Fiction: Group 4
He took a deep breath, before adding:
“All of you are running a terrible risk coming here.”
John and Chris exchanged puzzled looks; Anna sat back into her seat, whimpering slightly; Elizabeth,
on the other hand, carried on staring at the man. How could they possibly be in danger? She soon got the
answer to her question.
“Perhaps you might like to explain why they are so, Mr Chiu,” said Mrs Chiu darkly.
“Oh! Alright!” said he impatiently, repositioning himself in his seat, finally dropping his chopsticks into
his plate, and intertwining his hands above the table. “Have any of you four ever heard of the Kylin?”
“The
what?’
stammered Elizabeth. Chris stamped her foot from under the table.
“The kylin,” Mr Chiu continued, cringing at her impolite exclamation. “Is an animal of ancient
Chinese mythology. It resembles a deer, with horns on the head and scales over the body. Its tail is like that
of an ox. The kylin,” Mr Chiu took a deep breath, “is said to have the ability to live over two thousand
years. It is also said to have special powers, such as spiting fire, and roar like thunder.” Elizabeth shuddered:
she was not sure she liked the kylin.
“Now, what you have to understand is that the kylin is said to convey the will of Heaven, and
therefore dictate the rise and fall of a dynasty. Some folk say that he brings children to them; others just
think it’s a prestigious creature, symbolising brilliant talent and intelligence.
“So you can see that the kylin has many powers, and is one of the most important and sacred creatures
of Chinese culture. And I’m telling you now – the kylin exists. He, the dragon, the phoenix, and of course,
the turtle, make up the Four Divine Creatures. It is believed that, once all four original creatures are
captured and put together, the bearer will possess eternal power and longevity.” He swallowed. “But such
capture comes to a terrible price. It is a monstrous thing, to cage these animals. Only those who have
nothing to lose would commit such a crime. The capture of the Four Divine Creatures would lead you to
practically eternal life, yes, but from the moment the fourth creature is in possession of the huntsman... let’s
just say all hell breaks lose in the world. Demons, goblins, trolls, giants – all of the creatures from hell are
released into the world, and cannot be controlled. The only person they will not slaughter is the Master of
the Four.”
The four children gaped at Mr Chiu for a moment, Mrs Chiu hurrying along with the teapot and
refilling empty mugs.
“But whom would be that desperate?” John wondered aloud. “Surely living a normal life, surrounded
by people, would be better than this… malediction.”
“Of course,” Chiu agreed, draining his pint of beer. “Someone who has nothing to gain, and nothing
to lose. That is, of course, unless you are two inches from death, or from a fatal loss, which could potentially
affect the entire world!”
“But these are just legends, of course,” Elizabeth said nervously. She was feeling quite overwhelmed
by this new information, and yet could not make a single connection from the kylin to their situation.
“Alas!” Mr Chiu exclaimed. “The kylin does exist, as does the phoenix, the dragon, and the turtle.
And there is our problem.” Mr Chiu took a deep breath. “Someone is trying to assemble all four; someone
is after eternal glory, and a prolonged lifetime. There
is
someone walking the Earth, who, to this very day,
searches for the Four Divine Creatures.”
“I do not understand,” stammered John. “What has this got to do with us?”
“Everything, my boy! See here, our people believe very strongly about these old legends, and are
utterly sure that Westerners are the ones trying to hunt down the four creatures. That is where you come in.
There are many stories going from town to town, door to door, mouth to mouth. It is said that your dear
sweet uncle is in possession of three of the Four Divine Creatures, and that he sends you to hunt down the
kylin in order to win the war.”
“Lies!” snarled Elizabeth, temporarily forgetting her manners. She was feeling positively
flummoxed, hot on anger. “Impound and bebother these fibbers! We are here for safety, not trouble!”
“We know, dearie,” said Mrs Chiu, sweeping over to her and patting her shoulder. She turned to
her husband and began scolding him in a language Elizabeth could not understand. Finally, Mrs Chiu piled
up the plates, and took their orders for breakfast. They all got up, and were allocated very snug bedrooms
filled with made beds, chairs and sofas, before stowing away and each nestling into their bunks.
*
The next morning was fresh and breezy: the sky was of a pearly white, and the jungle trees swayed
in the wind. They bid farewell to Mrs Chiu and left accompanied by her husband. That is how they came to
