The Gemini Child

by Shea Meadows

  Honorable Su Fon Chi, Chew’s grandfather’s, essence had taken on the form of a young warrior from the Xia Dynasty. He was wearing flared trousers and a quilted silk jacket. His hair was up in a bun on top of his head, and he carried a long silver sword. He had used the sword to make the hole in the wall to give Ricky access to the action. Ricky stuck her finger through the hole and wrote a message in the air which appeared in golden Chinese characters. Nory has a monkey. Take it out of her pouch.

  The warrior that Chi had become nodded and turned towards the baby, but three women in the garb of Qin witches popped into the scene, blocking Chi from David and Nory. Chi took his sword to them, but they countered with dark, bubbling energy flowing from their hands. Their energy dissolved the tip of the sword away like acid. Two of the witches stood closely behind David and Nory, weaving a spider web of influence around them, as the third witch advanced on Chi.

  Ricky helplessly watched. All supplication to Moon echoed back to her without reply. David and Nory’s physical bodies appeared to be weakening by the moment. David’s legs were trembling as he stood gazing at the wall.

  Then, another figure entered the scene, just as in Bonta’s drawing, It was a Native American war chief who shot an energy arrow into the witch blocking Chi. The witch dissolved into an acidic puddle on the ground. This gave Chi the chance to reach into etheric Nory’s baby pouch and pull out the mummified monkey.

  “Ask for help in the shadow world. The witches are stealing Nory and her father,” Chi instructed the monkey. Houzi had regained his original form of a golden snub-nose monkey and screeched a long plaintive call that vibrated throughout the scene. The façade of the goddess Nuwa shifted, and her appearance changed from a goddess to a serpent.

  “Remove that flea-infested rodent from my presence. I cannot levitate you to safety with its screaming diluting my power,” the pseudo-goddess screeched as loudly as the monkey.

  Houzi’s screech pulled Nory out of her fugue, and she looked around. “Daddy, we are in big trouble. Call for Mommy and Moon and the guides. These witches are trying to kidnap us.”

  “Nuwa is helping us, Nory. The world is falling apart. We have to keep the monkey quiet. He irritates her,” David said, as scenes of disastrous occurrences flooded his mind.

  “Daddy, it’s an illusion they are working for Norton Reston,” Nory said, as she pounded on her father’s back. Just then, Houzi looked into David’s eyes and bit him on the nose. David’s hand swatted the monkey away, but the bite had done the trick. David had escaped the nightmares in his mind.

  “Houzi, call in the troops. Du Yuesheng said he would send help if we needed it,” David said.

  The monkey looked deeply into David’s eyes as if trying to judge if this was a person who could give him orders. He must have liked what he saw because he screeched so loudly that the whole dimension trembled, opening a portal for a stream of men dressed only in saffron colored loin cloths that barely covered their lower halves. The newcomers attacked the remaining witches, including the pseudo-goddess. Some circled around David and Nory for protection. Houzi perched on David’s shoulder with one long arm lying protectively over Nory’s head. Chi and the Warrior Chief worked in synchronicity with the battling newcomers, following their lead.

  The battle was difficult. Several of the saffron warriors disappeared during a bombardment of energy from the witches. Chi sliced off the serpentine lower body of the head witch but was stung by her forked tongue before she evaporated. And most tragic of all, after having put multiple arrows into the two remaining witches, the Native American warrior disappeared in a pool of energy when they drenched him with the acid venom that came from their hands. At the end, there were three saffron fighters left who had served as excellent guardians for the unscathed Nory and David and the grinning Houzi.

  “Thank you for your service. How can we ever repay you?” David asked the warriors.

  The tallest and most muscular of the group bowed to them. “All who battled were once warriors that protected this monastery. Sometime within our service, our protection was inferior. For this failure, we pledged to remain until we redeemed our honor. The Monkey King called us into service, and we came willingly. Now we can go to the Celestial Kingdom. That is how you repaid us, by trusting Houzi to bring us here.”

