Forever My Love

Novella of Gear

 

Not so long ago, but in a time before the Arten’s arrival in Gear, when the magic was still strong, there lived a husband and wife. This couple were utterly devoted to one another, the husband was called Shu Han and his wife was called Pearl Han. Shu would always call his wife Pretty Pearl, as she was simply so lovely.

Pearl’s skin was as white as ivory and her hair as black as ebony, she had a lovely smile and gentle eyes, and simply everyone who knew her, loved her kind and gentle nature.

Shu was a poet and an artist, he would often marvel at his good fortune at marrying his Pretty Pearl, not only did he love her with all his heart, but she was an only child, so upon their marriage he moved into her family home. The house was built at the edge of a wide clear lake, there were several covered decks on poles above the water giving the most amazing views across the lake to the mountains beyond. Even Pearl’s mother was a delight, she helped her daughter in the kitchen and with the housework, whilst Shu painted and wrote his poetry.

The three of them lived happily enough for some time, although they often had little money, Shu sold his paintings and poetry at the local market, but the town was rural and relatively poor, so people seldom could afford such luxuries. More often than not Shu would come home with beans or rice instead of money for his paintings.

One day in late summer Pretty Pearl announced that she was pregnant, her mother was delighted and so was her husband, although he quickly began to worry about their lack of money. After much deliberation Shu announced that he would take his paintings and poems to the city of She-song, a four day walk away, where he could sell his work for real coin. As much as Pretty Pearl didn’t want him to leave, her mother convinced her that it was the right thing to do, as they would need the money for the baby.

With a heavy heart Shu packed up his paintings and brushes, he packed painted wall scrolls that even when rolled up where as long as his arm, tiny scrolls of paper no bigger than his finger that contained the most romantic love poetry imaginable. Carefully every scroll was placed in a leather sack to protect them from the weather, he also took a few essentials, but the one thing he wished to take with him he sadly had to leave behind.

Standing on the steps of their house he kissed his wife farewell and promised to come home before the winter snows set in, he also promised that he would love her with all his heart forever, even whilst they were apart.

 

It took Shu six days to reach the city of She-song, he might have gotten there sooner if he hadn’t stopped to paint several beautiful landscapes and an image for a farmer of his prize cow. The painting of the cow did at least buy him food and shelter for a night.

When Shu eventually arrived in the city he was overwhelmed by its size and the number of people, he had lived out in the rural community all of his life and had studied as a painter and poet with a hermit up in the mountains for four years before his marriage. The city came as a shock with its noise and bustle, but he soon realised that this would be the perfect place to make his fortune. With a bit of luck, he found cheap lodgings above a trader’s shop, the next day headed to one of the large market squares in the city, where he laid out some of his paintings and began reading his poems.

Shu had an amazing gift for reading poetry, his old hermit master had instructed him to read it to the mountains. He knew the secret technique which allowed him to project his voice across a snowfield, without disrupting a single flake of snow, whilst still being heard clearly. This was a kind of lesser magic, such things were often overlooked even by those who did it, few of them realised they were using magic, this was the case for Shu. The young man stood on the edge of a dry fountain and began to read his poetry, without ever shouting he was clearly heard across the square. People soon stopped to listen, and without trying to, Shu gathered a little crowd. Men and women going about their shopping watched him, with enthralled gazes as he recited his poetry with such passion and vigour. The first poem he recited was one about mist on the lake at dawn and to his surprise he sold a copy of it barely ten seconds after he had finished the rendition, the other three copies of the poem that he had beautifully written out, sold in quick succession.

By the end of the day he had sold four of his paintings including one of the recent ones and most of his poetry scrolls. On top of that he’d also had five men commissioned him to write poems about their sweethearts and wives.

On the second day Shu returned to his spot on the edge of the Fountain and had a successful day like the previous one, by the end of the week he was a regular sight in the square. The news about him had spread around the city, soon a lot of people knew about the quality of his poems and his paintings, merchants from the wealthy quarter of the city came to buy his paintings and a few of them commissioned him to paint them portraits of their ships or daughters.

Graciously Shu accepted the commissions, and he set to work on them as quickly as possible. The harder he worked the more money he could make, and the easier winter would be for him, his wife and of course the baby. He wrote home every week, sending news back about his day-to-day life, how well he was doing and of course the people that he met. He became firm friends with the trader whose shop he lived above. Shu’s landlord was called Hugh Singh-go. Hugh bought and sold all manner of different items, and made more money by sending out herbs and spices to the wealthy households beyond the city. He employed many young men who carried packages and messages along with his spices, the carriers would travel several days in every direction from the city to make their deliveries. As Shu’s friendship with Hugh deepened he had no reservations in giving most of the money he had made that month from his art, to one of his friend’s carriers to deliver to his wife.

He had never realised how poor his little hometown was, until he’d seen the wealth and splendour of the city of She-song. The city owed part of its prosperity to its ruler, she was a powerful sorceress called Lady Valour. While she had this impressive title, she was more commonly known simply as the Sorceress, she was beautiful and deadly, and kept a tight lead on the city, and the lesser society leaders, who all lived in fear and awe of her.

Lady Valour was called a beauty throughout the city, but this was due to the fear she instilled in those around her rather than her actual looks. Her hair was as black as midnight, her skin as white as snow, and her lips were so crimson it was rumoured that she stained them with the blood of a virgin at every full moon. She kept those in her close counsel enthralled with the use of alchemy and magic, she much preferred to have slaves and puppets at her beck and call, rather than individuals who may question her. Through intimidation she forced the merchants of the city into paying her high taxes, some of which she spent on roads and the docks as promised, but far more of it than should have was spent on providing her with a palace full of luxuries. She was vain, arrogant, and self-centred, as well as being a crude businesswoman and a blatant opportunist. She believed no one was beyond her control and that she could have anything she desired.

 

On the day the last crimson leaf fell from the maple tree that Shu could see from the window of his lodgings, he decided it was time to go home. He had made a small fortune, which would see his family through the winter and the next spring without any worries. Part of him was sad to be leaving the city, as he had made many friends amongst the merchants who had given him commissions and other wealthy patrons who had invited him to dinner, in exchange for the recital of a poem or two. Shu was especially sad to be saying goodbye to his friend Hugh. Hugh was a bachelor and knew all the best places to eat in the city, he would often take Shu with him. The two men acted like brothers, drinking, eating and singing together, it had not taken Shu long to tell Hugh all about his lovely wife Pretty Pearl, the beautiful house by the lake, and even the lovely mother-in-law. As Shu began to pack his things, he realised he still had a great number of poems and painted scrolls as he had continued to make more. Hugh had left his shop in the hands of his assistant, and had come to offer help to his friend as he packed.

“There is much of the day left, why don’t we go down to the marketplace and you can sell the remainder of these scrolls. After all you can go home tomorrow instead,” suggested Hugh

Encouraged by his friend’s words Shu did so, Hugh even helped by carrying armfuls of scrolls the short distance to the marketplace.

 

Lady Valour never walked anywhere, she was carried from her palace in the centre of the city in her private palanquin, the elaborately carved, black lacquered and gold leafed spectacle, needed four strong men to carry it. In addition to these bearers she always took a minimum of four bodyguards with her out into the city, mostly to clear the streets before her, not that most citizens needed extra encouragement to get out of her way, as the news of her approach always ran ahead off her. So, it came as a shock for her when her palanquin came to a halt on the edge of the crowd. Brushing aside the silk curtain she could see little through the sea of bodies between her and what she knew to be a dried-up fountain in the centre of this marketplace. Just as she was about to order her men to disperse the crowd, to allow her to pass, she heard the poet in full recital. He spoke of a beautiful woman, who he was admiring from afar, this woman had hair as black as ebony, skin as white as ivory and beauty beyond all compare. Being a vain and self-centred woman, Lady Valour was certain that the poet was talking of her. When the recital was over, she sent her guards to bring her the poet, as she wished to see him with her own eyes.

Shu was terrified when the bodyguards of the Sorceress approached him and announced that the city’s ruler wished to speak to him. He began to collect up scrolls and poems, but the guard captain who was an impatient man shouted at him to hurry up. With an apologetic smile Shu handed a couple of scrolls to Hugh and asked for a favour.

“There’s no one else I can ask Hugh, so please promise me that if anything happens to me, that you will take these paintings to my wife, along with the money back in my room.”

Hugh didn’t have the words to express how he felt right at that moment, so he simply hugged his friend and handed him a painted scroll.

“A gift for the Sorceress,” he said.

Shu was brought before the city’s ruler, of whom he had heard all manner of stories, some said she was a wise and just ruler, whilst others said she was a tyrant. The only thing that the stories agreed upon, was that she was a powerful sorceress. The scroll that he had been clutching in his hand slipped from his grasp as he knelt on the cobblestones before the palanquin, which had been placed on the ground at the edge of the square. The scroll rolled across the ground unfurling itself as it went. A shadowy hand moved within the palanquin and one of the guards picked up the scroll and handed it over. The shadowy figure within made a sound that could have been delight, at the image of a cityscape at dawn which had been painted upon the scroll. Shu could feel the eyes of Lady Valour travelling across his downturned face, but he was too afraid to look at her.

Although the poet was too afraid to look at Lady Valour, she made a close inspection of him. She took in his gentle, delicate hands, used to only holding brushes and pens, she looked upon his face which was young, strong and handsome. Obviously liking what she saw, along with the painting and the poem she decided to bring Shu Han back to her palace. The young man protested saying that he must return home, when the guards explained that he had no choice in the matter he tried to run, but he didn’t make a single pace before the captain had grabbed him by his shoulder. The brute of a man pulled back his fist to punch the poet in the face. There was no doubt that he would have broken Shu’s nose or knocked out a couple of his teeth but there was a whistle from within the palanquin. His hand stopped for a moment before redirecting into Shu’s stomach. The young man was so badly winded from the blow that he had to be half carried and half dragged between two guards, as the convoy continued to Lady Valour’s palace.

