Garden of Empress Cassia (4 page)

‘Yeah, see ya, Mr Ho . . . hey what
is
your real name?'

‘It's Ed,' he called back with a wink and a wave.

Mrs Lu's Teahouse
is closed today for
Chinese New Year
Happy Year of the Dragon!

Mrs Lu sat on Mimi's bed and handed her a small red New Year envelope. ‘Wow, forty dollars! Thanks Mum . . . it was only twenty last year.'

‘I know, but you born in Year of Dragon. I give you double lucky money. Get ready for parade now. It start at eleven.'

‘But I don't want to go. Can't I skip it this year? Dad won't know.'

Every year Mimi was forced to march in the New Year Dragon Parade and she hated every second of it. Imagine if she saw someone from school? She'd just die of embarrassment.

‘Dragon bring us good luck,' said Mrs Lu. ‘Look, you wear my wedding dress. It fit you for sure.' She held up a simple red silk dress with a high collar and tiny embroidered butterflies dancing across the front.

‘There is someone at door. I go, you try on,' she ordered.

Mimi reluctantly put on her mum's dress.
Makes me look really Chinese now,
she thought with disgust, catching sight of her reflection in the mirror.

‘Look who's here.' Mrs Lu walked into the bedroom followed by Josh. ‘He come to be leg of Dragon.'

‘Hiya, M. Hey you look great! Like a Chinese princess.'

‘I don't want to look like a Chinese princess,' Mimi said, annoyed.

‘So pretty,' added her mum, pulling Mimi's hair into a high ponytail.

She wriggled away. ‘I feel stupid in this. I'm not going.'

‘Aiya,' grunted Mrs Lu.

‘Come on, M. It'll be cool fun,' said Josh.

‘But I'm so sick of it. Everyone stares and points at you. I feel like a real idiot.'

‘You're so lucky having something like this. It's a great excuse for a party. My family were poor convicts dragged to Australia in chains. Nothing to celebrate there. Come on, we can have a pizza later. What do you say?'

‘All right then . . . at least I won't look stupid all by myself.'

The Dragon lies sleeping in an old warehouse in Chinatown. He has not stirred for one whole year. The Dragon has the head of a camel, the horns of a deer, the beard of a goat, the scales of a fish, the teeth of a tiger and the tail of a carp. He is strength and power. The Dragon brings rain and good fortune and now he is about to be awakened.

Every year Old Ma was invited to perform the special ceremony. He was one hundred and seven years old. Being a Taoist and practicing the ancient art of feng shui, he knew many secrets about life and one of these secrets was waking up dragons. He stood in front of the altar table filled with wine, tea, meat and fruit – a tiny figure in a business suit, holding a bundle of incense.

‘What's all that food for?' whispered Josh, standing next to Mimi dressed in black kung-fu pants and a T-shirt with a dragon design swirling down the front. He fiddled with the red sash around his waist.

‘It's for Guan Gong, keeper of the Dragon.'

‘Who's he?'

‘A kind of god. He was a general who lived in China hundreds of years ago. That's a picture of him there on the table.' It was a painting of a big man with a red face and black beard.

The incense sticks were lit. Smoke curled upwards and the fragrance of sandalwood filled the warehouse. Old Ma bowed three times then began a special prayer in Chinese.

‘Today is Chinese New Year. The Dragon is coming out to bless the people and chase away evil spirits. Here is an offering to thank you, Guan Gong, for keeping the Dragon safe all year long while he slept.'

‘What's he saying?' whispered Josh.

Mimi shrugged her shoulders and smiled. 'It's all Greek to me. He's speaking in another dialect.

Old Ma turned to the Dragon. He dipped a paintbrush into fresh pig's blood. The crowd held its breath as the little man stood on the tips of his toes to whisper in the Dragon's ear. Then, with great precision, he first dotted one eye – then the other. The great beast was awakened.

Everyone gave a cheer and the big drum beat out an exciting rhythm as the dancing lion approached. But instead of moving aside to let them through, as was the custom, Old Ma remained looking into the Dragon's eyes, a puzzled expression on his wrinkled face. Then, as though following the Dragon's gaze, he turned around slowly and stared straight at Mimi. His eyes felt as though they were looking inside her brain.

She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. Everything seemed to be in slow motion, even the beating of the drum.

Suddenly, the lion leapt into the silent space between Old Ma and Mimi, breaking the spell, one man under the head, the other under the tail. The lion's orange tasselled mane danced through the still air like shooting flames.

