Tara Zenyora : and the Seven-Jeweled Lighthouse

by Samantha B. Adra

  “Sweetie, I’m deeply sorry about your mother. She is a wonderful lady and I totally let her down because of my selfishness and ignorance. Now it’s too late to atone for my past mistakes,” said Patrick with a regretful sigh.

  She knelt in front of her father’s wheelchair and held his hand. “Daddy, mom told me to forgive you, and I’m relieved that I did. Past is already past, there’s no point dwelling upon it. I regret that I was not on talking terms with you for the last three years. Once we’re back home, I promise to look after you so that you’ll have many joyful golden years ahead. It’s my obligation as your daughter to fulfill my filial piety to you.”

  “Your forgiveness is all that I need; it’s enough for me. I’m happy and at peace now,” replied Patrick with contentment. “There’s nothing more you need to do for me, sweetie.”

  On one sunny day, Prince Chen, Singha, Tara and Geetha played beach volleyball. Roshni was the umpire for the game.

  While Prince Chen and Singha wore sports shirts and shorts, Geetha and Tara wore sports bra bikini-style beach attire. Geetha was skinny but Tara had a well-toned tummy and an hour-glass figure that caused Prince Chen to lose focus.

  “Master, you need to stay focused, else we’ll lose terribly,” Singha grumbled.

  “I’m trying; but my heart is not following the command of my brain,” said Prince Chen, falling again, unable to save the ball.

  Tara spiked the volleyball over the net and it accidentally hit Prince Chen in the face. Her team won the game.

  “Master, are you alright?” Singha was worried for his master who seemed to have passed out.

  “Wake up! The game is over!” Tara cried, shaking Prince Chen’s shoulder. When he did not respond, Tara rushed to grab a bucket of water from the ocean and splashed it all over Prince Chen. Finally, he did wake up.

  “You see, Prince Chen is awake now. He is fine. I knew he was just pretending,” Tara chuckled.

  With a wave of his hand, Bo transformed all of them back to their original attires after the game.

  In the evening, Bo conjured a carnival amusement park for all of them to have fun and enjoy themselves.

  Many amusement rides were scattered across inside the carnival: the carousel, the Ferris wheel, a pirate’s ship, a rollercoaster, bumper cars, swinging teacups, and go-karts.

  It was the first time Prince Chen went to a carnival. He was mesmerized by the sights and sounds of almost everything, including his modern contemporary attire.

  “Let’s go for a carousel ride.” She dragged him by his hand to the carousel ride.

  Inside the carousel, the seats looked like several sea animals such as octopus, dolphin, shark, whale, seahorse, fish, turtle etc. Tara sat on a large octopus so that Prince Chen could sit next to her. Roshni, Geetha, Rashid, Jun Yang, and Singha joined them on the carousel ride. The ride brought back sweet memories she shared with her family.

  After the carousel ride, Prince Chen went to a stall to get popcorn and candy floss to watch a puppet show under the stars. With much laughter and giggling, Tara absolutely enjoyed herself.

  Following that, Prince Chen and Tara went to play in the arcade and the carnival stalls. Prince Chen was skilled at playing games such as archery, dart throwing, ring toss, feed the lion, and bowling. He won many soft toys of various sizes and shapes for Tara.

  “Darling, I’m such an excellent player! Do you feel proud of me?” bragged Prince Chen, flashing his jaunty smile looking at the sack full of plush toys.

  “Yeah, right, so long as you’re not a playboy, you’re considered quite tolerable to me,” Tara chortled.

  “You don’t deserve a playboy; you need the one and only Beast Tamer who is loyal and committed to you,” chuckled Prince Chen, holding her hands even tighter and then giving her hand a peck.

  “Are you saying I’m the beast already tamed by you?” said Tara, with feigned annoyance.

  “Oops... apologies, I should say, ‘Beauty Trainer.’ You’re the Beauty, I’m the Beast,” Prince Chen immediately corrected himself to please her. Tara smiled, feeling a sense of love and adoration rising within her.

  Holding a huge bag full of soft toys, Tara looked like a Santa Clause waiting to distribute toys. A group of children who had just received some balloons from the nearby clown gathered around her, asking for toys. Tara decided to give away all the soft toys to the children

  “What is the use of keeping these toys? I already have one large cuddly bear beside me. What more could I ask for?” laughed Tara, caressing his hands gently.

