the elder of the town slowly chanted a poem, but no words can calm the boiling of one's blood, the stitch in the hands and the restless exhustion of an unpaid debt and wrong without retribution,
-Here in the hills I bade you farewell-
"for the dinners we wont have"
-Now by dusk I close the twiggen door-
"for the memories we won't make"
-Oh grass will again be green next spring-
"for the wrongs we've been done"
-Might you my beloved be back once more?-
After chanting this poem in drowned sorrow I headed back to my twiggen house where the twonfolks ate the rice balls I prepared, the smell of burnt incense filled my nose with a sweet caress the same way the wine caressed my bathered spirit -I want to thank you all for coming... I-I am not sad, mom and dad are finally together, just the way now they rest besides eachother above the hill gazing at the mountains they loved; now I am certain they are together in the afterlife with an even greater landscape no one can imagine- with that I sat in a corner of the house lost in my thoughts, my hands shaking maybe for the cold of the night, maybe because of the exhustion of the battle or maybe because of the rage building within me -what comes next?- asked the town chief as he sat besides me and patted my back, -drink some- he said pouring some wine on my cup, I meditated his question for some moments, what comes next? what should come next? what would mother want to come next? it was all too heavy for my head right now.
-What I am gonna do? am I to live between the sweet scents of herbs and elixirs? am I gonna seek a wife's love and children laughter?...I hope I could, I hope I could live happily and move onwards, that is what mom hoped too... but I can't... not when one of them scaped, not when I have this burning desire to kill, desire to make them pay!- My hearbeat rose, my breathing quickened and my fist tensed reflexively -I swear on the martial arts my father taught me, I swear on the painful training my mother inflicted on me, I swear on the lessons of chivalry and justice I witnessed, and I swear on the two times my mother gifted me life... I swear I will bring them to justice, I couldn't save mother, but I will at least make sure she is the last person they harm... I WILL AVENGE MY MOTHER; THAT IS WHAT COMES NEXT!- I stood there, the passion consumed me as I lost control before everyone, _s-sorry everyone I didn't mean to- before I could finish my sentence the local butcher took a step forward saying -your mother taught me the value of blades, whether to feed or to kill, take this; it's my trusted cleaver... just like the blade capable of inflicting pain or nurturing with food we humans are like cleavers Wúxíng, make sure very time you swing the cleaver your life is it is aimed at the right thing- the man thrusted his old looking knife to me, I received it hesitantly "what? this man cared for his cleaver more than for his sons", -Sir I can't accept such precious gift...- my protests were muffled shortly
-This is a cloak I made for your mother... it is paid, keep it-
-you will lose muscle if you dont eat well kid here you have some rice cakes-
I was startled -e-everybody this is too much-, person after person, gift after gift I ended up arms filled with various gifts, then the figure besides me stood up, the village leader faced me and unsheathed his sword faster than I ever saw him move -a tool only has value in the hands of someone who uses it- with that he simply left the scabbard and sword atop the gifts and turned around towards the exit, his stride felt heavy and slow, almost ancient-like, when he halted on the doorframe he simply said "no matter how dull a sword is it will slice iron if met with the right will, the wind makes the fire waver it is up to you to keep the fire in you even in the coldest hours- silently all the guests gave me a polite bow of farewell, just when the boticary finished his bow with a soft smirk he said "I will nurture your flowers for when you return...-
Tears stramed down my face, my legs buckled and my knees landed heavily on the floor "mom...dad, just how many lives did you touch around here?" I said in drowned whispers, the pain piercing my chest, my grasp on the disheveled robes did nothing to aliviate it but I was certain of one thing, these people believe in me, in my travel and in my journey for justice