  “How do we return to our frequency? We want to be with Mommy,” Nory said with a tremor in her voice.

  “Houzi is wise. Follow him,” The monk answered.

  At that moment, Ricky and Moon popped into the frequency, embracing David, Nory and Chi, thanking the monks and escorting those remaining back to the portal.

  Moon then walked to the puddle of energy on the ground that used to be the Native American Warrior. “He was a good man and a fearless shaman for his tribe. He was plagued with cancer and knew he would be crossing over to Ojibway Spirit World soon. But even with all the pain in his body, he fulfilled his promise to watch over your family. There are few as brave as Milton Running Deer,” Moon said. Tears flowed from everyone’s eyes, as they remembered the generosity of their new friend.

  Moon turned to Houzi. “Thank you for being their guardian. If you are in contact with Du Yuesheng, let him know he is free to go on to the Celestial Kingdom whenever he likes. We are grateful you acted as he asked.”

  Houzi grinned, made a raspberry sound, and then transformed back into his mummified, ugly monkey self.

  “The four of you better get back to your bodies. The rest of the group is anxious, especially young Chew. He feels responsible for the safety of his grandfather,” Moon urged.

  Chi laughed. “He must learn that we are responsible for our own actions. He does not yet have the skill to keep me from a battle.” With that, he popped back into the other frequency.

  Those who had been nervously pacing around the still bodies of their friends, breathed a sigh of relief when David turned around and smiled at them, and Nory reached out to Bonta, who cuddled the baby in her arms. It took a minute longer for Chi to revive and for Ricky to reanimate her body, but soon there were hugs all around. Bonta happily handed Nory to her mother who cuddled her close to her heart.

  The other tourists pretended nothing was happening, but Lien, the tour guide, lost her wide smile and looked at them with confusion. After a few minutes of watching the group regain their strength and focus, she timidly walked over to them.

  “Forgive my intrusion, but some of you are ill? Honored Grandfather seemed to have fainted, and Mrs. Clark sat against the wall with no movement for several minutes. Was it something you ate?” she asked.

  Ricky smiled at her. “Sun Fon Chi fainted from the exertion of the climb, and I was dizzy from the altitude. Both of us are fine now. There are enough in our group to help us down the stairs.”

  Lien exhaled with a sigh. “I suggest you climb down the rock stairs on the outside of the pagoda and forego seeing the last two levels. They are only for a better view of the river. If you leave now, you will have time to eat something in the market place before we return to the ship. The food will give you energy.”

  David thanked her, trying not to let his wobbly legs betray what he’d just experienced. George took the baby and her pouch from her father, and the group found their way to the chiseled stairway outside the pagoda.

  “Honored Grandfather, I thought we’d lost you. What happened?” Chew asked, supporting Chi as they descended the stairs.

  Chi patted him on the arm. “I was not alone. We will tell you the story when there are not so many ears. Right now, I need a cup of strong tea.”

  When the group made it to the marketplace Ho and Susan volunteered to purchase some food and drink, as the rest of the group sat down on concrete benches near the river under two willow trees. Nory wanted to get used to her physical body again, so Ricky put her on two blankets on the ground with her jacket and sweater on to keep warm. She happily kicked her legs in the air and admired the trees.

  Ho and Susan returned with food that they had deemed
acceptable from a cleaner-looking vendor and everyone took a helping of breaded shrimp, chicken wings, rice balls and fried vegetables. A quart of hot tea and one of freshly squeezed orange juice provided much needed hydration.

  Nory nibbled on a rice ball after Ricky gave her a bottle of milk kept cool in an insulated carrier within the diaper bag. As Ricky removed the milk, Nory spotted the non-animated Houzi.

  “I am happy and sad all at the same time,.” Nory told everyone telepathically. “Happy because Houzi saved us but sad because we won’t see Uncle Milton again in this lifetime.”