  “It’s my highest honor to be a plush toy for you,” said Prince Chen cheekily. “Darling, it has been some time since we had our last dance on Cloud Nine. Shall we waltz together tonight?”

  Tara nodded in agreement.

  After dinner, Tara and Prince Chen danced the Waltz together. Wearing a scarlet-red, short-sleeved, figure-flattering cheongsam with a sensual high slit, Tara looked absolutely gorgeous and divine.

  “Out of all the outfits you have worn before, today, at this moment, this one is the most glamourous and luscious one of all,” praised Prince Chen, gazing into her eyes with such alluring intensity that sent Tara’s heart charging wildly.

  “Thanks for your compliment. You look handsome and charming in your black Tang suit. The mandarin collar is a nice touch.”

  “Dancing with you is my greatest honor; it’s the moment of supreme bliss. You’re the epitome of grace, beauty, and elegance. How I wish this is not our Last Dance,” said Prince Chen, his eyes could not let go of Tara’s enchanting green eyes.

  As Tara waltzed with him around the room, she noticed that Prince Chen looked a little different that night. While he still retained his sensual amethyst eyes, his turquoise hair was transformed into a Cappuccino brown and his pair of dragon horns had completely disappeared. The flawless dance coupled with his alluring gaze and his irresistible scent of forest and ocean made her amorous desire for him grow stronger as the dance went on.

  By the end of the dance, she was blushed with a pinkish hue on her face and her heart was pounding so feverishly that she could no longer suppress her desires toward him.

  Peering straight into Prince Chen’s violet eyes with such seductive tenderness, Tara said to him coyly, “Prince Chen, I remember when I was a little girl, my late mother taught me a beautiful Tang Poem, The Ebullience of Rain on a Spring Night, by a renowned Tang poet, Du Fu. This poem aptly describes my present feelings and desires towards you. Allow me to recite the Tang poem for you:

  “A good rain knows the right season,

  and it waits until the arrival of Spring.

  Following the breeze, it steals in by the night

  quietly moistens everything.

  The path between the fields is shrouded with clouds,

  on the river, the lone light from the boat burns bright.

  Come dawn, splashes of moist red petals,

  Chengdu’s flowers with dense morning dew

  will be in sight.”

  Having heard her recitation of the The Ebullience of Rain on a Spring Night, Prince Chen instantly understood her meaning. With his lips curling into his trademark smile, he replied in a haiku,

  “Dark sky full of stars.

  Marvelous Pundarika,

  Thus, a Solitaire.”

  Having said so, he swept her up and brought her to his chamber to spend their first night of consummation together as husband and wife. Knowing that she was ready for him, he had decided to completely transform himself from a half-human-half-dragon to a complete human - without the pair of dragon horns on his head – for the first time, for this very moment.

  In the process of their consummation, Prince Chen had secretly transferred a significant portion of his fruits of spiritual cultivation―especially that of the dragon transformation skill―to her so that she was able to easily transform herself into a dragon to defeat the demons effortlessly.

  CHAPTER 44

  THE SKY BATTLE

  Aft
er two weeks of pure enjoyment on the tropical island, Bo made the island disappear and brought all of them back to the Ship. “It’s time for us to get going. The Qibaota is around the corner.”

  Tara knocked on Bo’s door, and it opened on its own to allow her to enter his Zen minimalist chamber.

  “Bo, are you looking for me?”

  “Yes, I have something to give you. Take a seat over here,” said Bo who remained seated in his meditation position. A cushion materialized for Tara to take a seat.

  “You have mastered the martial art ‘Twenty-One Movements of the Phoenix Silk Dance’ but you have yet to receive a weapon. Here is a gift from your brother. You will need this to subdue the demons once the Qibaota is awakened,” Bo said as he magically sent a golden red phoenix hairpin with one dangling golden pearl directly onto Tara’s palms.

  “The Golden Red Phoenix hairpin is so lovely and beautiful, thank you brother!” said Tara delightfully as she admired the exquisite hairpin. “You said it’s a weapon, but how do I use it?”

