Kung Fu Kellie and the Legend of Anguo

by Shinn A. H.

  “This is dreadful news. I have never heard of the mystical animals also being evil. Ah yes, yin and yang — where there is good, there is evil.”

  Getting up, he walked toward the door. “I will let you be. Have some pastries — and please make sure you rest.”

  Kellie watched the hem of his robe disappear as the door closed behind him. She stared at the food on the table, having absolutely no appetite.

  Mystical animals? Did she hear him correctly?

  ellie woke up with the empty cup against her nose. The tea seemed to have had its expected effects: her face was no longer throbbing and she regained her energy from the restful sleep. Luckily, she got up before the sun did. She stumbled around in the dark, getting ready for the quest ahead. She put on her jeans, a red t-shirt, and zipped up a black jacket, as it was a cold early morning. After shoving a water bottle and the baked goods left on the tray into her backpack, she scribbled a note written to Master Zheng and left it on her pillow. She put on her tennis shoes, double knotted the laces, and threw her bag over her shoulders.

  Inhaling a nervous breath, Kellie peered out the door and saw a few monks sitting across the way, wide awake, safeguarding the front of her room. She quietly shut the door and considered another route: there was a small window facing out the rear of the building. She climbed onto a chair, peeked out of the glass, and saw two monks with droopy eyes, trying to keep from nodding off. At the opportune time, she slid the window open and jumped out, behind the shrubs.

  One of the monks said in Mandarin, “Did you hear that?”

  “Hear what?” asked the other.

  Holding her breath, she listened in silence.

  “Nothing. I thought I heard something.”

  Ducking low, Kellie tiptoed behind the bushes. When she was out of sight, she straightened up and saw that she was fairly close to the entrance of the forest. Once she was at the front of the pathway that led inside, she paced anxiously, waiting for Jory and Jake.

  The sun slowly began to reveal itself over the mountains and what Kellie experienced next was like an awakening. A light mist of rain fell down upon her face as the sun continued to grace her with its presence. The sun was no longer hidden behind the dark clouds because they had mostly vanished.

  The jade stone was truly Anguo, and from this moment, nothing would be the same for Kellie: she realized that there existed in this universe, things in which she just had to believe. “Things happen for a reason,” she said out loud, repeating what she heard Master Chen admit so many times. Although she did not plan on letting down Master Chen or the other monks in the future, she realized she had to always follow her heart. If she stayed in Milldale and had not brought her necklace with her, who knew what would have become of this land.

  She envisaged the monks suspecting that she was Anguo as it neared the end of the sunrise. She was taking cover under a tree from the sprinkling rain when she spotted Jake and Jory walking toward her.

  “You got out of your room all right?” she asked, appearing out of the shade of the branches, and putting the hood over her head. “You weren’t seen, were you?”

  “No, it was a breeze,” said Jake. “The monks outside our room were snoring louder than Jory last night.”

  Jory’s sleepy face turned a light pink as he mumbled, “Morning.”

  Facing Shenmi Forest, Kellie said frankly, “I have to tell you guys something….A group of scientists never came back out of there.”

  “Say what?” asked Jake.

  “I understand if you want to back out…”

  “No way,” said Jory, “we have to find the stone.” Looking more awake, and up at the clear blue sky, he said, “We have to save Anguo.”

  He noticed the dramatic change as well.

  While wavering on the idea that she should insist they stay, she heard a noise coming from the monastery. There was really no time to argue because someone would find her missing soon.

  “Well, we’ve made it this far — Why stop now?” said Jake, without much optimism, staring into the creepy woods.

  “Okay — let’s go then,” said Kellie, walking briskly into the mouth of the forest, leading the way.

  As they penetrated farther, Jake’s jitters turned into marvel. He performed a three hundred and sixty degree rotation, enthralled with all that was around him. “This place is amazing…although it seems…abandoned.”

