from heaven. It took me a while to recover from shock and notice the marching band had stopped
in front of our doorstep.
The emperor walked down from the sedan chair with poise and assurance. Everyone quickly
kneeled down and hailed, “May the king live millions and millions of years!” To my surprise, the
emperor’s eyes which never made any eye contact with anyone bore into mine. I was so terrified
that I swiftly lowered my head.
His lips twitched upwards and eyes filled with curiosity, “So you are the virgin?”
I peeked at Mr. and Mrs. Wong. They motioned that I should just go with it and obey him. I
nodded at his question.
“Good. Ah! Your hair is so soft and shiny.” I cast a glance at the emperor and stunned by his
comment, “Those eyes, with so much liveliness and boldness! Like the black pearls given by Jin.
What a pity! You could totally become my concubine with your breath-taking beauty. I’m sure
God of Rain will be pleased with us offering you as his wife.”
I was no longer able to stop myself from questioning all the nonsense. “I’m sorry my
majesty. What do you mean by offering me as the God of Rain’s wife? I thought I was here to
become a maid.”
A witch-like laughter burst from the emperor, “You, my dear, were chosen to be the offering to
keep the God of Rain happy. You are well aware of the problem caused by the drought right? The
land of us Qin will soon become a desert without your sacrifice.”
“And how does it work exactly? By using my blood?” I was startled by a horrible thought.
“No, my dear,” I felt a sense of relief, “You are sent off to a deserted place and will stay
there forever!”
Immediately, some soldiers rushed out and grabbed me from behind. I kicked, I yelled and
I screamed but no one was there to rescue me. I stare into the eyes of the passengers, secretly
begging someone to step up. No one dared to. They all just looked at me sympathetically. My
vision was blurry. And soon I was swept into darkness by someone covering my mouth with a
towel drenched with a chemical.
I tried my hardest to open my eyes. I was light-headed. Everything was a blur and spinning. It
felt like all of the blood was rushing from my head all the way down to my feet. At that moment,
I heard a warm voice whispering, “I’m so sorry. It was either you or my daughter. I didn’t have a
choice.” And soon I fell back into sleep, a sweet yet sad lullaby fading away in the background.
And that was my last piece of memory.
When I woke up, I found myself already in this desert with absolutely no one within sight. I
had fought my hardest to survive but the uneasiness started to suffocate me. I used the last of my
strength to write this letter. I pressed my lips on the cold surface of my mother’s jade pendant,
inhaled my last breath and let go of everything.
“As you can see here, it is the rock of sacrifice. It looks like a girl looking towards somewhere
far away.” Says the tourist guide, “It is believed that her selfless act and unfortunate fate touched
the god’s heart and he turned her into a rock to commemorate her. People touch the rock to get a
good blessing for a blissful family life and luck…”
I walked away from the crowd. I observed the rock in detail, admiring its beauty. All of a
sudden, I found a letter in a hole of the rock. I flipped it open. I started to read it aloud, trying to
sense the girls’ presence, “It was already my 192nd hour without water…’’
* * *