‘Hey M, we'd better go. They're calling us.' Josh nudged her.

‘What? Oh . . . okay' she replied as if waking from a dream. She craned her neck to catch another glimpse of Old Ma but the warehouse was crowded with people following the Dragon through the doors onto the street.

Mimi joined the other girls at the head of the parade. She carried a papier-mâché horse on a long bamboo pole. Other girls carried colourful flower lanterns made out of silk. Josh marched along at the back with the boys, carrying a ceremonial sword. He was too young to be a leg for the Dragon.

A man, dressed in yellow silk, teased the Dragon with a woven bamboo ball on a long pole. He waved it in front of the Dragon's nose, leading it on. This was the Pearl of Wisdom and no dragon could resist it.

The procession wound its way through the narrow streets of Chinatown. Firecrackers danced around Mimi's feet, exploding into tiny orange sparks. But she didn't notice or hear a thing, she was still thinking about Old Ma.

‘You Mimi?' came a muffled voice beside her.

‘What?' she asked, taking a wad of cottonwool out of her ear.

A person in a pig mask carrying a rake repeated, ‘You Mimi?'

‘Yes I am.'

‘Got a message for you then.' The pig handed her a piece of paper then melted into the crowd. Mimi unfolded the note:

URGENT.
Meet Mr Ma
12 Celestial Lane Chinatown.
Tomorrow.

How strange. What could he want?
Mimi was both fearful and excited at the same time.

The Dragon Parade entered the main street of Chinatown and stopped under the Facing Heaven Gate. Mimi didn't even notice the two-storey string of firecrackers waiting to be lit for the grand finale. She was looking for Old Ma.

All of a sudden, the silence was broken by the
phut, phut
sound of firecrackers, each cracker setting off another in a chain reaction. Then as suddenly as it began the noise stopped. The Dragon parade was over for another year. Next year would be the year of the Snake.

Back at the warehouse, Mimi changed quickly and went to find Josh. She couldn't wait to show him Old Ma's strange note. She found him waiting by the door.

‘How much fun was that?' he said. ‘I'm coming next year for sure. I'll bring the whole gang from school.'

‘Yeah. I enjoyed it too, for the first time ever. Come on, let's go get a pizza. I've got something to tell you.'

As they sat in the restaurant eating pizza, Mimi told Josh about Old Ma and showed him the curious note. What she didn't show him was how scared she felt. She wanted to ask him to go with her, but this was something she knew she had to do alone.

Mimi walked into the shop at number 12 Celestial Lane, Chinatown. Pillars of gritty books and magazines towered on dusty shelves. One tap would have sent them flying.

‘Yes?' came a rude voice from behind the counter.

‘I'm looking for Old Ma.'

A red-nailed finger whipped out of the darkness and pointed to the steep wooden stairway at the back.

Mimi made her way cautiously through the passage of books. The stairs reminded her of home. Steep and creaky. At the top was a long hall with doors off to both sides.

She called out timidly, ‘Mr Ma, are you there?'

‘Eh!' came a raspy voice from the room on the left.

Old Ma sat in a leather armchair, horse hair bursting from its seams. His body was so small and the chair so big and clumsy, in the dim light he looked as though he were perched in the mouth of a giant hippopotamus. At that moment he didn't look scary at all. Mimi caught a giggle in her throat and covered a smile with her hand.

‘Some cassia tea?' Old Ma spoke in a voice like rusty old nails. He reached over to the small brass table where an earth-coloured teapot and two teacups as thin as eggshells stood. The sweet scent of the cassia flower filled the musty room as the pale yellow liquid slipped like silken honey into the tiny cups. With a knobbly stiff hand, he nudged one over towards Mimi then looked deep into her eyes.

‘Yesterday, I wake Dragon. He open eye and look at someone in crowd. I very surprise. I turn around, see face of girl. I see Garden of Empress Cassia. Is this true, Mimi? You have seen garden . . .?'

‘Yes it's true, Mr Ma. The garden is on the footpath near my house. I drew it with the Empress Cassia Pastels.'

Old Ma sank back into his hippopotamus armchair. ‘At last . . .' he sighed. ‘I wait so long – so many hundred years.'

Mimi was curious to know if it was just Old Ma's poor English or had he really lived
many hundred years
?

‘Have you heard story of Empress Cassia?' he asked before she had time to ask his age.

‘Was she a real empress?'

‘She live long time past in China.'