The palace was an octagonal tower, eight stories tall which occupied a prime site in the centre of the city overlooking the wide river that separated the city into two. Across the river from the palace was the commercial district, the markets, craftsmen’s workshops, merchants’ warehouses, and the docks. Beyond the city’s official limit lay factories and foundries, surrounded by slums. Obviously by design, those elements were hidden from the palaces view by a short strip of woodland. On the same side of the river as the palace were the homes of the wealthy merchants, the nobles, and the military garrison. Each of the palace’s eight tiers was slightly smaller than the one below. For a moment Shu was reminded of a stack of nesting boxes his mother had owned. As a child he would play with them stacking them up one atop the other. The palace would have shared this stepped pyramid effect, if it wasn’t for the wide decorative balconies on each level that was sheltered by a projecting roof from the floor above. The final roof on the eighth tier was topped with golden tiles. The roof tiles on the other levels were emerald green and the railings on the wooden balconies were painted with red lacquer and highlighted with more gold. Shu had seen the palace many times from various angles across the city, and it was truly the city’s crowning jewel.

It was much to Shu’s relief that he was brought to a guest suite on the seventh floor, rather than a dungeon on the heavily fortified ground floor. He had heard stories about the Sorceress taking people seemingly at random and having them imprisoned just to amuse herself, and of course the fate of anyone who had caused her displeasure was something to be greatly feared. He wondered briefly whether he had inadvertently enraged her, and if this lavish treatment was some cruel joke she was playing on him as part of a bizarre punishment. Lost in these melancholy thoughts Shu nearly jumped out of the window, as a servant appeared with an armful of silk robes. The servant, who was an old man, had survived many decades in the palace due to the fact that he was mindlessly obedient in his reverent service to the sorceress. He insisted that Shu should wash and change before he dined with Lady Valour. A sliding panel revealed a beautiful bathroom adjoining his bed chamber. After having washed thoroughly, the old man combed Shu’s long hair, for a brief moment Shu remembered his wife doing this for him the day before he’d left home, so many months ago now. Then the servant dressed Shu in the robes, which were black and red silk with gold detailing. He had never worn such fine clothes and as he sat in a grand dining room waiting for the Sorceress, he stopped believing that this was some kind of punishment after all.

He sat nervously on the floor cushion where he’d been told to wait and tried to distract himself by looking at the beautiful carvings on the walls and ceiling. It was as he was inspecting a gold dragon on the ceiling that he suddenly became aware that the Sorceress was sitting opposite him. One moment he knew he was alone and then she was there, sitting so comfortably she seemed to have been there all along. Clearing his throat Shu blushed with embarrassment, he was normally so good with words that he found it unsettling to suddenly be without them. There was the sound of several pairs of men’s feet nearby and silently four bodyguards entered and took up positions at the corners of the room. One of the guards was the guard captain, who clasped the hilt of his sword a little harder than necessary. Suddenly with the speed of a cobra striking the sorceress broke the silence, she asked Shu to recite the poem in full that she had heard earlier that day.

Feeling relieved beyond all measure, Shu believed he knew why he was there, the Sorceress merely wanted to hear his poetry like so many of his patriots in the city. After he had recited the poem which he had written for his wonderful Pretty Pearl, the Sorceress smiled and clapped her hands once. For a moment Shu feared that this was her lack of approval as it was such a short round of applause, but as half a dozen servants appeared with platters of food, he realised that it was a signal for the waiting servants to bring in food.

Nervously Shu ate some of the most delicious food he had ever tasted, and the rice wine was as succulent as honey and he soon became intoxicated on its sweet nectar. The Sorceress prompted him to recite more poetry, and before long he was improvising sonnets about the beautiful city which pleased Lady Valour greatly. In turn she demonstrated some of her magic. She transformed a display of flowers in the centre of the table, into a moving floral lion that roamed up and down the table for several minutes, before disintegrating into a pile of petals. In an effort to please her Shu announced that he would tell everyone he met on his return home about her power and charm. As soon as he has spoken, he realised he had said something wrong, all the lights in the room dimmed and the temperature dropped. The servants who were taking away the last of the dinner plates shrank back and cowed, even the guards became tense and hands reached for weapons. As quickly as it arrived the tension left the room, although a little lingered in the Sorceress’s eyes.

“My dear Shu, you will not be leaving. You will remain here and write me poetry, about my city and my beauty. I want copies of those poems sent across the land so all will come to know me and love me.”

When he heard of her intentions, all the fear that Shu had felt previously came back tenfold. He couldn’t stop himself from thinking that everyone should know about the Sorceress, so they could fear and avoid her. The guard captain stepped forward to take Shu away, not wanting to be pummelled again he followed meekly.

 

Shu was permitted to wander around the rooms on the seventh floor in which he was kept, he learnt that the Sorceress’s private rooms covered the whole of the eighth floor and that he was forbidden to go there.

On the first day of his stay in the palace Shu wrote poetry and painted the view across the city roofs from the window of his bedchamber where he sat. Over dinner he recited the poetry and presented the painting, these pleased the sorceress, and she demanded more.

At first he thought that he would remain at the palace for a few days, and he occupied his time by painting the eight different cityscapes visible from the balconies on the seventh floor. He discovered that the dining room offered the best view across the river and the merchant’s quarter, whilst the balcony from another guest chamber presented the impressive sight of the military barracks which occupied a small hill a short distance away. For the rest of the week he spent his days writing and painting and his evenings reciting the poems to Lady Valour.

When one week turned into two, he became desperate, he resorted to begging the sorceress to let him go. She laughed at him and told him that he should have no desire to leave, as she provided him with everything he needed. This was true enough that he had all the paint brushes, paper and scrolls that he could have ever desired, his room was luxurious and he was waited on hand and foot like an honoured guest, except he could not leave. Servants would appear and disappear through panels in the walls that would not open to his touch, neither would the great doors at the top of the stair, that he had first been brought through. No matter where he looked, he could not find any way of reaching the eighth story. Sometimes at night he would hear footsteps within the walls, travelling up and down on hidden staircases. Even though he was left alone without any visible servants nearby for hours at a time, he knew he was always been watched. More than once he had seen, from the corner of his eye, one of the painted animals on the murals that covered the interior walls, blink. Although he could swear that it happened, when he looked closely at the walls, they appeared to be solid and the paintings nothing more than decoration.

When the weeks turned in to a month the last hints of autumn disappeared beneath a fine fall of snow. Shu was heartbroken as he thought about his pregnant wife waiting for him back home, he had promised he would return before the snow set in and now he had broken that promise. He had written many letters for her and had tried to pass them on to the servants in the hope that they could send them to her, Shu even tried to get a message to his friend Hugh, but the servants were clearly too terrified to help him.

Soon after the first snowfall, Shu attempted to escape by climbing from the window, he was desperate as the last poem he had written was terrible even by his own admission. In truth he was heartbroken from been kept like a bird in a cage and had lost his ability to write. The paintings he’d been creating for several days had also been monotone, flat, and lifeless, nothing like his usual work and the sorceress had expressed her deep displeasure.

 

He believed he had planned his escape perfectly, there was a period every afternoon where he would be left alone for nearly four hours, so that he could work presumably, and he took this opportunity to tie together all of the silk robes that he had been given by the Sorceress. He didn’t care that he was stretching the silk as he knotted the sleeves together and he would have torn up the silk bed sheets too, but they were so strong they refused to rip. After an hour’s hard work he had an improvised rope that should be long enough to get him to the ground. From his careful observations from the windows he knew a patrol passed beneath his window at precisely 2:05 and no other patrols would be visible from this window for the next five minutes. It was a small window of opportunity, but it was the best chance he had.

He dressed once more in the simple clothes that he had worn upon his arrival, and took with him only the few possessions he had brought. He knew if the Sorceress caught him he would be in terrible trouble, but if she accused him of stealing from her as well, the consequences were not worth thinking of.

Tying one end of his makeshift rope around one of the huge supports on the balcony, he waited for the guard patrol to pass. Just as the squad of eight soldiers disappeared around the corner, he flung the rope across the stretch of emerald green tiles. With an audible thump, the ball of knotted silk garment struck the roof below, it rolled a little way and then fell to the next level. With bated breath Shu waited until everything was silence once more, then he began to climb quickly, the many knots made it easier as he lowered himself onto the section of roof that ran just below the balcony on the sixth floor. There was some kind of magic that prevented snow and ice forming on the sorceress’s Palace, it also kept the rooms pleasantly warm on the upper floors. The interior of the structure and even the balconies were so pleasantly warm they could be traversed barefoot even with falling snow just beyond the reach of your fingertips. It was only now that Shu was outside the magical barrier that kept the palace warm, that he realised how far on winter was. The cold began to bite at his fingers, and it tried to steal into his blood and bones, the exercise from climbing kept him warm as he descended another level. Despite all the time he had spent up in the mountains in his youth, Shu had never been one for heights. He had spent the climb looking at the walls and roofs of the Palace right in front of him, focusing on each little section as he made his way down.

By the time he reached the last section of roof his arms were aching, too afraid to look around he began to descend the last section. The rope was a little too short, so he had to drop the last six feet. He had been so focused on the rough stone walls that made up the ground floor that he had not noticed movement behind him. Shu’s heart was beating so strongly in his ears he couldn’t have heard the footsteps behind him anyway. The first thing he knew about the ring of guards behind him was when the guard captain laid a hand heavily on his shoulder.

