by Shinn A. H.
“This room is so pretty…” Kellie said. “She won’t mind me staying in here, will she?”
“Oh no, she’s a grown woman now,” said Dr. Lee as he laughed. “It’s been awhile since she’s even been here. We haven’t changed this room since she left. She and her mother spent a great deal of time designing it….It was a way for her to forget about leaving her school and her friends. Please, make yourself at home.”
As he turned to leave, Kellie remembered the important call she needed to make. “Dr. Lee, may I use your phone to call Master Chen? I haven’t spoken to him since I arrived.”
“Of course! The telephone is in the living room.”
“Thank you. I’ll be down in a minute.”
After he left her alone, she admired Mei and her mother’s stunning interior design efforts some more. Cautiously picking up a porcelain ballerina, she saw that it must have been played with excessively: the paint was gone from parts of the figurine and there was a chip in the hand. Placing it down gently, she walked over to the bed and tied the sheer drapes to the posts. Feeling the soft comforter, she thought it was too pretty to sleep on. Going over to sample the curtains, she peered out the window and saw Mrs. Lee gathering fresh vegetables and herbs from her garden. She was wearing a large straw hat and had a wicker basket beside her, which then her husband picked up and carried into the house. Watching her reminded Kellie of how much Master Chen loved to garden.
After quickly unpacking her belongings, she flew downstairs and nervously dialed her house number in Milldale.
As she listened to the phone ring for the fourth time, she wondered what time it was there. Maybe he’s sleeping, she figured, expecting to hear the answering machine to pick up.
“Hello?”
“Master Chen…it’s me!”
“Kellie!” he shouted so forcibly, she wasn’t sure if he was angry or happy to hear her voice.
“Yeah…it’s me,” she admitted meekly, her tone dropping. “How are you?”
“Master Zheng told me you and friends went into Shenmi Forest…and then you and friends escaped forest….You at Dr. Lee’s? You safe? He also tell me about monkey…”
“Yes, Master Chen…I’m at Dr. Lee’s house…with Jake and Jory — I’m really sorry for what —”
“Ay! We talk when you come home….Promise me you stay at Dr. Lee’s home until airplane flight.”
“I promise,” she said firmly. “Master Chen, I have something really important to tell you,” she whispered. Hearing silence on the other end, she called out, “Master Chen, are you there?”
“Ay,” he said softly with an uneasy tone.
“The jade necklace you gave me…on my birthday when I turned twelve…Well, it’s Anguo.” Kellie heard nothing but silence again. “Hello? Are you there?”
“Aayyy,” he murmured. “How do you know this?”
“The Seer!” Kellie said still whispering and checking around to make sure her hosts couldn’t hear her. “Jory found it in Grand Master Jing’s room….The monkey stole the necklace from me. That’s why we went into Shenmi Forest. We had to get it back, and we did! We found it in the cave made of gray slate. I’ll tell you everything when I get back, but I wanted to tell you because we believe we are Protectors, and you are too! You’re the one who found the jade stone.”
He was quiet again on the other end of the receiver. Kellie could only envisage the shock that was on Master Chen’s face.
“I gave the necklace to Master Zheng to keep here, but I didn’t tell him it was Anguo….Everyone thinks I’m Anguo because it rained here yesterday and today after my arrival…and the sun’s out — So I have to ask you. Your friend who has the other stone…Where is he?”
“Unbelievable,” he muttered. “Pei Chow. Name is Pei Chow — He lives in Du Zhen.”
“Master Chen, you have to get in touch with him and tell him that the jade is very important.”
“Yes, you correct. I must communicate with him…. Kellie, be careful.”
After promising again she would stay with Dr. Lee, Kellie hung up the phone. She was relieved Master Chen wasn’t furious with her, and hearing his voice brought some comfort, though her worries now sat with the task of locating Pei Chow. She had faith in Master Chen, so she decided not to lose sleep over the matter and make the most of the next couple of days at the Lees. After all, being confined in a welcoming home, filled with baked goods wasn’t going to be so bad.
Kellie roamed around the house, hoping to find Dr. Lee. She found him working in his office and didn’t want to disturb him. She was tiptoeing away when he called out her name.