  “It is much quieter than it was when I was a little girl,” said Kellie. It was shockingly quiet. She remembered it being so full of life…full of the most fascinating organisms. The animals and insects used to make their existence known by the sounds of their scurrying and cries, but today it was as if barely any of them were left. Jory avoided crushing a lizard with his foot. Normally these reptiles darted around, but this one looked up at him, dismally.

  “Shifu Lau and I used to discover the most interesting bugs here.” Some of her best memories were exploring nature with him.

  They walked deeper and deeper into the woods, the occasional insect shooed away from their heads. Jake was still taking in as much as he could, while Jory tried to avoid getting in contact with the plants (he mentioned that he once had a severe allergic reaction to poison ivy).

  To Kellie, everything was familiar, yet different: the colors of the plants weren’t as vivacious as she remembered; the trees stood sickly, with some of them almost completely bare; the exotic flowers were nowhere to be seen. Shifu Lau would have been pained to see the plants and flowers in these conditions. It felt as if the life of the forest was dwindling.

  The light rain ceased, the plants thirstily soaking up every drop. The smell of the morning dew was refreshing, the moisture long awaited, but simply not enough. It needed to have rained for weeks to rehydrate and revive this vegetation.

  “Do you know where you’re going?” asked Jory.

  “Sorta,” said Kellie.

  “Sorta?” asked Jake. “I don’t feel confident in that answer.”

  “I’ve explored most parts of the surface of this place many times…it’s just plants and trees. There’s a stream where Shifu Lau and I would stop at and never go beyond. I think the monkey might be past that place.”

  “So…we’re going somewhere you’ve never been…” Jake said with uncertainty.

  “Is it safe?” asked Jory.

  “I don’t know,” said Kellie, as they kept walking. Due to the apparent potential dangers, Kellie halted and turned to them. “Are you both sure you want to keep going? I don’t really know what’s ahead…”

  “We’re still going,” said Jory firmly.

  “Okay then,” said Kellie, “we’re just about at the stream.” They made their way through some thick brush, and past it, they came to the area where a brook poured to the unknown.

  She remembered playing by the once actively flowing stream she spent hours amusing herself by, staring into the water and examining all the organisms in its natural habitat, her favorite being the frogs. It brought her such delight to observe the colorful amphibians jumping around, trying to catch insects.

  Kellie heard Jake’s stomach growl. Since they missed breakfast, she decided it would be wise to take a short food and water break before going on. She took out snacks and passed them to Jake and Jory. Warm from the hike, she stuffed her jacket in her bag and sat on a boulder she used to climb on feverishly as a little girl. As Kellie munched on a red bean bun, she watched them throw rocks into the water and horse around. Jake and Jory seemed to be quite enjoying themselves. On the surface, they seemed like an unlikely pair, but she recognized the strong friendship that had developed between them.

  As she ate the last bite of her food, a marking on an old tree caught her eye. She made out the words, Bao Yu, written in Chinese. It was still there. Thinking back to one of the numerous times she was here, she recalled scratching the words into the trunk when Shifu Lau was distracted. After her goal was accomplished and she proudly showed him her artwork, he disapprovingly shook his head and said, �
��You have to respect all living things, Bao Yu.”

  “Good one, Jory!” yelped Jake, about to toss another rock into the water.

  Needing to get back to their task, Kellie jumped off the rock. “I’m sorry to be the killjoy, but we’re gonna have to get going,” she said, as she gathered her things.

  They cautiously walked alongside the slow moving shallow water, staying aware of their surroundings. Kellie was on the lookout for wild animals, listening to every crackle the forest conjured.

  “What do you think the monkey is going to do with the stone?” asked Jake, as he swatted a bug on his arm.

  “Well, Anguo means peaceful country…” Kellie said, unsure. “It keeps the peace and luck here. Because he seems to hate humans, maybe he wants to see destruction to this country. Or maybe he wants to harness its powers. Anguo is a positive energy that keeps flowing.”

  Jory’s eyes lit up as he recited, “‘Energy cannot be created nor destroyed…but it can be transferred or transformed.’ I learned that in physics class.”

