by A. H. Shinn
Lia lit up from the compliment. She then put down the baby and asked, “Do you want to play a game?”
“I don’t know many games.”
Lia giggled. “Everyone knows hide-and-seek!”
“You’re right! I know how to play that.”
Lia tapped Kellie on the elbow and yelled, “You’re it! I’m going to hide, and you find me!”
She ran away so quickly that she was almost near an area of dense trees before Kellie blinked.
“Lia! Wait!” Kellie sprinted to catch up with her. She followed the little girl into the forest and saw her disappear past a thick trunk. “Lia! I don’t think we should play hide-and-seek in here! You’re going to get lost! I’m going to get lost…”
She contemplated whether she should go and find Sarna, but she didn’t want to leave Lia alone in the woods. Besides, she couldn’t have gone too far.
“Lia, let’s play near the tents! I promise you can go first again!”
Kellie searched around the trees, behind rocks, and between bushes. She was moving farther and farther away from the camp and was getting more and more nervous with every stride.
Kellie heard soft footsteps and attempted to follow them. “Lia! You win! Come out and let’s start over, okay?”
The footsteps stopped, and Kellie turned in a complete circle. She didn’t see Lia. And now it was silent.
“Kellie,” said a small voice.
As she whipped around, Kellie exhaled, “Lia.”
A small, furry creature was staring up at her, and Kellie stepped back. Her hand clutched her chest. It was the mongoose she’d watched fight with the cobra.
This animal was dangerous, and now Kellie didn’t want Lia to come out. She crept away slowly as she looked around for the girl.
“She is hiding,” said the mongoose.
Kellie jumped back so fast that she tumbled onto her rear.
The animal scurried up to her and asked, “You’re not having a heart attack, are you?”
“N-No…W-Where’s the girl?”
“She is in a bush.” He glanced behind him. “She is safe and cannot hear us.”
“You’re talking,” said Kellie.
“You should be used to this by now, my dear.” He stood tall on his hind legs and stared curiously at her. You are Kellie, aren’t you? Also known as Bao Yu?”
“I am. Are—are you a mystical animal?”
“Indeed,” he said as he bowed his little head. “Were you expecting another?”
“No,” said Kellie. “I just thought they would all be—” Grander, she thought in her head. “What is your name?” “I am Desta, one of the members of the Family of Chi. I am pleased to finally meet you. Zurich and Mulin gave you high praises.”
“Mulin? Zurich? Are they here?” Kellie scrambled up onto her feet.
“It is just me.”
Kellie dropped her shoulders. “Do you think you can help me get home?”
“How can I do that? I am a mongoose.”
“But you’re a mystical animal.”
“Exactly. I am an animal. In your world, I am limited to what I can do. In my world, I have only one mission.”
“To teach a chosen one…” Kellie said with a sigh.
“You are correct.” He cocked his head. “How did you get to Bhutan?”
“The Druk nuns tricked me. One of them pretended to be my mother, and they drugged me. They got me on a plane, and when I came to, I was at their monastery.”
He shook his head back and forth. He kept shaking his little head and seemed to be in deep thought. “How insensitive. Sonam had fallen into a dark place, but she would not have approved of that behavior.”
“You trained her?”
“Yes. Some of us did. She had much talent. A very fast learner she was. Sadly, we had to stop teaching her.”
“Why?”
“There was hostility behind her kung fu. We trained her to protect herself against the attackers in the forest and to teach the other nuns self-defense. But as she learned about the vicious attacks on some of her sisters, her heart became hard and she began to fight with vengeance.
“When she founded Druk Monastery, she passed on our teachings in a way we did not support. Her sisters also fought with brutality. After we stopped training her, none of us encountered her again.”
Although Kellie didn’t agree with the ways of the Druk nuns, she now understood how their practices came to be.
“Now why,” Desta asked, “would the nuns bring you here?”
“They think I’m their long-awaited Teacher,” said Kellie. “Sonam had a vision that another will come to teach the Druk nuns. They think I’ll take them to the next level. Do—do you think I could be the One?”
“Why do they think you are the One?”
“Bodhi, their tracker, saw me use my energy at Taiping Monastery when we were fighting monkeys. She saw me moving things without touching it.” Kellie then felt the guilt of losing the Emotive Chi. “I have something to tell you…I don’t know how to say this, but—”
“We will speak again.” Desta disappeared behind Kellie as Lia appeared in front of her.
“Aha! You didn’t find me. I win!” Lia cried with glee.
“Lia, please don’t run away like that again.”
Kellie and Lia played more games, but back at the settlement by the others. Kellie was happy to watch the girl as Sarna prepared for more rain.
Desta was on Kellie’s mind for the rest of the day. She couldn’t believe she’d met another mystical animal. The dreadful night when she’d come face-to-face with Hagos, he had revealed that there were seven members of the Family of Chi. Until today, she had met Mulin, Zurich, and Hagos—a former member. Desta was the fourth.