“Kellie! Please come in, come in.”
Accepting the invitation, she timidly entered his office.
“Hi. I didn’t want to bother you.”
“No bother at all. Have a seat.”
Kellie pulled out the chair in front of his desk and sat down. The table was covered with stacks of papers and folders; the walls were lined with books from floor to ceiling, even more than in his office in town. Dr. Lee shoved a thick, black notebook into a drawer and attempted to tidy his work station, but just merely moved one pile of papers from one side of his desk to the other.
“You have a really nice home,” said Kellie. “Very comfy….Well, I wanted to thank you for the bamboo seeds you gave me…really came in handy.”
Dr. Lee stopped what he was doing and only his eyes moved up from his glasses.
“What do you mean?”
“Well…” Kellie continued hesitantly, “the secrets of Shenmi Forest should be kept protected…”
“It is an extraordinary place,” said Dr. Lee, looking ever so curious. “I agree, the mysteries of the forest should be safeguarded…but if you choose to tell me, I will listen.”
“Those seeds saved our lives,” said Kellie, noticing Dr. Lee hanging on every word. “Since you gave them to me, I feel that I should tell you…and I wanted to thank you.” Kellie trusted Dr. Lee. Though she knew to keep the mysteries of the forest to herself, she thought it was reasonable to share this one experience.
“Those were very unique seeds. They were engineered to grow faster than the common bamboo seeds….How could they have saved your lives?” He didn’t blink once.
“Well, we were running from tigers in the forest…”
“How terrifying!” Dr. Lee blurted, quite alarmed. “Was anyone hurt?”
“No one got hurt that time….Anyway, we threw food at them and I accidently threw the bag of seeds. When they fell on the ground, bamboo sprouted up pretty much instantly…killing the tigers.”
“That’s impossible…” mumbled Dr. Lee. “But the forest is a place full of the unexplained,” he said softly, and looking as if he was taking a mental note of what she disclosed.
“So, again, thank you.”
“You are welcome,” he said, seeming distracted as if something fell into his head. “You said there was water in the fountain in the cave….Was there anything special about it?”
“I — uh — don’t think so….Why do you ask?”
“Well, the story about the Fountain of Truth is that it only works if water from a special natural spring is in it.”
“It looked like plain old water to me. But a bit yellowish and muddy….”
Dr. Lee’s shoulders sunk, disappointed from the answer. His head quickly propped up and he said, “Sounds like Jake and Jory discovered our VCR and movie collection. Why don’t you join them and relax for the rest of the evening? Mrs. Lee is cooking up a surprise for you three. I have much to finish…writing patient notes….”
Leaving the office and heading to the family room, she glanced back at Dr. Lee. He was quickly back to work; the black notebook he put away in his drawer was on his desk again and he was scribbling in it fervently.
Kellie joined her friends in watching a movie, but they were anxiously waiting to talk to her.
Turning up the volume so they couldn’t be overheard, Jory exclaimed, “The double-horned uni
corn we found was the Saola! That’s why the path wasn’t the same the next day — The Saola changed it! And it helped us out of the maze!”
“Hagos must’ve kidnapped it to find his way into the cave,” Jake said, while chewing on an oatmeal cookie.
“That’s what Hagos meant by ‘setting it free,’” said Kellie. It all made perfect sense. “He wanted to use the Fountain of Truth on the jade stone!”
“Then why did he leave it there?” asked Jory, confused. “We know its Anguo. Don’t you think the fountain would have revealed that to him?”
Jake sunk into the armchair he was relaxing in, pondering Jory’s question, as he finished the last bite of his cookie.
“Dr. Lee said for the Fountain of Truth to work, it has to have special water….It didn’t look like special water was in there….”
