Changxi - A Short Story by Christine

On the edge of the horizon, there was a pool of honeyed spring water where the most alluring of maidens would bathe. And before the world was sheathed in roads and houses, this pool was already radiant with natural beauty. The maidens were few in number, but they each shone like a ball of light. The most striking was named Changxi. Her skin shone with a pale, silvery glow, and her eyes were warm and milky. Gauzy wings protruded from her shoulder blades, gathering her up into the sky. Her raiment was slim and pearly, designed for the climate of the summer pool. She kept two white horses, dressed in crescent livery, letting them roam in the jungle near the water margin. The maidens would bathe by the starlight, for there was no moon, no sun, in those times. There was only immutable night. 

From the reeds at the edge of the pool, men would watch the maidens with covetous eyes. There were few people in this stygian world, and the men hungered for wives. They wanted children, driven by a primal need. And so they watched, and chose who would be their brides. 

One day the most venturesome of the men emerged from the reeds, and a ripple went through the ranks of maidens. They had never seen a man before, hidden away on the edge of the horizon, providing light only to their small corner of the world. But the maidens were strong, much taller than the men, and much more beautiful. They had no reason to be afraid. 

Di Jun was a bold warrior. He already had many children, scattered in various tribes across the continent. But when he heard about a mysterious pool in a faraway land, inhabited only by enigmatic, scantily-clad women, he could not resist the urge to make the journey. Intrepid, he immediately set his sights on the most resplendent of them all, Changxi. 

Changxi was daring and rebellious, and she was also intelligent. She often wondered what the world was like outside of the pool, if there was something that she was missing. Di Jun spoke to her of far off lands, of villages and history, of marriage and of children. Though she had lived for many years, she had never heard of such things. A fire lit in her eyes, and she began to yearn for adventure. And though she would not allow Di Jun to touch her, she lent him one of her horses and they rode together toward the settlements in the east. 

When they arrived at Di Jun's home, Changxi learned that he had other wives and many children. Di Jun bragged to the other men of his gorgeous, wild wife, who he had tamed and brought back from the west. She saw the way that the other wives of the village were treated: objectified, like animals bought and sold to rear offspring. If she stayed with this man, what would she become? She would not be free, commanding Changxi any longer. 

Taking her two steeds gently by the mane, she lifted them on her wings into the air, a gentle, luminous fairy soaring into the stars. The air was cool and her raiment thin, so she wrapped herself in stardust. She flew silently through the night air. The men and women on the plain gasped and looked up in wonder. What was this new ball of light that glided through the sky as if pulled along by horses? They called her the moon, and wondered if she would appear again. 

Changxi flew to the horizon, to the summer pool she once called her home. She had kept her power, kept her freedom. It was something she would allow no one to take from her. But now she knew of the ways of men and women, knew what she was missing. The thought of the villages on the plains and the secrets of mountains and rivers kept her curious. And so every so often, she would ride one of her steeds into the sky, wearing a thick gown of stardust, and peer below her, exploring the Earth with her inquisitive eyes. 

常曦 by 克麗絲叮

獨立常曦 － 她從來不會將她的力量送給別人

在地平線的邊緣，有一群誘人的女郎，浴於甘泉。地球佈滿了水泥屋舍之前，甘泉已煥發自然光。這些女郎如恆星般明亮煜煜。最觸目的美女喚為常羲，肌似月光乳白，眼如天河皎潔。常曦肩上蜻蜓薄翅，偶爾展開乘風，帶著她漂洋過海。她穿的滾雪細紗袍非常輕薄，適合甘泉夏熱氣候。常曦二匹天馬牧放於甘泉邊，天馬身上有半鉤裝，常在水滸叢林間徜徉。星河下，女郎在甘泉中沐浴。那時並無日月之光，那時只有漫長無盡的夜晚。

從盧葦間，一群男子望著女郎，貪看不捨。在那時的黑暗世界裡，人很稀少，男子欲求配偶，急欲子女。是以他們藏著、等著、看著，默默的選妻子。

忽然最勇猛的男子從蘆葦中湧現，而女郎們驚動。是她們初次見到男子。女郎一直都藏在地平線的邊緣，照亮著她們世界的小角落。但是這些女子很強壯，比男子高，非常豔麗。她們並無驚懼的理由。

