The Storyteller

Chapter 1

This is dedicated to those who believe...

The Storyteller

When in doubt, at times, belief is all that you have. Yet most people tend to take it for granted.  A man can sometimes overlook the obvious. Then it may take him a lifetime to realize the reality of what had been forsaken.   If given a second chance, would it be taken for granted?

An old man makes his way along a traveler's route heading east. The sun beats down on his back.  He pays this no mind for all day he has toiled and his body has adapted to the heat.  He slowly approaches a village.  He is common, yet walks with an unmistakable limp.

His movements are slow and precise as he places each step, carefully maintaining his balance.  The wind hurls and whips around his frail body. Still, he diligently endures.

His head is covered with a straw hat.  His clothes are the worse for wear.  Worn out sandals adorn his feet. His true age hides in the many lines of his face, like the rings in a tree stump.      

His body carries many scars.  His hands show the contours of his bones. His expression is filled with pain.  However, to him it is not important, for he has dealt with them for a long time.

His demeanor is humble as he walks with his head down, not paying much attention to what is happening around him as if he does not need his eyes. His hair is pure white and fashioned in a long strand of braided hair called a Que.  His Que is wrapped around his neck in loops preventing it from touching the ground.  

As he walks his mind drifts to days long gone and almost forgotten, remembering an event which changed his life. And to this day he is haunted with echoes in his mind the words of his master who is long gone.

“Do you believe?

Again,                  

Do you believe?

Once more,

Do you believe?”

The sun continues to set. As the sky begins to darken, he   passes randomly scattered huts on the outskirt of the village.  Then he enters into the view of an old woman, who is handling laundry; she pauses from her chores and begin to stare.  When he reached the closest point to her, she speaks.

“Hello and good evening.”

    The man tilts his head till his eyes connect with hers. His white eyebrows made his dark pupils even more menacing.

"Good evening." he replies, “Nice weather we are having.”

“Yes, yes”, she responds, “Very well indeed, a little windy all of a sudden."

She pauses for a moment to weigh her thoughts before she continue.

    "For many years I have seen you pass this way.  And, in these later years I have noticed and   have held my tongue for you puzzle me.   Something is strange about you. Since the first time I saw you I was quite young and you were an old man then. Now I am an old woman. So tell me, what is your true age? ”

    

    "You don't need an explanation for what you already know." he replied sharply.  

Her body began to sway from the gales that seem to grow as he stares. The winds offset her curiosity, she quickly reacquire her laundry and disappear without another word.

She reappears in her doorway and catch one last glimpse of him walking away. She noticed the wind moved away with him.

The structures progress from scattered to congest as he proceeds to make his way toward the center of the village.  The village name is Peeking Blossom, given for “all the eyes that are upon you,” Peeking Blossom is a crossroad for many travelers.

On the surfaces it appears no different from any other village. The uniqueness lies in the care that was taken in crafting each structure. The houses are dated and worn.  The climate is very dry and dusty. The people that make up the village probably never journeyed outside of it.

The villagers know one another directly or by reputation for news travels fast. The only change that ever comes about is new arrivals. At the center of town is a well with a stone base that rises three feet from the ground forming a circle around a hole. Without this water, the village would cease to exist.  

  The old man stopped; slowly he takes a drink from a bucket hoisted from the bottom. Then he leaned over and peers into the emptiness.  Revived, he then moves on.

The overcrowded streets were aligned with activity. People are struggling to survive. Gloom and misery filled the faces  that he encounters.       

Market vendors decorate the streets. He observed a very plump vendor.  The physical stature of the man is a clue to how he manages to stay above the poverty and desolation that surrounds him.

While he was busy attending to a customer, a young boy quickly and cleverly swipes fruit from his stand. He might have gotten away clean if not for the fallen fruit that accidentally alerts the vendor. His full attention shifted.  Immediately he grabs for him, striking an empty grip, as the boy quickly fled.

His name is Lei Wong, and he's about  fifteen, homeless, and is forced to survive off his ability, skill and even luck. Lei Wong look back and smile with confidence  that he has just made a clean getaway.

Unexpectedly, he runs into the old man and both of them stumbles to the ground.  Lei quickly recovers with anger and fury in his eyes.

“Watch where you are going I could have killed you!”  He yells.  

The man carefully rise to his feet without any exchange of words. He politely hands the boy fruit from his fragile hand.  Lei snatched the fruit from him  and storms away furiously.

“Ungrateful,” the man mutters to himself.

Shortly he reaches the inn.  As he approaches , the wind begins to pick up causing the shutters on the windows to react violently. He pushes open the inn door.  While standing in the doorway,  a gush of wind enters the room and overcome everyone.   

The man stands in the doorway. His hat made it difficult for anyone  to make out his face.   It is in his nature to be as discreet as possible. He crosses the room, making his way toward the innkeeper, who was debating with a potential customer.

"There aren't too many places for you to lay your head in this town,” the customer complained.

“It is better than staying in an alley all night," the innkeeper sarcastically replied.

"At least you should not charge this much Innkeeper, this is robbery.”

“Most of my earnings go to Lord Hung. His taxes are unbearable.” Shaking his head, the innkeeper tried to look convincing. “These are not easy times for any of us, why are you presenting me as the problem?”

“As far as I am concerned, you are getting rich innkeeper!”

"Listen, you can pay or find someplace else.” The innkeeper said as he spotted Tai is approaching out of the corner of his eye.   

“My good man, why worry about things that are out of your control when you probably will not be in your room sleeping anyway.” The innkeeper said.

"Who are you to tell me what is fair?"   

The customer responded.

The innkeeper quickly turned to greet the old man.

"TAI SHIN! Just what we have missed around here some good entertainment. I know you will not disappoint us," The innkeeper spoke modestly.

"Well, I will try to entertain you with my best," Tai replied.

“I hope he can ease the tension tonight the town seems to be blinded by rumors.” said the innkeeper.

"I have heard that there are men out searching in the most barbaric way."  An unknown man said as he entered into the discussion.

This seems to catch the customer’s attention.

“Searching for what?” He replied.

“I don’t know what, but I hope that they find it. They make noise like birds and it's the most terrifying sound. Terrible sounds, what I heard.”

"Wait! People can not sound like animals.

Nonsense, I don't believe you. You are just saying things to scare us!" The customer replied.  

“But I saw them with my own eyes.” The man insisted.

“Then you need to find new eyes, the ones you have are no good.” said the customer.

An annoyed look came over the man’s face. Everyone that was seated near and listening to the two of them began to laugh.  Noticing that no one was taking him seriously, his panicked expression slowly melts away. Changing to an angry demeanor, he then sprang from the table and made his way to the exit. He turns to once more face the crowd.

"I am no fool I know what I saw!" He spoke as he departed.

Talk of assassins that lurk in the dark was hard to believe because the village was very peaceful. Everyone was greeted with open arms. Villagers would take the time to get to know the strangers. The killing happened in the east, where the warring clans rule the lands. Even the powerful Chang Hung is wise enough to just let The Clans be.  

    Peeking Blossom’s villagers took comfort in the fact that nothing remotely strange or odd has happened before or as long as Chang Hung got his taxes.

The innkeeper turned to Tai.

“I remember a time when we were at peace, before Chang Hung and these men took over. I long for those days again. So much has happened, it seems just like yesterday we were young and reckless.”  He said.

A strange look came over Tai’s face. His mind began to wander as he thought.  The words young and reckless seemed to trigger a deeply hidden past that made him want to change the subject. Politely he did.