Jake and Jory nodded at this new information. They unraveled some answers, but still had much to figure out. Without any other clues, their eyes drifted to the old television set, and for the rest of the afternoon, they watched Mei and Jonathan’s old movie tapes. Jake fell asleep on the chair, which was reclined all the way. Jory was immersed in the video, giggling at the animation. Kellie couldn’t stop thinking about what Hagos wanted. He’d been attacking the monastery, searching for Bao Yu, but what did that mean to him? Did he have an idea that Bao Yu is Anguo? It would be understandable why he wanted it, if he knew. One thing was clear. He was unaware of what Bao Yu was because he was stunned when Shifu Su called her by her Chinese name. That brought her back to her original question: what did Bao Yu mean to him? She remembered he stated he wanted what was rightfully his, but Anguo did not belong to him. What could he be hunting?
After hours of not budging from their spots and enduring the mouth-watering aroma drifting from the kitchen, Mrs. Lee shouted, “Dinner is ready!”
Jake’s eyes cracked open and he jumped out of the armchair. When they made their way to the dining room, they stood speechless as their eyes bugged out. The table was filled with American classics: pizza, hots dogs, hamburgers, french fries, and onion rings.
“We’re going to get scolded for feeding our young guests with such foods,” Dr. Lee said to his wife.
“We won’t tell,” said Jake, drooling and ready to dive into the delicacies.
“I expected that they probably missed American cooking, so I couldn’t resist. I’m sure they got tired of Chinese food at the monastery — I know what they make there.” She motioned to everyone and said, “Eat!”
The boys filled their plates with every item, and moaned with every bite. Jory couldn’t contain his excitement when he saw the sausage and mushroom pizza, declaring that it was his favorite food. Jake gobbled up his hamburger, ketchup oozing from the side of his chin. He also stuffed as many french fries into his mouth as possible. Mrs. Lee, though, made sure they each had a serving of steamed vegetables.
Kellie grabbed a hot dog and squeezed barbeque sauce onto it. She ate Chinese cuisines mostly growing up, so this meal was atypical for her.
“You’re putting barbeque sauce on your hot dog,” Jake pointed out, talking with his mouth full, trying to warn her of this unheard of pairing.
“What am I supposed to put on it?” asked Kellie.
Jake put his hand on his forehead and shook his head. “You’re supposed to put ketchup, mustard, and relish… and onions.”
“Onions!” said Kellie. “Good idea. I like onions.” She topped the diced condiment on top of the barbeque sauce and took a big bite. “Mmmm…really good.”
After Jory’s slice of pizza, he grabbed a hot dog and topped it with barbeque sauce and onions. He took a bite and groaned, “Mmmm! That is good!”
Jake made one too and his slow forming smile showed his pleasant surprise. “I think we have a new concoction!”
While Jake and Jory praised Mrs. Lee for her homemade soda pop and ice cream, the phone rang in the other room and Dr. Lee left to answer it. Mrs. Lee glowed with delight as she went back into the kitchen.
Their bellies were beyond full, and Kellie, Jake, and Jory got up to help clear the table. That’s when Dr. Lee sauntered back into the room, his face pale as the moon projecting behind the dining room window.
“Master Zheng has been kidnapped…”
ellie dropped the glass cup she had in her hand and Mrs. Lee rushed out of the kitchen.
“Oh dear,” she said, quickly getting a broom and dustpan.
Shaking, Kellie apologized and tried to help pick up the broken pieces.
“No, no…don’t touch,” said Mrs. Lee, “I don’t want you cutting yourself. Not to worry…it’s just a cup.” As she swept the glass shards, she did a double take at her husband.
“What’s wrong, honey? You’re not feeling well?”
“I’m fine…must be tired…”
As soon as Mrs. Lee retreated back into the kitchen, Dr. Lee said in a low voice, “I didn’t want to upset my wife — The attacker kidnapped Master Zheng and left a message on the wall. He wrote, ‘Give me the other stone.’ The monks do not know what that means.”
Kellie’s mind began whirling; her knees felt weak and her stomach was doing backward somersaults. It was all her fault! She put Master Zheng in danger by giving him the necklace….But how did Hagos figure out he possessed it? And how could he know about the other piece of the jade stone?
She put her hand to her stomach and sat back down on her seat.
“Are you feeling ill?” asked Dr. Lee. “Are you nauseated again?”