這位勇猛的戰士喚為帝俊。他已經有許多子女，分散在天下各地。有一天他聽人言說，在遙遠的西方有神奇甘泉，在那裡居住一群謎樣的神女。他無法抵抗尋覓神女的欲望。無懼，他立刻選上了最秀麗的女郎，常曦。

常曦大膽叛逆，聰慧伶俐。她常想像甘泉外的世界如何，想知道人類生活到底與她的有何不同。帝俊口中都是遠方王國，村莊和歷史，婚姻和子女。雖然常曦已在世很多年，她從來沒有聽過這些謠言。她眼裡起了一個大火，而她開始欲望一場大冒險。仍然不允許帝俊碰她，常曦借了一匹天馬給他，然後他們一起往東方的村莊奔騰。

到帝俊家舍時，常曦聽說他已有許多妻子兒女。帝俊每遇到路人時，都會介紹他從西方邊緣「野蠻人」贏取回來的美麗新妻子。常曦看到村莊女子的生活環境：她們被當作動物一樣，被買賣，都為了幫丈夫生出子女。如果她繼續留在這個地方，她將會變成什麼？一定不會如同以前，自由獨立常曦了。

手掌握在鬃毛裡，輕輕的牽著天馬，常曦振翅起飛，情緒不定，煥發銀光，在星辰間飄行。空氣很涼快，而她滾雪細紗袍極為薄輕，所以她用星塵包圍自己，當作上衣。在黑暗的天空中，她魆魆地飛行。遠遠站在平原的男女村民開始贊歎，望著星空。有一顆新的星球橫行移動，猶如天馬奔馳，煥發冷光。他們將常曦喚為「月亮」，而一直問，明天她會不會重來照亮他們的黑暗世界？

常曦飛到地平線，飛到她曾經喚為「家」的甘泉，還保留著她原本的力量，她的自由。她絕對不肯讓別人將她的自由奪走。但是她現在也比較了解人類的作為，知道婚姻又是什麼樣子，發現甘泉之外的世界與她想像的很不一樣。平原的村莊，山脈的秘密，河流的深處，這些都讓她好奇。所以她偶爾會騎天馬到天空中，穿著一件星塵作的上衣，用她如天河皎潔的眼睛去探險世界的各個角落。

畫家：Beatrijs Brouwer 

http://beastlyworlds.wordpress.com

http://beastlyworlds.tumblr.com

 

Nv Ba - A Short Story

Nv Ba is a figure in ancient Chinese mythology. For more background on the original myth, click here.

Nv Ba: A short story by Christine Welch


She was an odd looking creature, not something usually seen down on the plains or by the river. Difficult to explain, but she blended in to the forest on the mountain terrace. Her garments were green like the leafy trees she hid behind, and she had no hair, her head the same color as tree bark. But it was her eyes, her eyes that caught you and held you, like two emeralds piercing through the darkness.

No one seemed to like her, not even her father, who lived high and far away, atop another mountain to the west. It was not difficult to understand why. Wherever she walked, wherever her laugh sounded out, the flowers would shrivel and the riverbeds dry up. Like there was a curse upon her that sucked the water out of everything.

Because of this curse, she was confined to the terrace, doomed to walk amid its brittle branches until the end of time -- or so she thought. Her father would not have her walking upon the plains, destroying the crops, ruining the fields, sucking the moisture out of the air. So she sought enjoyment from the trees and meadows, moving between them, watching them die and then, eventually, be reborn.

It never rained on that mountain.

Soon thunder and clashes came from the south. Her father was at war with a rebel, Chiyou, and both sides were supported by numerous gods and goddesses. The bald girl began to worry, wondering if there was any way she could help her father.

She heard tell that one of her favorite neighbors, a handsome dragon god with powerful wings named Yinglong, had been sent by her father to attack the rebels in one of the southern realms. In more peaceful times, Yinglong had always kept watch over her, making sure the forest and terrace did not become too brittle and catch on fire, dousing the land with his magic rain when she was far enough away in one direction. Although as rain god and drought goddess, they could not draw too close to each other, she liked the way he soared through the air above her, keeping watch, and he liked to hear the sound of her laughter.

The bald girl yearned to help, too.

She saw Yinglong soaring through the air to the south, drawing all the water in the land away to the west, to her father's realm. She saw Chiyou respond in kind, calling up the power of his friends, the wind and storm gods, to bring water back to the land and sweep away her father's forces. She knew what had to be done. It was not possible for Yinglong to defeat all three gods at once. The only solution was for her father to set her free from her prison. And just then he called for her.