 

This time he was not taken to the luxurious room on the seventh floor, but into a cell on the ground floor where he was chained to the wall and left for three days and nights with no food and only a little water. He was stripped of his brown outer kimono, his travelling coat and even his sandals, he was left to shiver in just his white under kimono, a loincloth, and a pair of black socks.

At noon on the fourth day he was brought up to the eighth floor, there seem to be a separate staircase that went from the sixth floor to the eighth, although Shu was hardly in a fit state to notice this. The cells had been cold and without his sensible winter clothing to keep him warm, he had suffered terribly. Three days without food had made him lightheaded and he struggled to stand, his lips had gone blue from the cold and his wrists were raw from the chains that had bound him to the wall.

At the centre of the eighth floor was a large octagonal chamber, seven pairs of doors lead off to different rooms, whilst the eighth set of doors concealed the stairs. Deliberately to disorientate him, the guard captain spun him around. The cruel man’s laughter filled Shu’s ears, as his vision blurred, he staggered like a drunken before collapsing onto his hands and knees. With vicious delight the guard captain kicked him in the ribs and then grabbed him by his lank hair and pulled him up onto his knees. This meant that Shu could see the Sorceress as she walked across the black lacquered floor towards him, she was dressed all in gold silk. Like so many times before her face seemed to be like a mask, with no visible expressions to read Shu couldn’t tell just how much trouble he was in. It was only as Lady Valour drew closer that he realised her feet were bare, and that her hair hung loose around her shoulders in a provocative way. He tried to look away, there was something indecent about this woman, but the guard captain twisted his hair harder so he couldn’t.

“My darling little Shu, why would you repay my kindness by trying to run away?”

Shu refused to say anything and after a moment’s silence the sorceress continued in a suggestive tone.

“I gave you fine food, beautiful clothes, servants at your beck and call, and all I asked from you was a few paintings and a few clever words. How could you be so ungrateful?” As she asked this question, she brushed a hand across Shu’s jaw, yet again he didn’t reply. Now her tone shifted to one of anger.

“I was so angry when I learnt that you had tried to run away, that I was prepared to kill you on the spot, but fortunately I decided to keep you out of the way for a few days, until I had calmed down. Now you have experienced my displeasure and the accommodation offered on the ground floor, I’m sure you will be grateful to be reinstated to your room on the seventh floor.”

Lady Valour tried to look Shu in the eyes, but he kept averting his gaze, so she moved closer, so close in fact it was impossible for him to look at anything else.

“I want you to write poetry for me, like that I heard you reading on the day I found you in the marketplace. I know you wrote that poem about my beauty, and how you admired me from afar-“

“I wrote that poem for my wife, my Pretty Pearl,” interrupted Shu. The expression on the sorceress’s face turned to one of pure venom as he continued. “For her I would defy you, for her I did everything I could to escape you, for she ii a thousand times lovelier than you, as she has beauty of the heart and-“

Before Shu could say another word, the sorceress slapped him so hard across his face that her gold lacquered nails cut his cheek, three lines of scarlet crossed his face in the wake of her fingers. As quickly her anger had flared it died as she looked at the damage she had inflicted on her beautiful poet. With something almost resembling tenderness in her eyes, she knelt down and began to heal his wounds, but Shu tried his best to shift away.

“I can make you potions that will make you forget about her, but they will slow your mind and leave you docile like the servants, I do not wish for that, it is your creativity, your art, that I love about you. You should forget about this Pearl, become my lover and you’ll have everything you could desire. A single kiss and all of your pain and hunger will be over.”

She lent in as if to claim the kiss from him, finally Shu twisted out of the guard captain’s grip, losing a fair amount of his hair in the process. The pain of having his hair wrenched out caused him to scream, but he did not care, all he wanted was to be with his Pretty Pearl. He began to cry, he begged and pleaded, finally in desperation he promised to return in the spring, if only she would let him go, so he could be with his wife for the birth of their child.

In the end it mattered little whether it was the mention of the infant yet to come, or Shu’s obvious love and devotion to his wife, but the sorceress finally lost the little temper she had. Flinging up her hand she signalled the guard captain to step back to the edge of the room, leaving her and Shu alone. Shu tried to stand, but he was too weak and to overcome with emotion to think straight, all eight doors looked identical, even if he could run, he had no idea in which direction to go.

“Please Lady Valour, let me go, I am a man, not a bird in a cage!” begged Shu one last time.

“We can soon change that, if you will not be my poet, my lover, then you will be my songbird.”

There was a note of finality in Lady Valour’s voice. As she had been speaking, she had also moved back to the edge of the room leaving Shu alone in what was clearly the centre of a large magic circle carved on the floor. Kneeling at one point of the eight-pointed star, she laid her hands upon the woodwork. Lines that had been nothing more than dull shadows on the black surface, glowed briefly red and then became lines of flickering, golden flames. The fire formed two rings around the edge of the star, as it spread, Lady Valour chanted a spell of change. The words sounded ancient to Shu’s ears. Once the framework of the spell had been laid down within the magic fire, lines from the points of the star extended inwards to where Shu knelt. There was nothing he could do. Nowhere to run. Nothing left to say. As the fire touched the stained and frayed edge of his kimono sleeve, he wished it would burn. In a moment of desperation, he wished that he would be engulfed with flames and burn to nothing. Surely that would be a better fate than to become a plaything or a pet for the sorceress. The fire did not burn, it was warm as a summer’s breeze, and as gentle as a lover’s touch, the flames wrapped him from head to toe, and he felt their power lift him onto his feet.

It would be easy, so very easy to give in to the Sorceress’s will and be transformed to her liking, thought Shu, just as he was about to submit, a vision of Pretty Pearl smiling at him entered his mind and his defiance returned stronger than before. Now the fire burned more intensely than anything he had ever endured; he felt his body changing. His fingers became feathers, his arms wings, his legs were now covered in black scales. At this moment he was neither man nor bird, whilst he still had lips and a tongue, he shouted the name of his love one last time.

“Pretty Pearl I will return to you, in the next life if not this!”

The Sorceress broke off her chanting to throw in curses upon Shu.

“May you be cursed to a hundred years of life, so that you know that all you have ever loved and known die before you. May your unborn child share your curse and shame your name!”

Shu felt an increasing pressure amongst the flames and that a renewed surge of will twisted his body. Suddenly his vision disappeared, neither could he hear a thing, but he could still feel the pain. He felt himself growing smaller, it was such a bizarre sensation, one that he had never experienced before, he remembered the growing pains he had felt as a boy, as he had shot up a couple of inches in one year, but this sensation was the reverse and magnified by the mere moments in which it took place.

The magic kept him standing as Shu opened his new eyes, his field of vision was different, he could see a great deal to his left and right, but could only see a small area directly in front of him clearly. Colours had also changed, before the Sorceress’s hair had been sheer black, now there were patterns of red and purple running through it. Other colours had changed almost as dramatically, the green leaves on a wall painting suddenly suggested a thousand more hues then he’d been able to see before. Along with the change in his sight he could smell more acutely, regrettably all he could smell was burnt hair and scorched wood.

The hidden servants began opening doors to bring in fresh air, a strong breeze blew through the tower wafting away the stench of burnt flesh, Shu could feel the air currents across his wings, between his feathers, and through his soul in a way that only birds could feel.

“Damn it!” exclaimed the Sorceress, “I intended to turn you into a songbird, you fought me every step of the way! Damn that magic, you are a bloody blue-crowned crane, their songs are no more beautiful than those of common ducks.”

Shu could still understand every word she spoke, and he was sure he could still speak, he remembered how to, so he opened his mouth, the noise he made was similar to a duck, just larger and louder.

Shu began to struggle, he felt the magic holding him up dissipate, with so many doors and windows open this may be his last chance to escape. The moment the last of the magic restraining him faded, any plans for escaping faded with it. His legs which were now thinner than a paintbrush, seemed far too insubstantial to hold him. As he tried to flap his wings to steady himself, he sent himself spiralling off madly to one side, and ended up in a crumpled heap on the floor. Somewhere at the edge of his vision he saw a servant slide back another door to reveal a room filled with cages. Magic had been used to seal the room, and he had been unable to hear any noise from within whilst the door had been closed. Now he could hear hissing, barking, whining and growling from the room’s many occupants.

Suddenly the guard captain loomed up behind Shu and grabbed him around his slender neck.

“If it displeases you so, shall I kill it my lady?”

“No!” snapped the Sorceress, then continued in weary tones, “I went to too much trouble to make it, stick it in a cage. I will go to my chamber now and make a decision tomorrow.”

The Sorceress retired to another room, the guard captain bowed reverently as she departed, and only then did he drag Shu by the neck to the room of cages, where he was shoved into a cage barely large enough to hold him.

Left alone in his misery Shu tried to weep, he found he could not do so in this new body. He was too weak to stand and his neck felt bruised from the rough treatment of the guard captain. He lay down on the straw covered base of his cage to sleep and he wished to die.

 

Shu may have died in the days that followed, but the servant in charge of caring for the animals and birds in the cages was kindly and she sang sweetly as she worked. Shu was reminded of his wife when they had first met and accepted the food and water given to him. Lady Valour did not come the next day or in the ones that followed, Shu could not decide whether he was angry or relieved that she had forgotten about him.

A little lapdog in another cage was refusing to eat its food, when the guard captain discovered that the dog was close to death, he beat the servant until the young woman begged for mercy. The brutish man may have continued to beat her, if the little dog out of pity hadn’t begun to eat.