  “This Golden Red Phoenix hairpin is a magical hairpin that responds to your intention and heart’s desire. The hairpin can be flexibly transformed into a sword, spear, or saber. You can also transform it into a golden silk ribbon Vajra weapon. The hairpin will act as its handle and the golden pearl will extend into a length of silk ribbon,” said Bo. “You should try it now. Close your eyes, focus upon your intention, and speak to your hairpin.”

  Holding the hairpin in her palms, Tara murmured softly, “Golden silk ribbon Vajra weapon.” The hairpin transformed into a shimmering five-pronged Vajra weapon with a golden silk ball on one end which unfurled itself into a long strand of silk ribbon. She tried using the golden silk ribbon with the martial movements of the ‘Twenty-One Movements of Phoenix Silk Dance.’ The experience was the pinnacle of perfection for her; the ribbon moved and flowed effortlessly in response to her mind’s instruction.

  “Wow, this is simply amazing! I love it! Thanks so much!” Tara exclaimed, putting the golden red phoenix hairpin onto her hair bun.

  “You’re welcome, sister. Once you have awakened the Qibaota inside you, you will then be able to awaken the Qibaota outside of you.”

  Tara suddenly realized the way to awaken the Qibaota outside of her - she had to practice the Qibaota Meditation as taught by Venerable Wenshu, not the mindfulness of breathing meditation taught by Bo.

  “Bo, I need to take my leave now. I think I know how to awaken the Qibaota,” said Tara, feeling optimistic for the first time since they began their journey.

  The moment she started practicing the Qibaota Meditation, an energy in the shape of a vortex spiraled from her root chakra to her crown chakra and shot up into the sky, transforming Tara into an emerald-green dragon with a golden mane. She flew in the sky enjoying herself in the bliss of unbounded freedom as a transformed dragon for the first time.

  Once she transformed into a dragon, the real Qibaota emerged from the ocean and suspended in mid-air. The Qibaota appeared as the Seven-jeweled Lighthouse made entirely of colorless white diamond. Seven jewels of seven colors, ranging from red to purple, were encrusted in the lighthouse, like seven round windows. The Qibaota perched on a mountain peak on an island shaped like an eight-petaled white lotus. The white golden light was radiating out in a circular motion from the oriental pavilion with upturned roof on top of the lighthouse. In the middle of the pavilion’s roof was an eight-spoked Dharma wheel.

  Everyone in the ship was stunned watching the diamond lighthouse appear from the ocean so unexpectedly and yet so resplendently and magnificently, as it remained suspended in mid-air.

  The bright clear sky suddenly darkened as countless gloomy clouds appeared, blocking the sun. Amid the darkness, thousands of black and white ghostly figures materialized from the clouds, laughing hysterically just like the Malay female ghost Pontianak. These ghostly figures had magical powers that allowed them to transform into any forms to deceive and challenge those who wished to access the Qibaota. The ghostly demons came hurtling down toward it in an attempt to destroy it.

  Without further delay, Bo conjured a formidable protective shield that protected all the people inside the ship from the attack of the demons. Only Tara, Prince Chen, and Bo were allowed to pass through the protective shield to enter the ship at will.

  Distracted by the sudden appearance of the Qibaota, Tara was unable to focus and her transformed dragon body vanished in an instant.

  “Darling, you need this,” said Prince Chen, helping her put on a silver lamellar suit of armour before donning a suit of armour himself. Bo did not wear any protective garments.

  “Thank you, honey,” said Tara, her heart warm with fuzzy feelings of love and gratitude.

  Tara transformed the Red Golden Phoenix hairpin into a Red Golden Phoenix Sword. Then she rode on her Queenzy phoenix and flew into the sky. “Here we go!” She slashed the demons using the sword like a fearless warrior, flexibly applying all the forms of the Dragon Fists that Prince Chen had taught.

  Prince Chen ran across the ocean water rapidly before he flew up into the sky and swung his Vajra Staff of the Thunderbolt with thunderous force, vanquishing the encroaching demons valiantly. He transformed himself into a white dragon with a turquoise mane, spewing out magic water to battle with the demons.

