shrr Li, "Is that where he hatched?" O Mei choked. "I think this is where he arrived," corrected Xu Xan. "Arrived? Arrived from where?" Shrr Li wanted to know. "I have no idea," Xu Xan admitted. Shrr Li looked lost. "Imagine two pictures. One picture is lying on top of the other. What if a figure from one picture moved to the other picture? It would be completely out of place." "I don't understand," sighed Shrr Li. "I do," said O Mei, grimly. "Go on, girl." "What if this happened as a regular thing, so regular that people began to expect it? A whole set of laws, procedures, instruction books rose up around it? A whole culture?" "And nobody ever wondered what was happening? Nobody questioned it until now?" Shrr Li demanded. "Not if it filled a need," O Mei murmured slowly. "What need? – Oh!" Shrr Li was suddenly silent. "We depend on these strangers." "There must have been some terrible plague, or something." Xu Xan considered. "It must still be," O Mei observed, thoughtfully. "It must still be," Xu Xan echoed in agreement. Shrr Li looked ashen, and sat down suddenly. "I feel sick," she said. O Mei produced a small leather bottle and made her drink. Shrr Li spluttered, but her colour returned. "Medicine," O Mei explained to Xu Xan. "Medicine," Xu Xan agreed. White Ghost looked at the bottle with interest and O Mei hastily tucked it away. When Shrr Li was ready to walk, she leaned on White Ghost's arm for support. "That's clever, girl," admitted O Mei as they clambered down the slope, "I never heard anyone else come up with that. The very best ideas are the ones that sound obvious once someone has stated them." She looked at Xu Xan. Xu Xan looked back. "So what do we do with this information?" O Mei asked. Xu Xan paused. "I don't know," she confessed. "I have a bad feeling about this," I said. "What's the problem? A half-day at the baths, courtesy of the Mistress, now the Dark Cloud has passed and everybody is over it! It's very kind of her and I love a pamper-day. I thought you did too!" Xu Xan was in a bubbly mood. "It's White Ghost I'm concerned about. Do you think it's a good idea to bring him here?" "Why not? Let somebody else clean him up for a change." Xu Xan threw her clothes into her locker. I unbuckled his collar and set it on my clothes in my own locker, and handed him his towel. "At least he's not likely to run off," I admitted. Xu Xan laughed. "Our little shadow? I should think not! Anyway, it's a treat for him! He likes to look at people when they aren't wearing anything. Haven't you noticed?" "Yes, I've been measuring him by eye. It's easy to tell when his interest grows. I just hope he doesn't get too interested." "We can deal with that. People like to look too, have you noticed that?" As we passed into the cool room, all eyes turned to us and the conversation paused. Xu Xan tapped White Ghost on the hand, and he uttered a "Respectful Greetings" to the room in general. There was a ripple of laughter and the murmur of conversation resumed. "Let's have a quick dip and go straight to the warm room," I suggested. "Who is here? Is it just people from our house?" "Yes, Meng Chu booked the whole place. Ma Chao took the morning squad, and Ma Peng is in charge of us. But it's only our house. You can rest easy." We stepped down into the water. White Ghost needed no persuasion, but strode ahead and plunged into the water. In a moment we could see he was swimming the length of the pool. "Our charge continues to surprise us. We should take him here for exercise!" remarked Xu Xan. "You're joking!" I said. "I suppose so," Xu Xan giggled. "He might get too much exercise." I stared at her and she rolled her eyes. She swam a width just to get away, I think. As I lunged to follow, I saw White Ghost change stroke from breast-stroke to freestyle as he turned to do a second length. I caught him on his return and beckoned him to walk with us to the warm room. Ma Peng was there, sitting on the higher tier of benches, with one foot up, which I thought was a little rude. Some of the older women like to wrap their towel around them, but she preferred not to. Xu Xan saw me turn my face away, and immediately adopted the same pose on the tier below. She was smiling with mischief when I looked her way. White Ghost was trying not to look, but not doing very well. His interest was showing. I pressed my lips together, leaned back and closed my eyes. We had been sitting for a few minutes when Ma Peng said "I'm glad I found you girls. Meng Chu has ordered a special massage for you." "For both of us?" Xu Xan wanted to know. "For all three of you," replied Ma Peng. That is kind of her," remarked Xu Xan, and I agreed. "Is it booked for a particular time?" I asked. Ma Peng shook her head. "No, but I shouldn't leave it too late if I were you. You have time to use the hot room. I would." She wiggled her backside to give White Ghost a better view, and I took the hint. "Thank you, Ma Peng, as always, we value your advice," I said as I stood. She chuckled as we left. I could feel the sweat breaking out on my skin as we walked into the hot room. Xu Xan climbed up to the top tier and sat with both feet apart. I wiped the perspiration out of my eyes and looked at her. "Don't be such a fusspot and come up here," she said. I climbed up. "It's even hotter up here!" I gasped. Xu Xan nodded happily. White Ghost stayed on the lower tiers where he could watch us. I gave up, lay back and closed my eyes. Eventually Xu Xan nudged me. "I've never seen anyone sweat so much," she said. I looked. He was bright pink, and dripping. "Let's get him out of here," I said. We slapped him on the shoulder and he lurched through the door. I caught him around the middle and dragged him to the plunge-pool. As we clambered out Xu Xan crooned, "No, no, stay in, I'm sure it could take three of us..." I could only gasp as the cold seeped through, and blinked as Xu Xan splashed in. "We warmed it up for you," I declared, as she gasped in turn. "Of course you did," she said, spluttering, "I could tell!" As we sat sipping sherbet in the cool room, I could see the masseuses hovering by the door. There was no mistaking which customers were to be their clients. "Come on," I sighed, "Let's not keep them waiting." Xu Xan nudged White Ghost, but he was already