It was hard to measure days in his new prison, as each one seemed identical. Shu was able to track the phases of the silver moon, through a crack in the shutters that were pulled across at night. This way he knew that a month had gone by, since he had been transformed. He had regained his strength and he flexed his wings as much as his cramped cage would allow. The girl who cared for them would leave the window open all day so the otherwise miserable creatures could see the view of the sky, whether it was rain, sun, or snow. She worked hard and did her best to comfort the animals that had once been people, she talked to them kindly and stroked their heads when they needed compassion.

 

On the day that an old songbird died, Shu feared that the guard captain would go through with his threat and throw the servant out of the window. It was on this occasion that the Sorceress made her first appearance. She picked up the dead bird and examined it.

“It died of old age, I changed this singer into a bird fifty years ago, think no more of it.”

As she finished speaking, she tossed the dead bird out of the window. With a wave of her hand, she indicated for the guard captain to relinquish his grip on the servant, and she exited. Every creature had gone silent from the second the Sorceress had entered the room, and they remained so, cringing back into their cages, determined to stay in the shadows. Before the edge of her scarlet silk robe made it through the door frame, she stopped and spun about. Shu was gripped by abject terror as she approached his cage. She opened Shu’s cage and coaxed him out, he was too afraid to resist, and the window was open, if he could

Before Shu could make another bid for freedom, the sorceress took a length of gold thread from an inner pocket of her robe and dropped a loop around his neck, pulling the thread tight enough to dig in around the fine feathers of his throat. As soon as the magic of the golden thread held him, he lost any will to resist her.

 

Perhaps a month had gone by since he had been re-ingratiated into the Sorceress’s favour, whilst Shu appreciated being away from the cages he hated being permanently in the Sorceress’s company. Shu followed in her wake, on the end of the golden thread. He would sit on the back of her throne as she made her deliberations and judgements, and now slept in a basket beside her bed. Shu evened allowed the Sorceress to stroke his neck feathers as she spoke with her ministers during meetings, even though the touch of her skin against his feathers made him feel unclean. All this time he kept looking for a way to escape, he had a sense of renewed hope, that came with this bizarre increase of freedom. The sorceress would take him for walks through the beautiful gardens that lay between the palace and the river. The piles of snow that had been cleared from the paths were sculpted into all manner of creatures, peoples, and objects, from serpent dragons, to warriors and boats. Shu took a little pleasure from his walks in the garden, as he would surreptitiously rub his beak against the pillars of the stone pagoda where the Sorceress like to sit and watch the river. By rubbing his beak against the stone, he sharpened it, at night as the sorceress slept, he would chew, rub and peck at the golden thread, little by little he felt her influence over him lesson.

 

At the climax of the next full moon Shu witnessed one of the virgin sacrifices that had been rumoured about, Lady Valour drank the young woman’s blood stealing her life force and her youth.

She acted as if she was drunk after the ceremony, she seemed so full of power and strength that she believed herself to be invincible. In her arrogance Lady Valour had not noticed the golden thread wearing thin, as Shu had kept pretending to be mindlessly obedient towards her. The Sorceress had not slept the night of the sacrifice, but the following evening she retired to her chambers and as usual Shu settled in his basket by the bed. As she slept, he chewed again on the golden thread. Tonight, he intended to make his true escape, the thread parted beneath his beak, the Sorceress stopped her regular breathing, for a heart stopping moment Shu believed she’d detected a change in the magic and would be raining down her terrifying wrath on him once more. Fortunately, she simply rolled over in her sleep, now she lay only half covered by the pure white silk sheets on her bed. She wore a simple silk robe in bed, which was such a pale shade of blue Shu would have described it as being the colour of a moon shadow on snow. He perched on the edge of the bed looking down at the evil woman as she slept.

As quickly as a strike of lightning he struck, the sharp point of his beak pierced her chest and her heart. Blood splashed onto his head staining the patch of blue skin there crimson.

(There were consequences from killing such a powerful sorceress. For spilling her magical blood in such a way, from that day forth all blue-crested cranes became red-crested cranes.)

With her dying breath the woman screamed just once, Shu watched the light of life leave her eyes and hoped beyond all hope that the magic binding him into this cursed form would dissipate with Lady Valour’s death.

He stretched his wings out, lifted his head high and waited, he waited for a rush of magic, a sense of change, of any sign that his suffering was over. The only thing that came to his notice, was the sound of pounding feet on the stairs. Shu had not learnt how to fly, but he had been able to jump and flutter a little at the end of his tether. Now he spread his wings wide and beat them briskly, as the guard captain entered the room with his sword drawn. There was a moment of shocked bewilderment as he saw the body of his mistress, then the crane covered in her blood. The crane that had been the poet he had so utterly despised.

“She gave you so much, and you killed her!”

As he shouted, he threw his sword at Shu, who leapt high into the air to avoid the blade as it spun towards him. The sword then sliced through the window shutters behind him. Instead of running at the shocked Shu, the guard captain lowered himself down to the body of Lady Valour and began to weep.

“There was nothing that I wouldn’t do for you my lady, all I ever wanted was your love and affection.”

Shu didn’t wait to hear the rest of the captain’s lament over his dead love, he wriggled his way through the broken shutter and out on to the balcony.

The silver moon had not noticeably begun to wane, so the city and the gardens around the palace were brightly illuminated by moonlight. It was a long way down and this time Shu had no rope to aid him, he had to simply trust that he could fly. Instead of thinking about the distance between himself and the ground he spread out his wings and thought of Pretty Pearl. He leapt in a graceful dive, gliding through the moonlit night.

He was doing surprisingly well, until he tried to flap his wings. The change in the air current caught him by surprise and he began to plummet until he stretched his wings back out, and continued his glide towards the ground. He barely cleared the perimeter wall that surrounded the palace, and he did not do this unnoticed. A guard spotted him and shot an arrow at him. Shu got lucky and the arrow missed his body and clipped just a couple of feathers at the edge of his left-wing, whilst this did not kill him it caused him to spiral as he glided down. He hit the ground hard and for a moment he worried he would break his slender legs.

Not far enough away in the distance there came the sound of an alarm bell ringing, and closer still were the sounds of pounding feet as the Sorceress’s soldiers began the search. Shu ducked into an alleyway where a thick drift of snow gave him an opportunity to rub the blood from his face, he caught a glance of his reflection in a sheet of ice on the ground, and saw for the first time that his blue crest was now turned permanently red. Not giving himself time to think about this or to give in to his mounting sense off terror, he began to run. He headed for the eastern outskirts of the city, where the river cut through the city walls and a large wading bird with nothing left to lose could make his escape.

 

Looking back Shu couldn’t clearly remember his escape. He knew that he hid in alleyways, and outran the guards several times. Whilst he could not fly with his damaged feathers and his lack of knowledge, he could run with his long slender legs and by flapping his wings he could build up quite a speed. He did remember the feel of the half-frozen river mud around his feet as he passed alongside the city walls by the river’s edge. After that he simply remembered walking, he walked until the sun rose and then he walked until he could go no further.

He walked most of the first day, barely stopping to rest and not even wanting to eat or drink. Eventually he collapsed exhausted at sunset in the little shelter offered by a log store. He slept there until the next dawn, when he was awoken by a boy poking him with a stick. It was only now that Shu realised that no one he now met would know that he had once been human, they would treat him as a mere animal and many people saw cranes as scavengers or pests. He squawked and flapped his wings to scare off the boy who in turn threw the stick at him. There being no other option, Shu began to run away. Deep within his little chest, he felt his heart beginning to break, what would he do when he returned home? Would his wife recognise him? With no answers to these questions and only a sense of hunger to distract him he continued his long journey home.

He travelled along the merchant trails that even in the winter were clear enough to follow. He did not know how to find his own food like other crested cranes, so he scavenged in the bins behind the taverns and inns that lined the road. It was only now that he realised how much he had been dependent on the Sorceress for his food. She had provided him with succulent prawns, sweet berries and plenty of nuts and grains. Now he was reduced to fighting rats in garbage piles, for yesterday’s leftover, congealed rice.

He ought not to have continued living this way for long, but he was driven by his burning desire to return home. This single thought drove him over the many miles that separated his little rural town from the big city, where he had so foolishly believed he could make his fortune.

 

Cresting the final hill, he looked down upon the lake and his home. The house appeared to float above the lake from this angle, but as he descended the piles that held up the houses’ edges over the water were visible. They had once seemed as numerous as a millipede legs. As a young boy playing in the shallow water beneath the house, he had tried to count the pylons, but had always lost track. Spurred on by this happy memory Shu accelerated down the slope. Now at the edge of his hearing he could make out Pretty Pearl singing. Just the sound of her voice was enough to urge Shu up into the air, to do a long glide down the hill towards her. As he grew closer he could make out the words, and the song she was singing would have brought him to tears, if only he was able.

I’ll be waiting for you, I’ll be waiting for you my love,

even when it feels like my heart is falling apart.

You can mend it darling, you can mend it,

all I need is the touch of your love.

I’m yearning for you daily, your name is what I’m craving to say,

with every beat of my heart.

They tell me you’ve left me darling, they tell me a sorceress now has your heart.

They can try to drive me crazy, and they can call me crazy,

for I know you would never forsake me my love.

They won’t let me search for my darling, they say think about the baby,

so I’m waiting for you here my love.

Every day I say I’m doing fine, but every day I feel less fine,

for it’s a day that I am without you my love.

You are like the blood in my veins, the thoughts in my brain,

You are every part of me my love.

I fear I’m going crazy, as I search for you daily,

when I’ve been told you’re not coming back to my arms.

My tears, oh my tears I just can’t shed enough.

For the years, and the years, we had just were not enough.

Still I wait for you darling, still I love you darling, for you I will give everything up.