As the sun went down, the villagers disappeared into their tents. Kellie stayed with Sarna and Lia.
Kellie was listening to the soft patters tapping the side of their shelter as she lay in the dark. It had started raining, and the water droplets were growing in number.
The yak-hair tent swayed with the wind. Kellie wondered if it would hold up in a monsoon.
“Are you awake?” whispered Sarna.
“How did you know?” asked Kellie.
“Our homes aren’t as well built as the ones at Druk Monastery. The fear of blowing away kept me up the night of my first monsoon.”
Kellie heard Sarna scoot away from Lia and get up. “I’m going to reinforce the tent.”
“Do you need help?”
“No. I’ve done it numerous times. It hasn’t come down yet. I’ll be right back.”
Kellie heard hammering as well as talking outside. It sounded like some of the men were helping Sarna. The sense of community was strong here.
“What games do you want to play tomorrow?” whispered Lia.
“You’re supposed to be asleep,” said Kellie.
“I know. Don’t tell my mom. She’ll try to make me nap tomorrow.”
“I’ll let you choose the games.”
“Kellie?”
“Yes?”
“Do you have to go?”
Kellie smiled in the dark. “My family and friends are waiting for me to come home.”
“Will you ever visit me?”
“I’ll try, but you know what?”
“What?”
“I’ll write to you.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
“My mom’s coming back. Good night,” she whispered hurriedly.
“Sweet dreams, Lia.”
The winds died down, and the rain let up. Kellie allowed her body to relax and, for the first time in this foreign land, she felt at ease. Just hearing Lia’s innocent voice took away Kellie’s fears and worries, and she appreciated Sarna’s genuine warmth.
&
nbsp; Her eyes closed, and she drifted into a deep sleep.
After the first decent night’s rest she’d had in Bhutan, Kellie stretched her body on the hard floor. The tent walls didn’t completely shield the sunlight; when she opened her eyes, she saw that it seemed good weather had returned.
Sarna and Lia were already up and had left her alone in the tent. Wide awake, Kellie was eager to see if today would be the day to make it to the open road.
As she stepped outside, she saw that the people of this close-knit community were all up. Some of the men were hammering down the tents and fences that held the animals; the women were building fires to cook breakfast; the older kids were chasing the chickens and collecting their eggs.
Lia sat at a table, writing on a piece of paper with a stack of books next to her. Sarna watched her daughter as she folded clothes from a basket.
“Good morning!” said Sarna as Kellie approached them.
“Hi!” squealed Lia as she threw down her pencil. She ran up to Kellie and wrapped her small arms around Kellie’s waist.
“Good morning,” said Kellie, returning the affectionate hug.
“Back to work,” Sarna ordered her daughter. “Would you like some breakfast, Kellie?”
“I’m not hungry, but thank you.”
“Mommy says breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” said Lia.
“It’s school time,” Sarna said to Lia. “In class, the students don’t speak out, do they?”
Lia opened her mouth and then pressed her lips together tightly as she shook her head.
“Good girl,” said Sarna.
“You teach her in English?” asked Kellie.
“I teach her in several languages, but mainly in English. I think we will eventually move back to the US, where she was born.”
Lia looked at her mother with puppy-dog eyes, begging to say something.
“Ah, what did I say?” said Sarna. “No speaking. After you do your work, you can say whatever is on your mind.”
Lia let out a loud sigh and went back to her assignment.
“Where did you live in the US?” asked Kellie.
“Lia was born in Idaho. We eventually moved to Kansas and then to California. We lived in San Francisco for two months and then moved to Italy. After about a year and a half in Palermo, we went to Tokyo and stayed with a friend. A year ago, we came here to spend time with family, but it’s not permanent. I think settling down in the US will be the best place for Lia.”
“I like it here!” shouted Lia.
As Sarna’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped, Lia said, “You said I could talk after I was done, and I’m done.”
Sarna closed her mouth as she shook her head. “I sometimes think she’s getting too smart for me.”
Lia swung her legs over the bench, her toes ready to take off. “I’m hungry.”
“Go get some food from your aunt and be back for reading,” said Sarna.
Kellie watched Lia run toward the women who were cooking. On her way, a toddler fell facedown. Lia picked up the crying boy and brushed the dirt off his clothes. She held his hand as she led him toward the women.
“She really is a sweet and caring girl,” said Kellie.
“Sweet? Usually. Caring? Very.” Sarna smiled. “She really has a big heart.”
“So, when you’re back in America, maybe we can meet?” asked Kellie. “I don’t live too far from San Francisco.”
“Lia and I would love that.”
Glancing up at the sky, Kellie examined the scattered clouds. “Do you think it’s going to rain again?”
Looking at Kellie sympathetically, Sarna said, “We expect it to.”
“I was hoping it would clear up.”
“I know,” said Sarna. “This experience must be very difficult for you. I can’t imagine what your parents must be going through. If someone ever took Lia away from me, I don’t know what I would do.”
“I don’t have parents…well, not a mother and father. I have fifty-five fathers.”