Yinglong soared back to find her, enveloping her in his claws and taking her down to the battlefield, although it cost him much of his strength. As soon as her toes brushed the earth on the southern plain, the soil turned to sand, and the crops to dust. The wind and storm gods fled, their hurricane spent. Fearing the drought would spread through all the lands, Chiyou surrendered, and was promptly executed. His lands peaceful again, the Yellow Emperor returned to his seat on the mountain, his mind turned to other matters.

The bald girl roamed the land, searching for a new home, a new purpose. Yinglong was gone, roaming the mountains of the north. Her father seemed to have more important matters on his mind. Everywhere she went, people would curse and spit at her, their livelihoods ruined by her very existence. They called out "Han Ba! Go away! Leave this place! Don't return! You aren't welcome here!"

But Han Ba was not welcome anywhere. She began to wail, although no tears would fall. She curled up in a ball and would not move for many days, wailing and screaming her misery. She wanted to die, wanted to be different, wanted to be like everyone else. She felt very sorry for herself.
And that just made the drought worse.

She cried until she had no more strength, and then she slept. While she slept, the grass and flowers grew up beneath her, and the water returned to the riverbeds. Rain fell and the crops flourished. Still she slept, unnoticed by anyone. But then the rains wouldn’t stop. The crops were in danger of flooding, spoiling, and worse. Villagers’ roofs were caving in and some were dying from exposure. They were saying that the gods had disrupted the weather with their battle, and this was nature’s punishment.

That’s when Han Ba awoke, disoriented. She had never before slept in a bed of flowers, or been covered in a blanket of grass. Her next thought was to wonder what had awoken her. But then she realized that someone was pulling at her hand, pleading in a pitiful voice, “Please, stop the rain! Please, stop the rain!” The bald girl sat up, and saw that the someone was a small child, wet and starving, with the most haunted eyes.

The rain clouds began to shrink, until there was nothing left but blue sky. The puddles shrank, and the villagers’ flooded houses dried out. The little girl laughed and clapped her hands, and Han Ba felt a new emotion, one that she had never felt before. She was happy to be herself.

The villagers slowly emerged and gathered around her, thanking her earnestly and shaking her hand, their spite and hate forgotten. Han Ba didn’t know what to do, so she smiled and fled, not wanting to instigate another drought. She ran until she reached a dense thicket, where no people would ever come, and then she sat on the crumbling ground and stared at a pine tree. Alone.

Her power was not a curse after all.

She had learned so much since she had been set free from her prison, so much that she shook her head, feeling slightly old. Life isn’t fair. She never asked for this power, never wanted to be anything other than ordinary. But it was never going to go away. It was out of her control, it was fate.

There was something she could control: her actions, where she went, who she affected. She had a choice: she could thoughtlessly roam places that needed water, ruining lives. She could find some deserted spot and hide from the world which had outcasted her. Or she could seek out those people who needed her help, for whom a small drought was a blessing rather than a curse.

Remembering the laugh of the small villager child, Han Ba stood, raised her head, and made her decision. She wanted to use her power to help people, to create happiness rather than misery. It was time for her to find a place of her own. Laughing, she realized that she was free.


Author: Christine Welch

女魃 by 克麗絲叮

怎麼克服自己的命運呢？
我有一個故事想跟你說。



係昆山中有一位女子，喚為女魃，相貌古怪，比他人不同。女魃那等容貌難解釋： 身上布衣青松色，禿無髪，頭頂如樹皮。但是她那一雙綠眼睛最誘人注意，如黑暗處之翡翠珠。



似乎無人關心她，父親亦是。他居於遠方名山幽深，危然坐在高處。父親不關心女兒其實不足為異：女魃腳下踏之地，飄飄蕩蕩笑聲響之處，林樹便焦枯，花草葉葉凋，山河即無水。似有人念動咒語，使她不覺將周圍活水一口吸去。



因此咒法，父親不許她在平地行走，害怕稻米枯竭，田園荒蕪，永不下雨。女魃居住共工臺如收監。遨遊在松蔭之下，聽得樹枝呻吟聲，每日如此。在林深之處，輕輕移步，她望見花草枯乾凋零，卻等到她回頭看，便復生。