Just to have you darling, just to have you back in my arms.

 

He’d stopped at the edge of the water, there were perhaps twenty feet between him and the shore where Pretty Pearl sat in their favourite spot on the veranda. Deep in his soul Shu was convinced that his wife would be able to understand him no matter what shape he was, so he called out as loudly as possible. She did look up, and she stared straight at him. Shu began to wade out into the lake towards her, but even with his long legs he soon found the water was too deep, returning to the lakeshore he continued around to the side of the house where there was a courtyard garden and access to the road which he had followed for many days. As he passed around a small clump of shrubs, he saw the gates to his home, they were firmly closed. He tried lifting the latch by sliding his long black beak into the crack, he couldn’t quite get the angle and even if he could have, the wooden bar was too heavy for him to lift. Instead, he began pecking on the wooden gate and when that got no reaction he began crying out. After a while his mother-in-law came to the gate, she was carrying a bucket of dirty water, which she tried to fling over him, Shu scuttled back just in time.

“Be off with you! You damn noisy bird!” With these few words the woman slammed the gate and dropped the latch once more.

To be so close and yet so far from the woman he loved so dearly, tormented Shu just as much as the months he’d been kept in a little cage in the Sorceress’s tower. Just as he was beginning to give up all hope, the gate opened for a second time and revealed Pretty Pearl all wrapped up, heading out for a walk. Fighting back the urge to rush up and embrace her, he watched from a cautious distance. She moved gingerly on the compacted snow around the gate and once when she nearly slipped she placed a hand across her belly as if to comfort the unborn child. It was at that moment Shu remembered that the Sorceress had promised that his child would share in the curse, looking more closely at his wife he realised she wasn’t showing as much of a bump as a woman eight months into her pregnancy should be. Before he could consider what this meant, she began singing again, a song he had heard a hundred times before, about sunshine on snow and the voices of the mountains. As his wife walked Shu followed close behind, he followed her for a fair way until she stopped to rest on a stone bench, that was clear of snow, beneath the bows of an evergreen oak that stood behind their house. Slowly and cautiously, he moved closer to her, as she stared across the water, suddenly Pretty Pearl spoke.

“My darling Shu, my loving husband, please come home.”

Her words were so soft that Shu wouldn’t have been able to hear them, if he hadn’t been but two feet away. Still moving slowly he approached keeping his wings folded and his head held low so as not to scare her. When she looked up and saw him, Shu could see her eyes were red from the tears she had shed.

“What a beautiful bird, it’s a shame my husband is not here now, he would have loved to paint you, he always had an eye for the beauty of nature.”

Tentatively Pearl stretched out her hand as she spoke, Shu moved in closer so her fingertips ran across the rough skin that made up the red crown atop his head and then down his neck.

“How magnificent you are, I’ve never seen a crane this close before and I would never have thought that I could touch one. Were you the crane who was listening to me singing earlier?”

Shu nodded his head.

“Really, and now you’re here to comfort me when I’m crying.” She paused for nearly a minute deep in contemplation, all the time gently caressing Shu’s feathery neck. “Maybe you are magic. If you were you could take a message to my husband. What am I saying? Things like that only happen in stories. You were probably someone’s pet and have escaped, now you’re looking for someone to feed you.”

Shu nodded his head again, he had been kept by the Sorceress as a pet and he was hungry. He desperately wanted to communicate his feelings to Pretty Pearl, to let her know what had happened, and how much he still loved her, without words he felt so powerless. He tried extending his wings to wrap them around his wife, but she took fright and hurried back to the house, leaving him feeling terribly ashamed.

 

Over the next three days Shu tried to communicate with Pearl when she came out for her walk. He would listen to her crying. It seemed she came out here every day to cry, as she thought that no one from the house could hear her sobs here. Shu nodded or shook his head in answer to her questions, and, allowed her to pet him. But no matter how intelligent he seemed to be she couldn’t accept he was anything more than a bird. On the fourth day Shu brought her a sprig of red quince flowers and placed them in her lap as she stared across the lake unseeing. Looking down Pretty Pearl saw the blood-red flowers on their black stem.

“These flowers did not come from our garden, my mother dislikes red flowers. I know there is a beautiful quince against the wall of our neighbour’s house nearly two miles away.”

Shu nodded, that’s where he had found the flowers, it had taken him a long time to snap off a nice piece without damaging the blooms, and longer still to walk there and back. Smiling for the first time in days, Pretty Pearl tucked the flowers in her hair where they glistened like rubies.

“Would you like to come back to the house? I’m sure you can sleep in the stable and I will make extra rice so you can have some.”

Like an obedient little lapdog Shu followed her back to the house and was overjoyed to be let into the courtyard. The stables stood separate from the house and had been empty for many years as they couldn’t afford to keep a horse. Pretty Pearl opened up one of the loose boxes and put down a little of the hay they kept for the horses of visitors. She didn’t shut him in but instead she went to the next loose box which was occupied by a brown gelding, for a moment Shu couldn’t believe his eyes, he recognised this horse, it belonged to none other than his landlord and friend Hugh Singh-go. Pretty Pearl placed a bucket of water on the floor so Shu could drink and then headed back towards the house, with Shu hot on her heels. He wanted to know what Hugh was doing here. Pretty Pearl had climbed the steps to the house and was taking off her outdoor shoes when she spotted that Shu had followed her.

“No! You are to stay in the stable, I will bring you some food later.” Her voice was firm.

Shu looked on pitifully, as his wife slid the door closed with him firmly on the outside.

 

After some time Shu moved round to the side of the house where the kitchen was, he hoped that he could slip in through that door. Before he reached the door, he passed beneath the kitchen window which had its wooden shutters open letting out steam from a big pan of stew that was cooking. The dish smelled wonderful and Shu longed to eat such food again, so he paused beneath the window taking in the smells. This was how he overheard the conversation between Hugh and his mother-in-law.

“I tried speaking to her again today, explaining the merits of your proposal. I told her if she doesn’t act soon, her child will be born without a father,” the voice of Shu’s mother-in-law sounded stressed.

“I presume you got the same response as I?” Asked Hugh

“Yes, she told me her child already had a father, and that he would return any day. I should never have let her marry an artist, it’s made her so headstrong,” the mother-in-law sounded exasperated now.

“Strength is a virtue in women when it comes to achieving their goals, but your daughter is incredibly stubborn. I fear that changing her mind will be is hard as convincing a waterfall to go up. As soon as this snow has lifted a little, I will return to the city.”

“Please do not lose heart Mr Singh-go, I’m sure my daughter will come around and accept your proposal. Once the child is born, she will realise the money Shu sent all those months ago cannot last. You are a man of such good standing, and we are so grateful for everything you did, and try to do for Shu.”

“I told him that he should go home straightaway when the last leaves of autumn fell. I never imagined the trouble that would be caused by that final day’s poetry reading in the market. I should have stopped him, if only I had known,” Hugh’s tone sounded overly dramatic in the confines of the kitchen.

“Mr Singh-go, you should not blame yourself, you did everything you could. It’s that no-good son in law of mine, he was the one who ran off with the Sorceress and is now living a life of luxury in her palace, with no regard for his wife or child. If he cared at all he would have sent news to us.”

“He didn’t even send a message to me, and I was in the city, until the first snow began to fall. Then I realised I should visit his lovely wife, and although it saddened me greatly, I knew I had to tell her the terrible news.”

“And we are so grateful that you did, as hard as it was to hear, it needed to be done. And we’re very grateful for the money and the gifts you brought.”

“Oh good woman, praise me not, I did what any decent man would do. I knew that Shu’s wife was expecting and that you were doing the best you could for her. He spoke of the two of you often, when we were out drinking and gambling, though I didn’t gamble myself.”

“Gracious! you didn’t tell me that Shu had taken to gambling.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to blacken his memory. He earned good money in the city selling his paintings and poems, but he spent more on food, drink and the gambling tables, than he ever sent home to you. I did my best to stay his hand where I could, but alas I failed him.”

“You were a good friend to my no-good son in law, he didn’t deserve you, and we don’t deserve your kindness now, but we are grateful for it.”

“Good lady you’re too kind, both with your hospitality and your flattery.”

Shu couldn’t take another minute of listening to this mockery of words between his mother-in-law, who had always been kind and friendly, and his so-called friend, who was now stabbing him in the back. Like a child who’d been called a nasty name, he fled off down the garden to be alone with his thoughts.

 

Over the next few days, when Pretty Pearl went for her walks, Shu accompanied her staying by her side. He would dance for her, just to make her smile and would bring her winter flowers every day, when she sat on the bench beneath the evergreen tree. Pretty Pearl would absentmindedly talk about all the little day-to-day events in the house and she talked a lot about Hugh and his determination to marry her, claiming that she was the loveliest woman he had ever met. From these one-sided conversations Shu learnt that his darling wife was being relentlessly badgered by both Hugh and her mother to remarry, and as the days continued, he saw her resistance begin to wane.

“My child will need a father, and I need a man who can provide for us, with a steady income. My mother tells me this and I know it makes sense, but I still love my husband Shu with all my heart. You can call me crazy Mr Bird, (Mr Bird is the name Pretty Pearl gave to Shu when she talked to him on her daily walk.) I cannot remarry when my heart will always belong to my husband and I certainly cannot marry Mr Singh-go, he’s only a few years younger than my mother! If that wasn’t bad enough, he wears a wig and he’s always sweaty, I think it’s because he eats too much, especially too much spicy food. I could never love that man. I would become a hermit living in the mountains like old master Qian Xuan before I remarried.”