Sarna’s facial expression went from empathy to confusion.
“I was adopted by the Taiping monks in China after one of them found me in a forest near their monastery. Now I live in California with Master Chen. Just the two of us moved there.” Kellie elected to skip the long story of why they left Taiping Monastery. “We hadn’t gone back until last December, but we’re planning to go every year.”
Sarna’s eyes moistened.
“I really love my life in Milldale. I made great friends. I like my school. And Master Chen and I run a kung fu studio that’s in front of our house.”
Sarna turned her head as she wiped her eyes. “You know kung fu?” she mumbled.
“Yes. I’ve been training ever since I can remember. The Taiping monks are superior martial artists. Unlike the Druk nuns, they find peace and honor in their kung fu.”
“I know Lia would love to learn,” said Sarna with a forced smile.
“I would be honored to teach her,” said Kellie. “I really love my life. It’s different, but it’s mine.”
Sarna’s eyes began to well up again. “I am heartbroken over your parents.”
“What do you mean?” asked Kellie.
“To leave your child is to leave a part of you,” she said. “Something terrible must have happened to have led to that decision. I hope they find you someday…And if they do, give them a chance.”
Lia came running back with a piece of bread in her hand. “Why are you crying, Mommy?”
“I’ll tell you one day,” she said. “It’s time for reading.”
Lia was taking an afternoon nap, and Sarna read beside her. The rest of the villagers were winding down as well, taking a break before suppertime.
Although Kellie spent much of her day helping where she could, washing dishes, picking fruit, and even putting on an impromptu kung fu class for the children, she had loads of energy.
Her eyes wandered to the area where Lia had run off to the day before. She wondered if Desta would still be there. The meeting with the mystical animal picked at her, just as much as getting to the road. She wanted to see him again before she left Bhutan, and this was the perfect time for her to go looking for him.
Kellie crept into the woods. Every time she heard branches rattle or leaves scatter, her head turned. Careful not to get lost, she didn’t venture too far.
“This is ridiculous. I’m not going to find him.”
As she was about to head back, she saw a tail behind a bush.
“Desta?” Excitedly, she rushed to the sighting. “Oh. It’s just a squirrel,” she said, deflated.
“You’re lucky she doesn’t understand you. She would have been insulted.”
Kellie spun around, and Desta was standing right below her.
“Desta!” Kellie squealed as she dropped to her knees.
“I’m flattered that you’re so thrilled to see me,” he said.
“I should be leaving within the next couple of days and I wanted to talk to you again.” He was the closest thing here to her past. Even though she’d just met him, she felt somehow connected to the mongoose. He was a member of the Family of Chi, and she had been too—however brief.
“I have questions,” said Kellie.
“As do I,” said Desta. “Why don’t snakes have legs? It must be uncomfortable to be slithering on their bodies all day.”
“What?” asked Kellie. “I don’t know. Then they would be centipedes?”
The mongoose let out a hissing sound as he bobbed his head up and down. “Clever girl, you are,” he said after he was done laughing. “What would you like to ask of me?”
“How did you know who I was?”
“You called out Mulin and Zurich’s names in the forest. That was easy. Next.”
“Um, do you think I could
be the Teacher Sonam envisioned?”
“You asked me that one already.”
“Well, it’s an important question…and I didn’t get an answer.”
“Would it make a difference what I think?” he asked.
“No. I mean…Could the nuns be right?”
“That is a different question.”
Desta wasn’t making this easy for Kellie.
“I do not know,” he said. “I was unaware of Sonam’s visions. If she had a prophecy, it was kept amongst the Druk nuns. When the others and I saw her for the last time, we warned her to stop the aggression. She and her sisters began to stay within their monastery, and they were no longer a threat to others. We thought after all these years their beliefs have changed, but it seems we were wrong…”
Kellie’s hands started shaking by her sides. Her stomach churned, and her mouth went dry. She had to tell him.
“I—I have a confession,” she said.
She clenched her fists to stop the trembling. Without looking at the mystical animal, she said, “I lost Hagos’s Emotive Chi.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Training
Desta’s body began to quake. Then he roared with laughter.
“What’s so funny?” asked Kellie. It was extremely difficult admitting to losing the precious Emotive Chi, and Desta was reacting with mockery. Each of the mystical animals represented and harbored one of the seven chis, and Kellie could not protect its immense power. She visualized almost daily the ball of puff that had chosen to return to her and not Hagos. How could Desta laugh at this? She expected that he would be furious.
“You are being serious?” he asked.
“Yes! It’s gone! I lost it! It disappeared!”
He stopped laughing and he wrinkled his snout. “Did you experience extreme physical pain? Such pain that you wanted to squeeze your eyeballs?”
“No. I don’t think so. Maybe. I don’t remember.”
“Then you did not. Believe me, you would remember. Do you remember when Hagos was taking the Emotive Chi back from you?”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember when it came back to you?”
“Yes.”
“Enough said. It cannot simply be lost.”