Fiction: Group 3
After she went home and had dinner with her father, Rei headed towards the elder’s house. Some
other tribe members were also seeking help from the elders and there was a line at the door. The elders
believed that each person should have privacy when they needed help. After a while, it was finally her turn.
She walked into the house and sat down in the empty chair. The elders were silent, waiting for her
to speak.
“Well, hello,” She said awkwardly, “My name is Rei. My father is terribly ill at the moment and
he has been for many months now, so I was getting worried and decided that I will come see you elders.”
“Did you see the shaman yet?” inquired a frail and aged man.
“Yes, but even he suggested that I should come see you.” Rei said.
There was a moment of silence.
“He coughs if he laughs, often with blood and always has a low fever. He is also getting constant
ear infections and sometimes his eyelid will start to twitch. Do you possibly know what this means?”
“I was hoping my suspicions were not true.” Said the pale chief elder.
“But the Jakarta virus is gone, is it not?” queried one of the elders.
“Apparently not.”
Rei paled as well. “I thought it was gone before I was born?” No one answered.
“To save your father, you must hike to the top of the Pearl Mountain and pluck a petal of the Fire
Lily.” The chief elder told her, “It will be a dangerous journey, a very dangerous one indeed, but you
must.”
Rei woke up at dawn the next morning. She packed a small bag and tiptoed to her father’s room.
She found a piece of paper and wrote:
Father,
I’ll be gone for a while. Don’t worry about me.
Rei
She then left the house, and started her journey to find the legendary flower.
Rei approached the Dong Jiang. It was particularly alive that day, humming an upbeat tune. She
hopped to the other side and began to follow the river towards the mountain. As the sun got to the highest
point of the day, she settled under the shade of a willow tree to take a break and have lunch. As she
chomped hungrily on a bun, she noticed a swallow gliding in the sky. It landed nearby, chirping happily
under the morning sun. She smiled as the carefree little bird hop from branch to branch, and then flew
away.
If only life was that simple
. She sighed as she got back up and continued the journey up the
mountain.
By the time dusk came, Rei felt so tired that she thought she would collapse on the spot. She
found an appropriate area to camp in for the night and started to cook up some dinner. After a decent
dinner, She went to sleep.
“Come on,” A woman chuckled, “You can do it, just one more step!”