Hearing this from Pretty Pearl delighted Shu, so much so that he jumped into the air flapping his wings, which created a flurry of snow which drifted across her feet. She began to laugh and then she sang like she did every day, but today the song was one of joy. As she sang Shu danced, flapping his wings and stretching his neck jumping high into the air and spiralling around, just in that moment he realised been a bird wasn’t so bad.

Every evening after supper Shu would wait by the kitchen door, for Pretty Pearl to bring out some table scraps, there was always a little leftover rice, but there was seldom anything else, as Hugh would eat everything he could. This evening as he waited, he heard footsteps approaching down the snow-covered garden path. Turning to see the intruder Shu was surprised to see his old master, the hermit of the mountains Qian Xuan, trudging towards him. The old man carried a big pack covered in a brown bear skin, and he wore a coat made from the skins of two grey wolves. The wolves had tried to kill him, or at least that was the story Qian Xuan had once told. The story about the bear skin on the other hand, was a story that his old master had never revealed, saying it was one for another day. Whilst master Qian Xuan called himself a hermit, he spent a lot of time staying with various people in the lands around the lake and would often have students for three or four years at a time. The newest apprentice trailed behind his master carrying an equally cumbersome pack on his back, the young man only had a cloak made from deer hide to protect him from the cold, over some well-worn clothing. The old man paused to look at Shu standing patiently waiting in the snow, at that moment Pearl opened the door. She dropped the bowlful of scraps in front of Shu, as she saw the old master like some shaggy beast in the pale light of a half-moon.

“I’m sorry to alarm you Mrs Han, I was hoping you could give as shelter for a few days, as there will be a terrible storm during the night.”

“Master Qian Xuan, you are always welcome in my home I’m sorry to have been alarmed at your sudden arrival.” It only took Pretty Pearl a moment to fully regain her composure, before she continued, “you’ve just missed dinner, but I can put something together.”

“There’s no need Mrs Han to put yourself to such trouble, my apprentice can prepare a little supper for the two of us, if you would let him use your kitchen.”

From further down the garden path the apprenticed groaned, Shu understood the young man’s predicament as he had gone through the same thing himself, when he had followed Master Qian Xuan around the mountains in the summertime, and between the houses by the lake during the winter, asking for food and shelter in exchange for a story or a poem. Whilst Shu had only studied the arts from Master Qian Xuan, the old man knew about magic and medicine, and was often welcome in houses where he had helped families at various times, and with pretty Pearl expecting her baby any day now, he was more than welcome here. Shu felt relieved as his old master entered the house, knowing that he would help his wife and that his old mentor would be an ally against Hugo and the mother-in-law, with their agenda to make Pretty Pearl remarry.

When the light from the half silver moon was eclipsed by clouds, Shu thought that he would be going hungry tonight when the apprentice appeared with half a grilled fish and a good portion of rice.

“The master wasn’t very hungry, so he told me to give this to you. I don’t know why I am talking to a bird like it can understand me, you are just a pet aren’t you?”

He spoke in quiet tones, which Shu recognised, as he had often spoken that softly when criticising the master for sending him on bizarre errands during his own youth. Compared to some of the curious things Qian Xuan had told him to do, feeding a stray bird was quite mundane.

“The Master thinks you’re not just a normal bird, he says there is a little magic about you. He is supposed to be teaching me magic, but so far this year all I’ve done is fetch water, cut wood and stand on one foot for an hour every day,” the young man sounded rather dejected. “I thought by now that people would be talking about Sion June, as the talented apprentice of Master Qian Xuan, and that he is the young man to watch.” As he spoke Sion June stood up and swept his arm through the air, leaving a faint trail of sparkling lights behind him. “I’ve been able to do that since I was five, and I still can’t do much more. I thought I was really lucky been apprenticed to one of the Twelve Immortals, ‘The Mountain’ is supposed to be the most powerful of them, maybe I should have travelled to the city of She-song, and asked ‘The Tower’ to take me as her apprentice.”

Sion June talked at length about his dreams and ambitions, he had settled himself on the doorstep watching the snow falling beyond the shelter of the porch by the kitchen door. Shu didn’t listen closely for he began to remember stories that Master Qian Xuan had told him nearly a decade ago. He felt ashamed that he had forgotten about the Twelve Immortals. They were practitioners of magic who had supposedly been trained by the God Inuky, the supreme master of magic. Inuky had taught each of his students a different way of acquiring immortality but had forbidden each to tell the others. Shu remembered a story about the one called ‘The Bear’ who prolonged his life for hundreds of years, by sleeping for long periods of time. The Bear’s only connection to the world was through his dreams, in which he had visions of events all around the world. The story also said that The Bear still slept under a distant mountain, waiting for the world to need him.

Shu only noticed that Sion June had stopped talking, when the kitchen door was closed leaving him in near darkness. Slowly he trudged back to the stables, only to find that his mother-in-law had shut and bolted the door. He knew it was her, as the footprints in the snow were small and shallow, the tiny, skinny old woman barely left an impression. The snow began to fall thickly, and the wind drove it sideways as it fell. Shu did his best to shelter under the overhang of the roof, but the night was bitterly cold.

In an attempt to occupy himself he tried to remember all Twelve Immortals. From the stories Master Qian Xuan had told he knew that The Bear had been the first apprentice, followed by The Wave. The story said that The Wave had gained her immortality by binding her soul to the ever moving sea, the drawback to this was that she could never step foot on dry land, she needed to be connected to the movement of the waves. Then there had been The Pilgrim who acquired his immortality through the power of prayer, it was said that he travelled from shrine to shrine absorbing the power of prayer, but he could not remain at any one temple for too long, otherwise he would be taking power from the gods.

The first three apprentices had been more or less good, then for reasons no one knew, Inuky had trained The Gambler, who would bet years of his life against those of others, at games of chance and he would always win. The next apprentice had been talented at creating magical objects, he created a knife that would steal the life force from whomever he stabbed. The stories about The Knife suggested that there had been more than one magic wielder with this name, as a series of sorcerers and sorceresses had killed one another to claim the knife and the title.

The sixth apprentice had been given the title of The Mist, she had apparently tried to kill Inuky in a jealous rage when he rejected her love. When her attempt failed, she tried to kill herself by throwing herself from the god’s palace that sat atop Spire mountain. In an act of rage of his own, Inuky cursed her as she fell through the clouds that surrounded the mountain peak and turned her into mist. The woman wasn’t like the other immortals since she had been cursed, but she lived a hollow existence as she could not take a truly solid form. While she often looked solid this proved to be an illusion when she tried to touch things, as her body would dissolve back into mist. It was said that she often remained as a floating cloud that haunted the deep forest and the lonely mountains. Shu had heard several stories about her, as travellers often said they had encountered her, either singing to lure them away from their path, or to give them help when they became lost, it was sometimes hard to decide which ones to believe.

After The Mist, Inuky had taken more care in selecting his apprentices. The Guardian had been a princess who refused to marry. She ran away from home to pursue the search for knowledge and to master her magic. The Guardian served Inuky as the librarian of the Golden Palace, and she had been charged with protecting it, in exchange she would remain young and strong so long as she remained within the library. The eighth apprentice, the one who was supposedly the most powerful of them all was The Mountain, Shu knew him better as Master Qian Xuan. Whilst his master had not told him details of his immortality, as he had been forbidden to, it was widely rumoured that he was bound to the land around Star mountain. The mountain with its twin peaks lay beyond the northern side of the lake on which Shu’s house was built.

Next came The Wonder, Shu knew little about him, and what he did know seem to make no sense. Apparently, The Wonder had finished his apprenticeship and had gained partial immortality, but then he had disappeared, supposedly to live as a beggar wandering the world, and relying on the kindness of strangers. The Phoenix was the apt name given to the next apprentice, as she would burst into flames whenever she grew wearied with old aged or injured in battle. It was said that she was the greatest magical warrior who had ever lived, she had saved Chinniser from an invasion of the Barbarians from the North, and she had gone on to give birth to the first Emperor of the unified country before falling in battle defending her son from an attack from Garnett. There had been other stories about legendary warrior women with great magical skill, who had risen to save the country at various times of need. Maybe all had been different incarnations of The Phoenix, or perhaps it was wishful thinking, and the real Phoenix was living a quiet, peaceful life somewhere else.

The second to last apprentice was the one Shu knew as the sorceress of She-song city, Lady Valour, The Tower. Shu didn’t want to remember how she kept her youth and had power. The final apprentice was known as The Sweeper or The Spinner depending on who told the story, apparently The Sweeper appeared to be an elderly monk, who could wind back the years of his life by spinning a magic spinning-top backwards, to reverse his life and regain his youth. He was often known as The Sweeper however, because he could appear in any location sweeping paths or any other flat surface. He would pause in his work, to offer those in need valuable advice and guidance, then when anyone looked for him again, he would have vanished.

Shu felt a little smug that he had been able to remember them all, but this exercise had done nothing to keep him warm. The wind suddenly changed, blowing from the east now, sending a cold wind down between the house and the stable, blowing snow straight at Shu. He moved away, trudging through the deepening snow, until he was on the porch by the front door, which now offered him a little protection from the bad weather.

It must have been about midnight, when the wind blew more fiercely than before, now coming straight from the north. A branch from an oak tree which was overladen with snow, and buffeted by the wind, came crashing down. Waking from a fitful sleep, Shu dashed around the side of the house to investigate the source of the terrible noise. The branch had brought down a section of the garden wall and the nearest corner of the house. Fortunately, the room that was now exposed was a cold store next to the kitchen. Squeezing between the twigs and leaves Shu found his way inside. Now that the howling of the wind had grown quieter, he could hear his wife howling in pain, as the baby was coming.

The inner door had a simple catch, but in his panic, Shu struggled to slide it with his beak. On the other side there came the sound of footsteps, and a barely audible string of muttering.