  George looked at Ricky and David with a startled expression. “Can you please tell us what happened? I think I’ll go nuts if I have to wait till we get back to the ship. How is Milton Running Deer involved in this?”

  David looked at Ricky. “I can tell it from my perspective, but you’ll have to fill in the blanks, Ricky. You and Moon figured it out before Nory and I did.”

  “I knew it before Daddy,” Nory said as she turned over and tried to wiggle toward David. “Houzi bit him on the nose to wake him up.”

  David laughed and picked up Nory and sat her on his lap. “You’re right, sweetie. But for a while we were equally taken in by the witches. They created an illusion. We were watching the story of Nuwa propping up the earth. We read the story in the book of Chinese legends we looked at when we were preparing for the trip. Nory remembered it from her time as Nelly and wanted to hear it again.

  “It was like we were witnessing it, which was pretty awesome, except at the end when Nuwa urged us to follow her through a portal. I was ready to go because I kept on seeing images of everyone I know dying in earthquakes, fires and floods. But Nory woke up then.”

  “Houzi screeched and I figured out what was happening. Then he bit Daddy and Daddy finally understood that we couldn’t trust Nuwa.”

  “A whole troop of men came through a portal and started battling with the witches, and I realized a Chinese warrior and a Native American warrior were helping, too. I was worthless. It was like I was glued to the ground. My arms and legs were paralyzed in one position. You were the ancient dynasty warrior, right, Honorable Chi?” David asked.

  “I was pulled out of my body by my guide and placed in the scene. Thankfully, the etheric body they gave me was able to be of use. I manifested a silver sword and made the intention that it could pierce through the frequencies and create a portal for Ricky,” Chi answered.

  “That was gigantic,” Ricky said. “I couldn’t get out of my body or get a hold of Moon or any of our higher frequency allies. Reston must have some ability to keep those who can travel stuck in the physical. When you created the hole, I could look through and interact with you. Good thing we decided to bring Houzi along.”

  “And the Warrior Chief was amazing. He kept shooting energy arrows into the witches. Honorable Grandfather cut the head witch in two. And all we could do was watch.”

  “Moon identified the Warrior Chief as Milton Running Deer. Without him, I’m not sure the rescue would have worked. They were down to only three monks when all the witches dissolved,” Ricky said. “I had no idea Milton had cancer. He said his health wouldn’t allow him to physically travel. It’s been months since we visited him. I feel bad about that. I can usually spot fatal illness a mile away.”

  “There was something I didn’t understand.” David said, “The monks said something about the Monkey King. They claimed that Houzi had his help in creating the portals. Isn’t he a fictional character? There was a short version of the story of the Monkey King in the Chinese legends book. The introduction said it was a book from the sixteen hundreds that is considered one of the four masterpieces of Chinese literature. How could a fantasy character help?”

  Honorable Chi laughed. “How can a mummified snub-nosed golden monkey become animate in an alternative dimension? Apparently because Du Yuesheng was so strong in his belief that Houzi could help, his belief rubbed off on all of you and that was all that was needed.

  “For generations, the people of China have been telling the story of the Monkey King. Every year there is a Monkey King festival and performances of the play are held throughout the country. Little children see animated stories and read picture books. The belief is strong; it is not surprising that many people in multiple cities feel that he is real.

  “Things that are done in the physical are influenced by the etheric dimensions, and things in the etheric are produced by thoughts held in the physical. All great stories are born from the energy of the spirits. Do you understand what I mean?” Chi asked David.

  David nodded. “Makes perfect sense to me, but my life is one long unexplainable event anyway so I’m easy to convince.”

  Ho stood up and stretched. “We don’t want our guide to get nervous. It’s time for us to return to the ship. Next stop is Chongqing and a bus to the airport.”

  Everyone gathered up their belongings and threw away the leftovers from the meal. George’s face was somber while they did this. Ricky walked beside him with the baby as they returned to board.

  “Something upsetting you, Dad?” Ricky asked.