Nauseated? OH NO! It wasn’t Zurich she thought she saw on the side of the road. It was Hagos! How could she have been that thick and naïve?
“I’m not feeling so hot,” she said, this time truly feeling as if she was going to vomit.
“I have something for that…” Dr. Lee said and vanished. Jake and Jory were standing there speechless the whole time, still holding their empty plates. The good doctor came back in a flash with a fizzing glass of liquid in his hand.
“Drink this. It’ll make you feel better.”
After downing the bitter tasting medicine, she wiped her mouth and asked, “What are we going to do?”
“We are not going to do anything,” he answered firmly. “They don’t want any of you to leave the house. They alerted me to be ready for medical service once they find him….” Color flowed back to his face, but he wasn’t able to hide his distress.
“W-what are they going to do?” asked Jory, setting his trembling plate down on the table.
“They’re going to search for him. They’re not going to leave Taiping Monastery until they find him.”
Kellie went to her room early that night and plummeted face down on a furry pink pillow, her head and belly still spiraling with guilt. She had already contacted Master Chen, telling him the devastating news and eagerly hoping to hear he had spoken with Pei Chow. Unfortunately, his old friend did not have a telephone, so Master Chen was urgently trying to get a message to him. Luckily, he received confirmation that Pei still resided in Du Zhen.
Time was now of the essence; who knew what Hagos would do to Master Zheng. He didn’t bear much patience and a human life meant nil to him. After hours of contemplation, Kellie concluded one thing: she had to take action. If she brought Hagos the other stone, he would release Master Zheng; but as a Protector, was this the right decision? Was saving one human worth handing over Anguo to a heinous creature with only evil intentions? She direly longed for Mulin and Zurich’s aid; they would know what to do.
A soft knock was at the door.
“Please, come in,” said Kellie, her voice muffled from the pillow.
“We wanted to see how you were feeling,” said Jake, pushing the door ajar and poking his head in.
Kellie soared from the bed, yanked him and Jory inside by the sleeves, and shut the bedroom door.
“Remember when I told you that Master Chen broke the jade stone and gave the other half to his friend?” Jake and Jory nodded with some apprehension at her erratic
behavior. “Well, his friend lives in Du Zhen!”
“Uh oh…I’ve seen that look before,” warned Jake.
“So…we need to get the other half of the rock and make a trade with Hagos,” said Jory valiantly.
“Exactly what I was thinking,” said Kellie, “except, it’ll be me and not we.”
“NO WAY, KELLIE!” Jake exclaimed, swinging his arms across his chest, like an umpire.
“Yeah, no way — You’re not going without us,” said Jory.
“That’s not what I meant!” said Jake. “Let the monks take care of it. Didn’t you hear Dr. Lee? We were instructed to not leave the house. You’re in danger, too… if you don’t recall. And how can we hand over the other part of Anguo to Hagos? That doesn’t sound like a wise idea.”
“I know we have a responsibility to protect Anguo,” Kellie rebutted, “but if I don’t get the other piece from Pei Chow and take it to Hagos…Master Zheng might die.” She leaned against a bedpost, feeling more desperate than ever. “Then I’ll somehow let Mulin and Zurich know that Hagos has Anguo and let them deal with him.”
Jake and Jory didn’t offer a counter argument.
“So how does Hagos know there’s another half of the stone?” asked Jake.
Unable to prevent her eyes from welling up, she forcibly admitted, “’Cause of me. It’s all my fault Master Zheng was kidnapped.” She rubbed her face as she began to explain. “Remember when I got out of the car on our way here?” Kellie waited for confirmation before she went on. “Well, I thought I saw Zurich and told him that I gave the stone to Master Zheng, and that I know who has the other half —”
She saw the horror-stricken looks on both their faces. “I know! I know how stupid I am!” she said as she slapped her forehead multiple times. “That’s why I have to do this.” She expected a reprimand from her friends for her idiocy.
After an excruciating moment of silence, Jake asked, “Well, how are we going to find Pei Chow and how are we going to get to Taiping Monastery?”
Kellie was about to protest when Jake put up his hand.
“Yes, I said ‘we’ — like Jory said, you’re not going without us.”