“I am Master Qian Xuan’s apprentice, not that tiny old hag’s! She’s got me running all over the house, boiling water, fetching cloths, and now I have to go investigate whatever that noise was.”

Further along the corridor Shu could hear the sliding doors being pushed back one by one as Sion June peered into each room. With bated breath Shu waited for this door to open. Like a rush of snow, he flew between the young man’s legs when the door opened. The boy stared with wide-eyed surprise at the fallen branch before him, and must’ve felt Shu slip past him as he turned to watch the white and black bird hurrying down the corridor.

“Hey! You can’t come in! Get back here!”

Paying no heed Shu headed away from the kitchen, through the main hall of the house, and towards the bed chamber that was used by Pretty Pearl and himself. The sounds of her laboured breathing reached him more clearly now, along with the voice of Master Qian Xuan.

“Nearly there, just one more push,” the old master’s voice was calming and steady as he coaxed Pretty Pearl.

With a final effort the baby arrived, at the same moment Shu came crashing through the half open door. There was a moment of confusion, considerable confusion to be honest, as Master Qian Xuan held a large egg in his hands, everybody kept looking between Shu and the egg. After several more moments of shocked silence Shu’s mother-in-law erupted like a volcano.

“It’s that bird! he’s cursed my daughter to give birth to an egg, he must be a demon. I’ve seen that wicked thing walking with my daughter, I told her to drive it away, that it was no good!”

“Calm yourself good woman, there must be an explanation.” But even Master Qian Xuan sounded baffled.

As they had been arguing Shu approached the bed where Pretty Pearl lay. They never broke eye contact, he tried to explain everything to her within his head as if she could read his mind. Perhaps in that moment she did understand him as she smiled, before closing her weary eyes. Gently, reverentially Shu bent his head towards the egg and ran his beak down its side.

“Get away from it! You foul creature!” cried the mother-in-law as she tried to grab the egg from Master Qian Xuan. Fortunately, the arrival of the apprentice distracted the old woman, and the Master tactfully wrapped the egg in a blanket, she began to bark instructions at Sion June.

“I want you to chuck that bird in the lake! Make sure it doesn’t float! Get some rocks to tie round its legs!”

“Why?” Asked Sion June understandably hesitant.

“Why! I tell you why, It’s cursed my daughter, and now my grandchild is an egg!”

Master Qian Xuan nestled the egg in the crook of his arm to keep it warm and covered it with his other hand, as he did this he stared at the black and white bird, who stared intently back at him.

“Nod your head if you are Shu Han?” demanded the master, Shu nodded his head vigorously.

“Have you been placed under a curse and have you been changed by magic?”

Yet again in answer to the questions Shu nodded his head. The old man gently rocked the egg, and contemplated this news.

“Was it Lady Valour who changed you?”

Instead of just nodding his head this time, Shu flapped his wings to emphasise the full horrors of his plight.

“I wish you could tell me the whole story, if I knew how you had been transformed, I might be able to change you back and break the curse upon your child as well. Even if I knew, it would still be a maybe, transformation was never my area of expertise.”

Shu hung his head clearly dejected by this news, yet again he tried to speak, but only a squawk issued from his beak.

“We are all tired, I suggest everyone gets some rest and we will hopefully think more clearly in the morning,” said Qian Xuan.

“That demon bird is not my son-in-law! He was a hopeless dreamer, but…

“My good woman, Lady Valour was the Sorceress in She-song city, she was also known as The Tower and was one of the Twelve Immortals,” interrupted Master Qian Xuan, as he could see the old woman beginning to get into one of her rages.

“What do you mean ‘was’?”

“Just that. She died a few weeks ago, this news reached me by a reliable source.”

The old woman still didn’t look convinced, so Master Qian Xuan elaborated further.

“An old friend of mine told me she was killed by one of her own twisted creations. You may not have noticed, but this blue crested crane is actually a red crested crane. If my guess is correct, I think the changed colour is due to the magical qualities of the Sorceress’s blood.”

“A very clever surmise master,” said Sion June dutifully. “I can verify that The Sweeper spoke at length with my master five days ago, pardon me it will be six days ago now, as I’m guessing it’s the early hours of the morning now,”

Shu paid the apprentice little heed, as he curled up next to his wife on the futon, he was so very tired. He only fluffed up his feather slightly as his old master place the egg between him and Pretty Pearl, then he was asleep. If he had been able to, he would have smiled with contentment, as he was where he had wanted to be for more months now than he could remember, if only he was his old shape again.

 

The first rays of the rising sun painted the shutters on Pretty Pearl’s windows in shades of gold and pink. Shu had slept well and found he had curled over the egg to keep it warm beneath his belly. Pretty Pearl was half awake and she stretched out an arm and took the egg as Shu moved to the window. He watched her clasp it to her chest and cradle it with all the love and affection any mother would show a new-born child. With difficulty Shu slid the sliding door back and moved out onto the veranda, where he could watch the sunrise across the lake.

Like so often after a snowstorm, the sky was innocently clear, and the air was fresh and crisp. Feeling more like his old self than he could ever have thought possible, Shu wished to write a poem. Looking down on the blanket of freshly fallen snow on the veranda, he was struck with inspiration, he began to make marks with his feet and beak. Before long a marvellous poem, about the beauty of new life being like the sunrise, lay in the glistening snow.

A sliding door opened further along the veranda and Master Qian Xuan emerged smiling gratefully at the rising sun. Just as he had done as a young apprentice, Shu ran over to his master, eager to show him his latest work. Now smiling in puzzlement Qian Xuan followed the bird to the spot where the poem was written. He read it with a mixture of surprise and joy.

“I will fetch a pen and ink, so I can copy this down,” he said.

Shu followed him back to the guestroom and watched him gather the necessary materials. In the two minutes they had been gone Sion June had come along the veranda with a sweeping brush and knocked the snow into the lake. When Qian Xuan saw what his apprentice had done, the man became rather irate and dropped the ink and paper he was carrying. As the old man ranted at the boy and threatened to throw him in the lake, Shu turned his attention to the paper and ink. He found he could make marks on it using his feet by dipping them in the ink and transferring it to the page. Seeing what Shu was up to Qian Xuan watched patiently as his old apprentice recreated the poem.

“Remarkable, there’s no doubt at all now that you are Shu. Do you think you could write down the story of what happened to you in the city in your own words?”

 

It took every sheet of paper in the house and then Sion June was sent for more paper from the neighbours. It also took two days of Shu working diligently, to put the whole story down in words. He was interrupted several times by Hugh Singh-go, who tried to apologise for things he had said, and some of the things he had done which may have been misconstrued. Master Qian Xuan tried to explain, but each time Shu flapped his wings and squawked at the man, he was not ready to forgive his old friend just yet and finally drove him from the room.

At the end of the second day Qian Xuan read out the completed manuscript after dinner. The old mother-in-law seemed to disbelieve how much money Shu claimed to have made during his months working in the city, and was truly horrified at the suggestion that Mr Singh-go had taken the bulk of it and brought it to her home claiming it was his own money. Hugh looked ashamed and embarrassed as the master read about the many times Shu had attempted to send messages to his wife and his friend. Pretty Pearl cried and clasped the egg tighter to herself as she listened to the horrifying details of Shu’s enchantment. Sion June sat with his mouth open, an emotion somewhere between horror and fascination, played across his face as he heard about The Tower meeting her grisly end.

By the time the story was told everyone was ready for bed, Shu had spent the last two nights in a guestroom rather than the stables, but tonight Pretty Pearl asked him to accompany her. When they were alone in their room, she spoke to him for a long time gently stroking his neck until the two of them fell asleep with the egg cradled between them.

 

Shu awoke to the sound of cracking eggshell, for a horrifying moment he feared that Pretty Pearl had rolled over and crushed it. As his eyes focused on the egg, he saw that a section near the top was being forced up from within. With growing excitement Shu woke Pretty Pearl. Her excited shouts drew her mother into the bedroom quickly followed by all the other guests. Everyone gathered around to watch the shell being forced apart by the tiny little bird inside. Once out they could see that it was an ugly thing, grey skin covered most of its body, with little stumps where wings would be, and the most disconcerting feature, were the cloudy blind eyes covered by permanently closed eyelids. Pretty Pearl wept believing that it was her fault that her child, even in its cursed could have been born blind. To everyone’s surprise it was Sion June who was able to put her mind at ease. He had raised a baby magpie one summer as a child, and he knew that baby birds were all born blind.

Over the next few days Sion June showed Pretty Pearl how to mash up meat with a little water and drop it into the baby bird’s mouth with a pair of tweezers. As time went on the ugly little creature, grew a covering of fluffy, downy feathers and soon after that its eyes opened.

When the snow began to melt and there were hints of spring in the air, Hugh Singh-go made more than a dozen excuses, as to why he needed to get back to his business in the city. The only person who seemed sad to see him leave was Shu’s mother-in-law. Before his old friend departed Shu had given him a letter expressing some level of forgiveness.

 

By the time spring had truly arrived and the cherry trees were in bloom, the little bird, (whom Pretty Pearl simply called Kai, as it was impossible to tell whether it was a boy or a girl), had begun to look like a miniature version of Shu, except that all its feathers were grey. Kai would follow Shu as he walked around the garden and waded in the shallows of the lake, Kai would also sit on pretty Pearl’s lap and play with all sorts of odds and ends. Sion June got into trouble with Pretty Pearl for teaching Kai to retrieve little sticks that he threw like a dog.

Master Qian Xuan and his apprentice finally left to make the trip across the lake. The old master had spent long hours reading his old notes on magic, but with no success with regard to restoring Shu to his original shape. On his trip he was going to visit a friend who had ancient text on the subject of transforming things with magic, which might be useful.