  “Physics?” asked Kellie. “That class is only for juniors and seniors.”

  “I’ve been taking classes at Milldale Junior College, so my counselor gave me permission.” Jory seemed slightly embarrassed about it.

  “Good for you,” said Jake supportively.

  A smile appeared on Jory’s face.

  “So maybe, the monkey wants to transfer the energy to himself…” said Jory, retreating back to their initial conversation as he barely dodged a suspicious looking bush.

  Kellie agreed that Jory’s comment was plausible. Anguo had been sought after before in an attempt to amass power.

  “And how are we going to get the stone back?” asked Jake.

  Kellie wasn’t certain, but knew they needed to devise a plan. After thinking about it, she said, “If we find the monkey’s home, we’ll wait until he’s gone, sneak inside, and take it back!” She knew this would only work if the monkey didn’t keep it in his possession at all times, but the proposal was a start.

  “And how big is this forest?” he asked skeptically.

  “It’s hard to say…not very many people have been far inside….Those scientists,” she cleared her throat, “never got to publish their results….”

  “Thanks for reminding us,” he said dully.

  After wandering for some time through the woods, Kellie began to lose faith. She had no idea where they were and wondered if they would find anything more than wilting shrubbery. We have to at least try, she thought desperately.

  Jory had his compass out, glanced at it, and then assessed their position periodically. Jake rubbed his stomach and muttered something about a hamburger. When Kellie was considering giving up, she heard something and spun around.

  “What was that?” she asked.

  “I think it was my stomach,” said Jake.

  “What was what?” asked Jory.

  “You didn’t hear that rustling and strange screechy sound?”

  “I didn’t hear anything,” said Jory. “It’s pretty scary quiet.”

  The noise grew louder and louder, but apparently only to Kellie; she shook her head and covered her ears. “You can’t hear that?” she cried. The screech was so earsplitting, it felt like her eardrums were going to pop.

  “Wait a minute,” Jory said, concentrating. “I think I do hear a faint noise.”

  Jake and Jory whipped their heads around, looking for the source. As it approached, it was evident that the noise came from above. Something was rustling the leaves and snapping the branches. As soon as they strained their necks up, squinting, Jory was snatched away! A monkey swinging through the trees had Jory by the collar and they were already almost out of sight.

  “Jory!” screamed Jake, and started running after the monkey.

  Kellie’s hands were over her ears while she witnessed Jory’s kidnapping by a black-haired primate. She reached out to grab him, but when she removed her hands from her ears, the deafening pain dizzied her to the ground.

  Almost as fast as the agony blasted through her skull, it was gone. Her hearing suddenly was back to normal and the stabbing torture in her head was gone.

  Jake was still after the fast moving monkey and Kellie joined in the pursuit. Finding herself running through a dense area of tall trees and thicket, she nervously lost sight of Jake. Then she heard Jory’s screams and frantically followed his plea for help.

  Kellie started sprinting with such speed; her legs felt powerful and the run, effortless. She was about to catch up to Jake, when her right foot got tangled up in a tree root sticking up from the ground; she tripped and fell flat on her face. Spitting out chunks of mud, she heard footsteps crunching on dried leaves. Pushing herself up onto her feet, she shouted as she clapped the dirt off her hands, “I’m fine! Go after Jory!”

  Raising her head, she expected to see Jake, but he was nowhere to be found. No one was visible, but she again heard footsteps: they were soft and slow. Kellie could now tell it was coming from a four-legged animal. The creature was approaching closer and she feared it was creeping upon its prey…and she was the prey! Her heart raced and even though she knew it was a bad idea, she started to run.

  The footsteps got louder and faster with hers. Kellie was running at full speed when she had an idea. While still dashing madly, she pulled her backpack off and grabbed a snack that was in her bag. She chucked it behind her as far as she could. Listening hard for the animal, she no longer heard it behind her. It worked! Stopping to catch her breath, she scanned the area. Not knowing where she should go, she headed toward a less dense section.