係昆山從未降雨。



不久女魃聽得雷鳴咆哮，戰鬥之喊聲，從南而來。蚩尤操兵造反，父親與蚩尤忽然交戰，而各有喜神祗助戰相隨。女魃心中便生憂慮，想著她一定要幫攻。



聽說她最喜愛的鄰居也出戰，一位俊美堂堂，丰姿英美的雨神，喚為應龍。是女魃父親黃帝傳了令，使應龍往平地飛，與蚩尤眾軍攻擊。之前，女魃常見他半空中斜掛，展翅前飛，默默的守護她，早晚間防備樹木過乾焦，忽然著火。等到她走至一邊，應龍便在燥乾的松林上大展降魔法，飛灑水來。既然應龍是雨神，而女魃是旱神，他們不能彼此靠近。但是女魃望見他在半空飛舞的樣子，心裡十分歡喜，而應龍愛聽她嘻嘻大笑聲。



盼望應龍的背後，女魃也想幫攻。



應龍飛向南邊去，將平地的河水引至遙遠西方，黃帝之國土。女魃再走再看，蚩尤戰戰兢兢，急欲提兵相戰。雨師與風伯念聲咒語，起大風雨，使天河泛漲，將黃帝旌旗淹蓋。
女魃大覺自己的法力，心中明白她要如何對敵。應龍無力戰敗蚩尤眾軍。黃帝必須解放她，才能取勝。女魃急急心慌，無不驚心。那時，她便得了令出戰。



雖然他的力氣幾乎已用盡，應龍飛騰回去係昆山，將女魃夾在他的龍爪裡，奔向戰場。



一旦她足下踏地，泥土變紅沙，田園成飛塵。風雨已完，雨師和風伯敗陣逃生。蚩尤害怕乾旱傳至各方各處，急急投降，立即當刑遭殺。天下太平，黃帝回歸西方高坐，想著國事。
女魃依然在平原遊蕩，尋尋覓覓一個新的家，新的人生。應龍回係昆山，不見蹤跡，但女魃卻不得復上。父親似乎她事一毫不理。不論她飄至何地，人便嗔怒唾罵，土不生，水不流。他們罵道：「旱魃，快走！不要回來！這裡不迎你！」



卻是無處迎她。



有一天，女魃哭倒在地，雙眼卻無法生淚。她踡跼身軀，幾日不動，大聲叫喊她的苦楚。女魃欲死亡，欲變化，欲與眾人相同，一直憐憫自己。



她越哭，平地越乾。



她哭得筋疲力軟，然後躺在地睡著了。



在花草中樹木裡，女魃安眠穩睡。枯河慢慢有水了。天降雨，農夫開始耕田耕地。日日雨下，雨下不止，田園積水，稻米受災危。瓦屋倒塌，人無寢處。常聞得人說，神祗戰爭擾亂天氣，卻是農夫受罰。



那時女魃方才睡醒，不知躺在何處。她不曾睡花草床，更不曾蓋蘆葉毯。是甚麼叫醒了她呢？有一位女孩兒推得女魃的手，可憐放聲大哭道：「姊姊，醒來！救我們，救我們！」女魃輕輕的起來，見那女孩弱體骨瘦，渾身水濕，滿眼墜淚。



烏雲漸漸消去，留下碧空清新。泥土變路徑，而蘆舍即刻曬乾。那小女孩拍手打掌大笑，女魃忽然喜不自勝，因為做自己而心喜。



一個個人從蘆舍中出來，將女魃圍在當中。不論男女，他們一一感謝不盡，一一拜她為神。女魃不知該如何答禮，便笑了一笑，轉身逃走。不欲再造得旱災，女魃跑入深林，至無人之處，坐在其間，不覺看著一棵松樹。



原來她的法力並不是詛咒。



自從她下了人間，離了係昆山，她已學了多少事情，走了多少路程？她便搖搖頭，想著自己長大了。



命運不公平。性命不由我們決定。女魃一直都想要一個普通的生活，卻無法改變她的性命。她天生的法力是控制不了的。



卻有些事情可以控制：她的言行，她去何地，影響何人。



她有選擇：她可以無意走在田園中，造得危害。她可以尋找一個無人之處藏身。或者她可以追尋水災之國，與人相幫。對他們來說，她的法力是吉祥的，不是詛咒。



女魃起來了，舉頭觀看。她欲幫人，造得人歡喜，不苦心。徑往前走，該找自己的地方了。

畫家：Beatrijs Brouwer 

http://beastlyworlds.wordpress.com

http://beastlyworlds.tumblr.com