When they returned Master Qian Xuan explained to Pretty Pearl his disappointment, when deciphering the old magic text only revealed the transformation of metals.

“All his documents and scribbling were from someone trying to transform lead into gold, to make themselves rich rather than working hard.”

“Master Qian Xuan, perhaps we should seek out the other immortals, surely one of them can help us?” suggested Pretty Pearl.

Shu had taken the time to write down everything he knew about the remaining immortals, so Pretty Pearl knew about them. The master stared into his cup of green tea as if waiting for a sign. When a single, perfect, cherry blossom floated down, from the tree and landed in his cup, he smiled.

“Now that Kai is strong enough to travel perhaps you and Shu should head up the mountain and visit The Bear.”

“Would he wake to speak to us?”

“He might make the exception if I came with you.”

Somewhere nearby there came an excited squeal of joy from Sion June as he realised he’d be meeting another of the immortals.

 

The young man didn’t even complain as the small party climbed up the shaded side Star mountain, he would normally have grumbled about the large pack he was carrying. He carried not only his own food and water, but all that was needed by Pretty Pearl, whilst she carried Kai in a large wicker basket on her back. Shu led the way up the trail that looked to be nothing more than a goat track, with Master Qian Xuan giving him instructions from a few steps behind.

Just as Shu was certain he couldn’t walk another step up the mountain, they reached the mouth of a large cave just below the dip of the twin peaks. The rough natural cave opening, quickly transitioned into a smooth carved tunnel, so the party had little difficulty walking along. Master Qian Xuan clicked his fingers and was suddenly carrying a handful of fire which illuminated the passageway. From within the basket, Kai began to make sad little noises, that were almost a whimper. Pretty Pearl tried to comfort the child but dare not raise her voice above that of a whisper. Without been aware of it the party had slowed their pace and silenced their footfalls.

Although the passage was straight, they seemed to arrive very suddenly at a large pair of stone doors, there was an awkward moment when everyone waited for someone else to knock. Then Master Qian Xuan and Sion June both banged on the door at the same moment. The noise rang like the tolling of a stone bell throughout the echoing cave. With bated breath Shu and Pretty Pearl waited. Just as they were beginning to believe their journey had been for nothing, they heard a distant noise. It could have been just the distance sigh of the wind, but it was quickly followed by the sound of someone groaning, and then there was the distinctive sound of shuffling feet. Slowly one of the stone doors was pulled inwards and a sleepy eye appeared in the crack.

“What you want?” The Bear’s voice was low and rough, it sounded as if he hadn’t spoken the tongue of men in a century.

“My dear old friend, one of my former apprentices has a problem, which I cannot solve, I was hoping you could help?”

“You woke me up for this?” As The Bear spoke, he pointed at Shu. “You remember what happened seven hundred years ago when you woke me up for no good reason,”

“Of course I remember. It is hard not to notice that the top of this mountain is missing. You do know people nowadays call the mountain the twin peak?” asked Master Qian Xuan

“I know everything, at least everything that is important, like the fact that I should go back to bed.”

“Please good Sir, we’ve brought you food and saki, along with a lovely home-made eiderdown,” Pretty Pearl bowed respectfully to The Bear as she spoke.

To get a better look at his visitors he pulled the stone door further open revealing himself clearly. He was covered by an ancient brown bear hide, his hair and beard were long and matted, his fingernails and toenails were long and claw like, he indeed looked like his namesake. Begrudgingly, he invited them in and listened to Master Qian Xuan as he retold Shu’s story. As one man spoke the other devoured the food and drink as if he hadn’t eaten for a very long time. Despite knowing it was rude Shu couldn’t keep himself from wandering around the cave. The room was perfectly circular and held little furniture. A huge pile of leaves and straw filled the space at the centre of the cave, along with a few scraps of old blankets. A trickle of water ran down one wall and was collected in an old saki bottle, there were also a few bowls and pots scattered across the floor. At the side of the cave furthest away from the running water was an alcove carved into the stone, which held several dozen scrolls. The ancient paper looked as if it would crumble at the merest touch, unable to stop himself Shu poked the edge of one manuscript, which crumbled just as he expected. Whilst most of the contents of the cave were unremarkable, the ceiling was something of true magic. A pool of water seemed to float against the ceiling, and it radiated a pleasant bluish-green light.

“I already knew this, the death of another immortal is an event of consequence,” The Bear spoke so abruptly Shu was taken by surprise. “I’m afraid I cannot help you. I was the first apprentice, my master did not teach me the art of transformation. I can only suggest you seek out the other immortals, if you all look at the pool of knowledge, I will show you where they can be found.”

With a wave of his hand The Bear pointed up to the ceiling, where the water flickered and changed, becoming clear and casting the room into near darkness, before showing a series of images. One after another they saw nine individuals and The Bear explained who they were, Pretty Pearl made notes. The Wave could be found in the port city of Fuding, The Pilgrim was at a temple at the foot of Mount Kirkjufell, and so on went the list.

“I don’t know how much help this information will be, this is simply where they are at this moment. By the time you reach any of these places my fellow apprentices may be long gone. Although I’m sure The Mist will still be haunting the forest at the base of Spire mountain. It will be a long and arduous journey searching for the other immortals,” he warned them.

“We will make the journey and break this curse, so my child can live as a human along with my husband and I.” Pretty Pearl sounded truly determined.

 

After bidding the Bear farewell, they went back down the mountain and eventually to the house by the lake. Pretty Pearl’s mother tried everything she could to talk her daughter out of leaving on such a long and dangerous journey, but her daughter was stubborn and made preparations to leave, before the last of the cherry blossom had fallen. Master Qian Xuan accompanied the couple and Kai as far west as he could without leaving the territory that he protected around Star mountain. After that Pretty Pearl and Shu walked on following their own path.

 

It is known that Shu and his family made it to Fuding, there they met with The Wave, who had left the sea to be with the man she loved. She had grown old and was on her deathbed. The kindly woman tried to use the last of her magic to restore Shu’s voice to him, but she was too weak to do even that. Pretty Pearl sent a letter back to her mother explaining everything that had happened in the city, and that they were setting out to search for The Phoenix. Another letter reached Pearl’s mother telling of their encounter with The Gambler, who had made them an offer that they had refused. He claimed that Shu could gamble his body against that of another man and seize this stranger’s flesh and bones. Pretty Pearl never made a record of their encounter with the current Knife, who wasn’t even a practitioner of magic, but the king of the underworld and a notorious assassin and thief. Despite searching for The Pilgrim at every temple they passed, they never encountered him. Three times they met individuals claiming to be The Wonder, each time they proved to be nothing more than crazy beggars.

The final letter that Pretty Pearl sent home was a long one, detailing the adventures that she and her husband had when they took young Kai with them into the forests surrounding Spire mountain. They encountered The Mist who was beautiful and terrifying in equal measure, as she would swirl apart into a cloud and just as suddenly retake a single form. At first, she said she could not help Shu and Kai, but later appeared to Pretty Pearl when she was bathing alone, and offered her a deal to break the curse on her husband and child, in exchange for her own body. That night Pretty Pearl mulled over the offer as she had until dawn to give The Mist an answer.

The Sweeper finally appeared in the rundown temple in which they were sheltering. The old man made her a cup of tea and talked to her, giving her some much-needed advice. After turning down The Mist’s offer, Pretty Pearl led her husband and child on a hidden path, that had been described to her by The Sweeper that would take them up Spire mountain. In the letter Pretty Pearl described a staircase cut into the near sheer surface of the mountain, she had been afraid as there was no handrail and the steps were narrow, but she considered only what she may gain by meeting The Guardian. The stairs eventually led above the level of the clouds, to a small plateau from which they could see a taller mountain rising into the heavens. A golden arched bridge connected this small Spire to the great Spire mountain, but access to the bridge was blocked by a building which filled most of the plateau. This was the great golden-roofed library of Inuky, and within dwelt The Guardian.

Perhaps a page was lost from Pretty Pearl’s letter, for there was no record of what happened in the library, perhaps she and Shu met with the great God of magic Inuky himself, or maybe The Guardian as the keeper of all knowledge and wisdom did what she deemed best.

What is known, is that ten years to the very day that Pretty Pearl left with Shu and Kai, a young boy answering to the name Kai, knocked upon the door of the lake house. A very old woman answered the door and stared in amazement at a boy who resembled her daughter, he was even wearing the tatty remains of the favourite lilac kimono, that Pretty Pearl had been wearing on the day she left. Beyond the boy stood two cranes side-by-side watching, they each bowed their head to the old woman as she called out their names. She then invited her daughter and son-in-law back to their home. Kai told his grandmother many strange stories about their travels. He had seen everything from the aspect of a young bird and lamented the fact that he could no longer fly, but he would run along the edge of the lake with Shu and Pretty Pearl beside him.

In time the boy grew to be a man, and eventually married and had children of his own. Kai told his children the story of his unusual birth, and when they doubted him, he pointed to the pair of elderly cranes that still lived by the lake.

It said that this pair of cranes lived for a very long time, and that in the house by the lake there were still copies of beautiful poems, that had been written in an unusual style, as if painted with a bird’s foot.

 

It is said even now that you can see the cranes dancing together, when the snow has fallen and the sun shines brightly. Shu and Pretty Pearl may be long gone, but red-crested cranes still mate for life and they always will. Some say they do this in honour of the sacrifice Pretty Pearl made to be with her husband, and to give her son the chance to have a normal life. So, the next time you see a crane dancing with its partner, think about this couple who lived so long ago, and who only wanted to be together.

 

The end