on his feet. "Special massage," Xu Xan mused. "Extra ylang-ylang, do you think? That would be nice." The masseuse closed the door behind us and launched into a prepared speech. "We have three clients and only two masseuses, so I humbly beg you to relax while we deal with one of your number first. To shorten the delay, we will both work on one subject. Please help yourself to cold drinks." The partition curtains had been drawn back, and all three massage-benches were in one open space. The masseuses ushered White Ghost onto the middle bench, and Xu Xan and I lounged on the other benches to watch. The masseuses were sturdy women, but not fat. They wore white aprons which covered the lower halves of their bodies. Sometimes they wear white vests, but not today. Their arms showed firm muscles and their breasts were firm. Their skin shone with massage-oil. Some masseuses go in for body-building. Perhaps these did. They looked good. As he lay on his stomach, they each took an arm, and wrung it, massaging up to the shoulder. Then they treated his back and legs, each woman taking half the body, and moving in clear co-ordination. It is absorbing to watch experts at their profession. They paid attention to the shoulders and neck, where the tension lies, and worked hard on the muscles there. They wrung out the legs, as they had done the arms, and worked the fleshy lower back, where tension is more subtle. To finish, they made long, flowing strokes down the length of the body, beginning firmly, then reducing the pressure until they were no more than tracing their fingertips down the length of his body. Patting his shoulders gently, they indicated that he turn over. When he had done so, they changed their approach. One took his head, working from the back of his neck, around through his hair to his face, taking time and taking care. The other massaged his chest and stomach , and the front of his legs. The head massage had finished, and that masseuse placed a hand on the bench on either side of his head, and leaned slightly forward. The other massaged the part they had left untouched until then. I saw Xu Xan's mouth open and realised that mine was open too. In a moment, he had spent his chi, and the masseuse was wiping him with a towel. They furnished him with a cool drink, and separated to approach us. "This is something you need to know, yes?" said my attendant. "We do something similar," I admitted. "That is good," she answered, "There are many ways of achieving the same result, but the general principle is the same." She removed my empty beaker, I lay on my stomach and she began to work. With only one attendant, it was slower than before, but she was thorough and firm. I thought the light tracings down my back would sent me to sleep. She worked my arms when I had turned on my back. She had worked my shoulders, legs and stomach and paused before touching my breasts. Her touch was so light, so delicate and yet so exciting. I opened my eyes – they were shut – and found that she was using her lips and tongue. She looked up at me and smiled. Her hand had found my private place and was working in an expert way. I shut my eyes and gave a moan of pleasure, and found that her mouth was on mine, her tongue was darting inside my mouth while her finger was darting elsewhere. Then she drew me down the bench and used her tongue where her finger had been. If women have chi to spend, then that is where I spent mine. The masseuse bent her head to my ear and murmured, "If you wish to do me the honour of accepting another special massage at another time, please ask for Pei Ling. If you move to the cool room you can enjoy a cool drink in more comfort until your present lassitude wears off. We find our patrons profit best by using the hot room after a massage of this type. " We stumbled off to the cool room as the attendants watched with professional smiles. We sipped our drinks slowly, and when they were finished we felt less sleepy. A few stragglers were returning from the warm room, and lazily wading in the pool. The pool looked inviting, but I felt that I would sink to the bottom. We sat for a few minutes in the warm room, to prepare ourselves, and then moved to the hot room. Everyone else had gone and we had it to ourselves. Xu Xan looked at me with wide-eyed innocence. "Has your bad feeling gone yet?" she asked. I cupped my hand around her breast. She smiled and moved it to her private place. "Poor White Ghost will feel left out," I said. "Surely not," she hazarded, and stretched out to stroke White Ghost where it had most effect. White Ghost in turn paid attention to her breasts. In this way we learned to practice a little massage upon each other. No more chi was spent, but we took pleasure in what we did. The hot room was a shrewd suggestion, as we could not spend too long there. The cold plunge shocked us into a pretence of decorum. The warm room was empty when we looked in. We found that we were the last occupants of the cool room, and the last clients of the baths. Pei Ling watched us gathering our towels and told us that the baths were booked for another hour, and we were more than welcome to stay. The mood was broken, though, and we knew it was time to go. I tipped her well, and she looked almost sorrowful. "Please come back soon," she said simply, which tugged at my heart. Ma Chao had a hot beef curry waiting for us when we returned to the house. Everyone had relaxed smiles, even Ma Peng. After supper we went to Meng Chu's evening room to thank her for the baths. "The house needed some indulgence, and I'm delighted that you enjoyed it," she smiled. "I'm sure you understand now a little better what is required of you." We nodded politely and innocently. "Now your duties begin in earnest. I have had the room of good fortune prepared. For the following three nights you will attend upon me. Now you may go, and," she smiled thoughtfully, "get some rest." We were as clean as new hairpins, so there was no need to do more than clean our teeth. The pallet bed on the roof drew all three of us like a magnet. Scarcely had we undressed before our hands were moving over one another's skin. We lost ourselves in a tangle of legs and tongues, and spilled chi. Languidly we gazed up at the stars as sleep drifted over us.