  Replicating himself a thousand times, Bo walked and stood in midair, trouncing the legions of demons with agility using his Vajra Saber of the Symphony - a type of weapon transformed from his bamboo flute. He displayed numerous magical powers such as water shooting out from his upper body and fire appearing in his lower body to vanquish the demons. He was able to enlarge himself to a giant before contracting to the size of a dwarf as a defensive mechanism to avoid being attacked by the demons.

  All three of them battled bravely but the demons’ population increased exponentially – from a thousand to a million - until the three of them were unable to cope with it.

  “The demons increase by leaps and bounds! How are we going to win this battle?” yelled Prince Chen, exasperated by the volume of demons.

  “There are too many of them! We’re trapped!” cried Tara, slashing the vast legions of demons until both her hands were sore.

  One demon managed to destroy Tara’s phoenix which disintegrated on the spot, causing Tara to fall from the sky. Fortunately, Prince Chen in his dragon form, flew down to rescue her immediately.

  “Are you alright, darling?” said Prince Chen, carrying her in his embrace and gazing tenderly into her emerald eyes. “You can sit on my back while waiting for Queenzy to be reborn.”

  Tara nodded with a coy smile. Her heart was full of fuzzy lovey-dovey adoration for him. She had never experienced so much love for Prince Chen.

  Sitting on Prince Chen’s dragon back, she continued her battle against the demons. Once the phoenix was reborn, she leapt onto her phoenix and quashed the ever-increasing demons.

  Tara wondered what had contributed to the exponential increase in the demons. Venerable Wenshu’s advice came back to her, ‘Don’t slay the demons, subdue them.’

  But how to subdue the demons? Tara wondered.

  Absorbed in her own pondering regarding the question of how to subdue the demons, Tara lost momentary focus in the battle.

  Three demons worked together in a team to take advantage of her distraction. One demon attacked the phoenix by repeatedly shooting icicles at it. Queenzy retaliated by blowing phoenix fire at the demon. Another demon transformed into a giant warrior to engage in an intense fight with Tara, causing her to lose hold of her Red Golden Phoenix Sword which tumbled down and fell into the ocean. The third demon transformed itself into a sharp spear, lunging straight at Tara’s heart the moment she lost her sword.

  Sensing the impending danger, Bo immediately dashed in front of Tara to protect her. The spear pierced straight into Bo’s heart and he fell from the sky back to the ship.

  “Bo!” Tara shrieked.

  “Be careful darling!” Prince Che
n saw more demons were charging at Tara, trying to harm her. He went over to squash the demons, protecting her from harm. Then he followed her to the ship.

  Tara flew down to the ship and knelt beside Bo, whose body was soaked in blue blood. She could not restrain the tears streaking down her oval-shaped porcelain face.

  “Bo, you don’t have to sacrifice yourself for me. Please… don’t leave me, Bo. You know I’ve always loved you and I’ve never wanted to become your sister. The magic of your gentleness, patience, and equanimity inspires me so much that I hope to be by your side forever. You are my Savior, my Teacher, and my Hero of the World. What should I do if you’re gone?” said Tara, her voice choked with emotions.

  “Don’t be sad, Tara. Remember, all conditioned things are transient and fleeting like bubbles and dreams. Choose Nirvana, it’s your True Home,” said Bo. “Always be an island unto yourself, and be your own refuge, having no other; self-empowerment is the path to true freedom and happiness. Here is the elixir of the Celestial Mountain Snow Lotus; it represents my heart for you.”

  Bo put the elixir in her palm and returned her the paixiao she had given him as a parting gift back in Purple Bamboo Grove.

  The next moment, his whole body became translucent and it dissolved, leaving behind the conical bamboo hat, end-blown flute, and the calabash tumbler. A small golden white ball, a crystallization of his remaining energy, entered into Tara’s heart without her awareness.

  “Bo! Don’t leave me!” Tara broke down in tears. Sobbing sorrowfully, she decided to open the calabash-shaped vial and drink the elixir immediately. A refreshing surge of immeasurable energy welled up within her. With the consumption of the Snow Lotus elixir, her body was empowered with magic to protect her from all types of poisons, viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi and other microorganisms forever. Poisons from dragon curses would no longer harm her anymore.