Three days ago, an old lady died in my village. The trouble is she didn't stay dead. A series of disturbing apparitions and murders has leda Taoist master to come to my village and begin a battle against these evil spirits. This isthe story of my gift, better yet; it's the story of my curse.

Chapter 012Not Destined to be a Taoist

None of the adults responded to my question. Their attention was quickly pulled to the yard where Master Liu hadn't stopped moving, but was thrashing about violently.

Master Liu was wielding his peach wood sword, moving wildly in circles. He pointed into air for several heartbeats and shouted "Bastard! You are being incredibly rude! Go back to hell!"

He shook his priest frock and then began to murmur an incantation. A strong wind spawned out of nowhere and filled the yard. The shrill scream of the air frightened me and I grasped my mother's arm. I asked her again, "Did Zhao Jie pee?" She glared at me to as if her eyes could tell me to be quiet. "I guess I'd better check on Zhao Jie's myself." I thought and I squinted towards him through the window.

Zhao Jie was holding his mother's legs tightly, standing inside the circle Master Liu had drawn around them in ash. His mother had her hand on his head, but her eyes followed everything happening in the yard with worry.

A vague shadow of cold wind rotated around the master and the altar. The candles flickered aggressively in the blowing wind, without any sign of going out. The cold wind apparently decided that it could not hurt Master Liu, so it turned towards Zhao Jie and his mom. Master Liu face twisted in anger immediately and he grumbled audibly. His voice reverberated like the sound of large bell.

The cold wind stopped in front of Zhao Jie and his mom as a bird stops on a windowpane. A sharp scream filled our ears and the shadow in the wind became a murky silhouette.

Although my eyes saw only a shadow, I knew it was something horrible.

The figure in the shadow's hair was short. He had broad shoulders that stood out in the Chinese tunic suit. A gloomy black air surrounded his figure. I knew it was evil air, one of the important distinctions of ferocious ghosts, something that I later came to know.

I tried to speak, but there were no words for the horror I felt.

Master Liu shouted out at the thing, "Be gone!"

His peach wood sword touched the candles' flames and all at once the whole sword was burning. Fire licked down the blade but stopped at the hilt, saving the master's hands from burning. Master Liu rushed at the shadow. He thrust his flaming sword directly into the center of its back.

The shadow quivered in a jolt, it looked as if it was being crushed between two invisible walls and was shaking painfully. With each of Master Liu's shouts, the shadow gave a sickening lurch, trying to escape its torture, but unable.

"Ah!"

An inhuman screech split the air in Zhao Jie's yard. I learned later that to everyone else, it appeared as if Master Liu was casually wielding a simple sword. My eyes illuminated the flickering flames emerging from the blade and the screaming shadow that was being consumed by them.

The cold wind and ungodly scream however, everyone was experiencing those.

With his blade still in the shadow, Master Liu called before him to Zhao Jie, "Little boy, hurry up please. I need that bowl full! Throw it at me!"

Zhao Jie mouth hung open at the strange request. He could still not believe that someone would ask him for that.

Zhao Jie's mother looked down at him and said softly, "Good boy, hurry up."

Shaking, as any six year old would in that position, he took off his pants and placed the bowl on the ground. Master Liu turned his head out of respect and my mother did the same. We tried not to watch as my friend peed inside the bowl on the ground.

The shadow did not express the same consideration. Watching the boy begin to urinate before it, the shadow struggled and screamed more intensely. After a moment, the bowl was half full with the light yellow liquid of a healthy bladder. Zhao Jie picked up the bowl and held it up, not knowing what to do with it.

"Splash it at me!" Master Liu yelled, Zhao Jie and his mother both looked at him like he was crazy.

"Do as I say boy! Splash it at me!" The master screamed.

With a little shrug and grinning despite the situation, Zhao Jie reeled back and cast the bowl of urine at the respected elder in front of him.