Thursday, 9 October 2014

Fragment 3 - Posted 9th October 2014

I felt terrible in the morning. At first I thought I had eaten something bad, and that made me worried for a moment. Then I realised what the pain was. I went and used my sponge and reported to Ma Peng and told her I had the Dark Cloud. She smiled wryly, and told me that everybody in the house had it. I stared. Ma Peng looked surprised and said "It is the gift of the White Ghost. Didn't you do this at school?" She laughed at my expression and said, "Meng Chu has your documents. We forgot them in all the excitement last night. And I believe a there is a book of instruction comes with them." Xu Xan climbed down the stairs with White Ghost just then, and she looked as bad as I felt. We left White Ghost in the courtyard and knocked at Meng Chu's study. She looked troubled too. She formally presented our documents and congratulated us again, and handed over a small book. There was only one, she apologised. They were in short supply. She hoped we would manage. She was making every effort to find another copy. She sighed and sat down. "Dark Cloud day," she said. "Every rose has its thorn. I expect I shall see you at the Temple." We agreed and withdrew. Breakfast was porridge-meal and fruit salad, and bitter tea. It would be plain meals until Dark Cloud was over, to make things easier for the kitchen staff. No-one has the stomach for anything richer, and it does help to make your insides feel better. White Ghost was puzzled and worried, as everyone was smiling at him in a regretful way. Xu Xan asked if we were going to the Temple, but I said we would go to the meadow first. I tapped the little instruction book, and she understood. I took the ball and the skipping-rope. The kite had broken in the tussle. The gardener could mend it with a new stick, but that could be done later. Xu Xan took the staff in her good hand, and I took the leash, and we stepped out gingerly into the lane. Even White Ghost looked around warily. We walked in the middle of the narrow lanes, avoiding the corners, and felt much happier when we came to the meadow. We gave the ball and the skipping-rope to White Ghost and sat down to read the book. It was in very small writing. I leafed through it to see if there was a summary. There was no summary, but there were some illustrations. "Look at this," I said to Xu Xan. She looked and giggled. "So we know where O Mei got her information," she said. "Here's a diagram of their interest!" "It must be important, then. What's that?" "I think that's us. I mean, that's ours. O My!" I looked at the next illustration. "O my!" I echoed. We looked at each other, and then we looked at White Ghost, who was playing with the ball. "As Full Custodians, you will be expected to assist." "That will be interesting." "There is a lot here." "Why don't you read five pages out loud to me, and I'll read five pages out loud to you. We'll finish the thing in a couple of days." "Five pages! Have you seen you small this type is? Two pages each. We'll read it morning and afternoon. We still have to exercise White Ghost." "It'll take a month!" "We'll have to take it in turns to read it quietly during siesta, then, unless we can beg a lamp to read it at night." "Siesta. We can read during the heat. If we don't get our sleep we'll be fit for nothing. Come on, the sooner we start, the sooner we're done." So I read out loud, as best I could, stumbling over the difficult words, and going back to read a sentence again when Xu Xan asked. After two pages Xu Xan took the book from me, but didn't do much better. The information was there though, and we began to understand the duties of our position. "Whew!" said Xu Xan, as she closed the book. "Not such a sinecure as all that. Come on, let's go to the Temple. We ought to make some big offerings." I whistled to White Ghost, who was trying to play with the skipping-rope on his own. He had no notion of time, and didn't notice we had not stayed as long as usual. Probably it didn't mean anything to him. He was surprised, though, when we didn't follow the lane back to the house, but walked through the market square and on to the Temple. We stopped outside and bought some flowers and incense from the hawkers. Xu Xan was frowning at me: too much! I said to her, look, we are making an offering to ease the Dark Cloud, that's one; we are giving thanks for our promotion, that's two; and we're giving thanks for coming out of a nasty incident in one piece. Xu Xan looked at her sling and looked at me. I told her that she might have been hit on the head. We were not completely sure if White Ghosts were allowed in the Temple, but we thought they were. Neither of us wanted to wait outside, so we crossed our fingers and just walked