  George looked at her, surprised. “You’re not upset after what we just went through? It will be much worse when we locate Norton Reston in Xian. We’ve had one death because a good man chose to help us. Will we lose someone else? We almost lost David and Nory. Doesn’t that scare the crud out of you?”

  “Dad, we made it back from Prime and that was miraculous. We all knew this trip wasn’t a vacation. It’s what we do. We will do our level best to bring everyone back safely and deactivate the Bi Mo Chu.

  “I can’t afford to be afraid right now or that will decrease our ability to function. I have to trust that spirit world is helping and that everyone here was meant to be part of this. Can I depend on you to do the same? We need the strong George Banner that has seen us through so many crises. Can you be him?”

  “You sound just like your sister,” George said with a smile. “Okay, I’ll hold back on my breakdown until we’re safely home.”

  “Good, and then I can have one with you,” Ricky said as she leaned in to hug him.

  * * *

  Chapter 19

  Four witches who once trained in the court of Emperor Jingdi, the great leader of the Qin, trembled in a tight circle, putting up a united front before the White Emperor who was ten times their size, wearing a white robe, with long white hair and flowing beard. He screamed at them for what seemed an eternity but was more likely a day.

  “Do you not know I am the White Emperor? I incarnated to reclaim the reality of the Bi Mo Chu. In another time, I was Emperor Zhuanxu and my sorcerer Ta Wing created the first Bi Mo Chu. My goal is to become Emperor of Spirits in the reality of the Bi Mo Chu.

  “And what did I ask of you? It was a simple task. The four of you were trained in the tradition of Qin Dowager Empress Yuan. You promised to serve me now since Luan Du trapped you in statues. You said you would do anything to get your revenge against the sorcerer. I promised you a place over him in my kingdom.

  “Where is the baby? Where is her false father? I helped you trap them within the Lenrou Temple. I set a spell on those with them, keeping anyone who tried to assist them entrapped in their physical bodies. But they are not with you. You could have accomplished so many things, so many possible outcomes, but you were all turned into puddles of inept energy. You could have brought back the witch Ra Key; I have a special place planned for her. Lee Gee, head witch of the Han was there in her present form. Did you even try to snatch her? No, you did not!

  “And when the time came, you were thwarted by a mummified monkey and two ancient shamans whose physical bodies were falling apart.”

  The witch who had taken on the role of Nuwa spoke: “There were a dozen warrior monks as well. Did you see how viciously they fought?”

  Reston’s laugh echoed through the dusty cave. “All of them were misfits and failures. They haunted the pagoda to make amends for their dishonor. With your
abilities, you should have been able to overcome a thousand misfit monks. If the Monkey King came in person, you could have turned him into a coat. There is no excuse for your failure. I was right to say I could have had so many better witches than you to do my work.”

  Another of the witches spoke up. “You said if we immobilized the baby alone, we would be taken to your dynasty. You also said if we did so to the baby and one of her protectors, we would be rewarded ten-fold.”

  Reston shook his head in dismay. “You ended up in those statues because you were worthless. You failed to listen. Having them at your mercy was not the goal of the exercise. You did not bring their essences to me, so you are worse failures than the monks. What should your reward be, do you think?”

  With a swish of his hand and an incantation spoken in the language of the Xia, the four witches were sucked back into the statues they had previously occupied, screaming as they went.

  Norton Reston was alone again in the exhibit area for the Terracotta Warriors. He could hear the failed witches struggling in their statues, making their stone caskets rock ever so slightly with their screams.

  He had a moment of doubt. They were bringing the child to him, but could he bring her into his world? She had obviously formed an attachment to Ra Key and her husband. How ungrateful could one child be? Look at all he taught her, but she sided with them.

  It was quiet in the vast room. He could easily go to the cleaning room and free another ghost, but somehow it seemed fruitless to do so at the moment. He had sensed at least two powerful spirits escaping from the Bi Mo Chu and took that as a sign that the cube dynasty had reached the optimum number.