I may have been the only one, aside from Master Liu of course, that wasn't surprised when the urine didn't touch Master Liu. To everyone else it probably looked as if a large mass in front of Master Liu blocked the splash of liquid. When it landed upon the mass between the boy and the master the urine dissipated into white steam with a heavy hissing sound.

I saw everything clearly. The shadow cringed and warded itself from the splashing urine. White steam started to pour from the shadow's surface.

The shadow suddenly moved with even more speed than before. It shifted unnaturally sideways and peeled itself from peach wood blade in Master Liu's hand. A slick oozing sound filled my ears as it slid away from the sword and then rushed to the door. A yellow light shone out from an oil lamp within the room and stopped the shadow in its tracks.

"Ah!" the screech echoed again.

The shadow creature jerked an arm, one that seemed endless from where I was sitting, and clawed the oil lamp off of the table on which it sat. When the oil light shattered and went out the shadow was gone.

Master Liu, still standing in the same place with his sword outstretched over a puddle of urine drying in the sand, panted and mouthed, "This bastard is ferocious and stubborn. He got away. On his own luck, he actually got away. Let him go this time. Let him go..." He began to shake his head.

He lowered his peach wood sword and the flames on it disappeared instantly.

"It is done." He called to everyone.

We converged in the yard at his shout. He didn't say any more, but simply threw his sword on the ground by the altar and took off his priest frock. He grabbed a drumstick from the altar, sat on the ground and began to eat.

Zhao Jie and I watched with drool practically falling from our faces.

"Do you want some?"

We nodded with spineless looks.

Master Liu beckoned to everyone to sit. My mom hesitated a moment, but Zhao Laohei urged her forward, "Come on, you know what he's capable of."

We gathered around him. Master Liu tore a chicken wing for Zhao Jie and I and we began to eat with purpose, well I did at least. The adults watched us curiously, but no one spoke.

The master met our eyes and sighed heavily. "I came here under the order of my senior fellow apprentice, who had promised Zhao Laohei that we would help him deal with this event." He looked at Zhao Laohei with a shallow pity. "I have no doubt that this event is influencing more villages than just yours. You have seen at least one ferocious ghost that wouldn't give up, despite how hard I tried." He mumbled the last part into the ground between his legs. "If you don't kill them, many villagers will die. Perhaps, all of them, all of you."

His eyes were very light compared to his words, but there was no humor in them. We believed him.

He continued, "But, it's not over. I don't need to tell you the details. I will stay in this village for the next two months. I hope you will allow these two boys to accompany me. I get so bored, you know?" He made eye contact with the adults while Zhao Jie and I ate our food gluttonously.

My mom stepped forward and asked forcefully, "Can you cure my son's disease? His, um, supernatural eyes?"

Master Liu glanced at her and took a deep breath, "I cannot cure them completely, but the condition can be alleviated. It depends on his fortune. I think we were destined to meet each other. So yes, I will visit him every year to treat the ailment."

Mom bowed deeply to the uncouth master before her. Master Liu said again, "Every time, the method will be different. Each treatment will take longer and longer. When he grows up, he will have to stay with me for a period of time. I will not be here then. I have my own duties."

"Zhao Jie's dad says I will die from these eyes," I spoke out. My voice was rusty from lack of use. "Am I still going to die?"

The master looked at me for a moment but didn't respond.

"If you can cure of my son's disease, you have my blessing to teach him to be a Taoist." My mother said.

"I don't want to be a Taoist." I retorted at her, "Shaolin Kung fu is better!"

Master Liu was not angry, but he touched my head. He turned my eyes to meet his and said, "My Kung fu is not bad. I will show you when it is time. I promise you will admire it."

Master Liu turned back to my mom. "Don't worry, your son has the opportunity to be a Taoist, but he is not destined to be. I will not teach him our ways if he does not wish them. But I will" He looked at me again with those old light eyes, "I will teach him how to protect himself. And I will cure his sight each year."

My mother sighed deeply. "Well, at least we've got that."

To be continued....

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