‘Was she beautiful?'

Old Ma nodded. ‘Most beautiful in land. She have rosebud lips and wide eyes and hair black like night. She live in big palace with much servants and wear yellow gown of Empress. When she eleven year old, her father, big brave Emperor Wu, die in battle against barbarians. Very sad. But Cassia clever girl. She ride horse and shoot arrow straighter than best archer. Swim faster than great sea dragon in Western Cave – and paint like wind dancing on Lake Taihu. She have big heart. Every night, palace gates open wide for great feast. On twelfth birthday people give her present.'

‘What was it?' Mimi sat on the edge of her chair.

‘Box of beautiful pastels.'

‘The Empress Cassia Pastels. . . of course!' exclaimed Mimi. ‘Cool. But they couldn't be the same ones I have.'

‘Only one box in whole of world.'

‘But they . . . they still look like new,' Mimi said in disbelief.

‘They magic pastels, from ancient world. Empress Cassia draw on throne room wall,' he continued. ‘She draw plan of beautiful garden. On sixteenth birthday, Garden of Empress Cassia built behind palace. It was garden of perfect balance with long Dragon Wall all around. Every day, Empress Cassia gallop to Pavilion of Mysterious Way. She feed and talk to fish that live in Lake of Secret Dreams.

‘One day, General Hu, head of army, rush into throne room. “Barbarians attack from north. Break through Great Wall!”

‘ “How close?” ask Empress Cassia.

‘ “Two day ride. Our army not strong enough.”

‘Empress Cassia slowly sip cassia tea. She do this to think. “Get all people from city and take to garden. We wait for barbarian there,” she ordered.

‘Two day pass, barbarian arrive at palace wall, smash down gate. But everywhere, empty. Not even crunchy cockroach left crawling on kitchen floor.

‘“Burn to ground!” Big Barbarian Chief cry. They burn down palace.'

‘Then what happened?' asked Mimi, holding her breath.

‘Barbarian enter garden. Big Barbarian Chief raise sword over Empress Cassia.'

‘No!' cried Mimi, her hand over her mouth.

‘But wait . . . very strange thing happen. No strength in arm. Sword heavy like five elephants. Big Barbarian Chief get sleepier and sleepier. Whole army fall to ground snoring like bear in winter cave.'

‘Coo-el,' Mimi laughed. ‘What happened then?'

‘When they wake, they forget where they come from. They think they army for Empress Cassia. Big Barbarian Chief become most loyal general. Peace again all over China. Empress Cassia live very long life. Old as ninety-three. Day she die . . . garden vanish from earth.'

‘Wow. But how could it? Where did it go?'

‘There is space between Heaven and Earth where garden lie like sleeping dragon. Mimi use pastels, garden come back.'

‘But why me, Mr Ma?'

‘Because you have pure heart.'

‘But sometimes I'm really bad. Ask my dad.'

‘You just naughty girl sometime, not listen to Daddy, you not bad. Pastels are like mirror of heart. They not lie. If person is bad, pastels very dangerous so you must always keep them safe and hidden. In every time, pastels wait for just right person to bring Garden of Empress Cassia back. One person like you, Mimi.'

‘Is this true?'

‘Yes, it has been like this for thousand of years.'

‘Mr Ma.' Mimi stood up, her eyes bright. ‘Come with me, I'll take you into the garden right now'

‘No, Mimi . . . I cannot,' Old Ma sighed. ‘Garden of Empress Cassia only for those who hurting inside. It is garden for healing.'

Mimi sat back, disappointed.

‘No matter. In my lifetime I seen many beautiful gardens, Mimi.' Old Ma raised his cup slowly and took a long noisy sip of cassia tea.

The light suddenly dimmed as the sun sank behind the tall buildings of the city.

‘It's late. Mum will worry. Thank you, Mr Ma. I'll come and visit you again.'

‘Goodbye, Mimi. And remember – guard pastels well.'

‘I will. . . oh I almost forgot. I made you a present.' She handed Old Ma a small scroll.

As Mimi left the shop, a soft drizzle began to fall. Old Ma slipped off the red ribbon and unrolled the painting. Mimi had drawn the Garden of Empress Cassia for him. A miniature version - but with every tiny perfect detail.

The buzz of wings came to Old Ma's ears. A peacock blue dragonfly dipped its nose into the Lake of Secret Dreams, then flew out of the painting and into the dusty room.

‘Ah . . . Empress Cassia . . .' he whispered.