  “JAKE! JORY!” she shouted. Yelling in an environment full of wild animals was another bad idea, but what else could she do? She lost her friends in the middle of a dangerous forest! Calling out their names, she skirted in random directions, unsure if she was simply making circles around the same place.

  Kellie’s shirt was moist with sweat. She frenetically searched for the lost travelers, praying for their safety, until something stopped her in her tracks. A vicious tiger growled at her and stared with hungry eyes. Crumbs of the pastry Kellie threw were on the side of the tiger’s mouth and it looked at her with gratification: she just fed it an appetizer and it was ready for the main course. Kellie’s heartbeat ceased and she could feel the color draining from her face.

  The cat was thin: skin hung off its skeleton. She could see its rib cage and every bony joint. Saliva dripped from its jaw and the feral feline didn’t break its gaze on its next scrumptious meal.

  Kellie slowly backed away, uncertain what to do next. The tiger crept slowly toward her, not letting her out of its sight. Once at a lunging distance, Kellie saw the animal retract on its hind legs and pounce. With quickness Kellie had never felt before, she got out of the way and was again face-to-face with her foe. With more ambition, the predator charged at her. Kellie evaded to the side and struck down with a tiger strike and clawed at its eyes. The tiger didn’t know what hit it and started to whimper. The wince quickly converted to anger and the animal charged at her again with full force. Kellie jumped over the tiger and landed on its other side, showing semblance to a cat. She hadn’t felt this strong since the day of the basketball game; the energy was exhilarating. They circled each other as the tiger roared ferociously.

  The cat sprinted toward Kellie. She moved out of the way, but the animal swiped at her and made contact: its nails dug in and tore skin. Kellie tumbled to the ground and her right arm started to bleed profusely; it stung like she had never felt. Trying to get up as fast as she could, she flipped over, and saw the tiger triumphantly eyeing her, in motion ready to spring. Kellie put up her hands, covering her face as a natural reaction, and let out a blood curdling scream. She shut her eyes and heard a tremendous roar of a tiger that reverberated through her body; but it was distinctly different than earlier. This roar had enigmatic power and energy Kellie could feel shake her bones. In the same frozen position on the ground, unharmed, she opened her eyes an
d peered over her hands. Another tiger was on top of the animal that was about to maul her.

  This unforeseen ally was vastly different; it was massive in size and its beauty was breathtaking. Covered in a bright orange and black shiny coat, the white fur around the eyes and mouth and on its underside glowed.

  Puny and shabby in comparison, the other cat squirmed out from underneath, cringed at the magnificent challenger, and wisely backed off. The newcomer watched as the defeated opponent disappeared.

  Kellie stood up and stared at the tiger that saved her with both trepidation and fascination. She thought at first the animal may have wanted her for itself, but it gazed at her differently than the other. Strangely, Kellie detected compassion in its eyes and her apprehension dissipated.

  Waiting for what would happen next, Kellie saw the tiger sit down on all fours. The animal seemed content, licking its padded paws, glancing at her occasionally. Cautiously, Kellie walked backward, gripping tightly on her backpack. It seemed as if the tiger wasn’t going to follow her and just simply let her leave. She continued walking away at a calm pace until she was no longer visible to the animal. Kellie began to run and didn’t hear a chase behind her.

  Successfully escaping the grand beast, she made her way through the unknown territory, as she hopelessly looked for Jake and Jory. Finally, when she just wanted to give up and weep, she heard a faint cry. Following the echo that was becoming clearer, she heard, “Kellie!”

  It was Jake hollering her name. Kellie was overjoyed to hear his voice, but at the same time, speculated about Jory’s safety. Scurrying toward the origin, the calls became louder.

  “JAKE!”

  “Kellie?”

  He heard her! But where was he? Unable to spot him, she yelled, “WHERE ARE YOU?”

  “HERE! OVER HERE!”

  “WHERE?”

  “NEXT TO SOME WALL!”

  Wall? Did he say —

  GASP! Just then, Kellie ran into a peculiar green wall.