in. We took our flowers up to the big statue of Moon Goddess, and lit our incense, and sat for a while to enjoy the scents and the sound of the nuns chanting. White Ghost looked around with great interest, twisting his neck this way and that, but otherwise sitting still. One of the nuns, in passing, remarked what a well-behaved creature he was, and we glowed with pride. Then she slyly offered to bless him for five copper cash. Xu Xan would have said no, but I nudged her silent, and handed over the cash straight away. The nun ushered us into a little side-chapel, where she burned some incense and had us kowtow. There was a smaller statue there, very delicate and beautiful. Then she rang a little bell as she anointed White Ghost with ceremonial oil. She spooned oil on his head, on his shoulders, on his breast and on his interest, chanting all the while and ringing her bell. When this was over, Xu Xan asked if the oil tasted of anything, which puzzled the nun and made me splutter with laughter. We all kowtowed to her in thanks, even White Ghost, who is good at copying what we do. This delighted the nun, and she hurried off to tell her fellows. On our way out we kowtowed to Meng Chu, who was just arriving. She nodded at the sight of the oil on White Ghost's shoulders. I said "He is blessed." Meng Chu replied "We are all blessed." For another person to say, it would have been trite and pious, but I felt she was right. Nervously we took a stroll around the square to look at the market stalls. Xu Xan kept firm hold of her staff, and I kept firm hold on the leash. We were a little distracted because of this, and none of the stalls had much interest for us. Xu Xan nodded towards a stall of sweetmeats, but I wasn't interested. Ma Chao does better. Instead we bought a poke of prawn crackers, and shared them out on our way back, staring at anyone who might come too close. No-one did, and we began to grow a little more confident. Lunch was plain noodles. Nobody asked for sauce. It was a grim meal. We lurked around the courtyard until the gong sounded. Xu Xan took the book first. I had only closed my eyes when she nudged me awake and indicated for me to read a page. It made me sit up. I read on until Xu Xan got impatient and started to read over my shoulder. We didn't dare to stop. When the gong sounded for resumption of duties, we looked at each other, each holding a corner of the little book. "Meadow?" said Xu Xan. "Courtyard, " I replied. I didn't want to wait any more than I had to. We devoured the book, while White Ghost wandered the courtyard and smelled the flowers. We finished it and set the book down. I felt as though my head would burst. "I feel sick," said Xu Xan. "Dark Cloud?" I asked. "I don't think so." "A more responsible position than we had thought." "Nothing lasts for ever." "No," she answered, looking at White Ghost. "Some things last a long time, though." "Come on," she said. "Let's exercise the beast. I want to run around, I think." We took the ball, but played tag, in slow motion, or so it seemed, slowed by our skirts and our mood. White Ghost ran circles around us, tagging us only when he could not avoid it. Finally we gave up and lay looking at the sky. "Coming events cast their shadow before. I never understood what that meant until now." "Where does O Mei live?" "No idea. Ma Peng will know. Why?" "I want to ask her some questions. Should we go together? I mean, should we all go?" "Certainly. Why not? What do you want to ask her?" "I'm not sure yet. But I'll work it out." We were afraid to let the sun fall too low before we made our way back. The lanes were empty, to our great relief. We were glad to be indoors again. We ate Ma Chao's special rice, which was almost too rich for us, and smoked our pipes quietly. Ma Peng told us that it was cloudy, and it might be a good idea to put our awnings up. In the washroom I helped Xu Xan. She dabbed a finger at White Ghost's shoulder and licked the oil she picked up. "Mm. Clean it off his shoulders and head but leave the rest. I want to taste the oil." I fixed up the awning and Xu Xan set White Ghost to lie on his side at the edge of the pallet. "That's a good idea," I said. "I don't want him to fall on me," she answered. Then she knelt and milked his chi. She seemed to manage well enough. He curled up into a ball as he was spent. Xu Xan rocked back on her heels, smiled, and stood up. "I think the nicest bit is that he enjoys it," she decided. I nodded. "What did the oil taste like?" I asked. Xu Xan shrugged, and shook her head. "I don't know. Nothing. I can't remember," she said. We crept under the awning and settled ourselves. That night there was a thunderstorm and the rain ran off the awning in streams. It felt as if the whole world was crying.