Moon Princess

by Barbara Laban

  They waited until the noise of the engine had sunk into the distance. Sienna was glad the guard had left, but still worried about the task ahead. ‘How are we going to find them?’ she said, standing up. ‘The mine is sure to have lots of tunnels and caves! They could be anywhere.’

  ‘I can sense your mother,’ said Minka. ‘We’ll find our way.’ And the white cat padded to the low building the guard had left.

  Sienna took a deep breath and glanced at Feng. He nodded grimly. ‘Come on,’ he said. The little dragon let out a miniature roar of determination.

  Together the four friends crossed the sandy ground towards the entrance to the mine. The door was secured with a padlock. Sienna tugged as hard as she could but the lock held fast. ‘There must be another way inside,’ she said, frustrated.

  ‘Wait here,’ said Feng. He disappeared briefly and returned with a small piece of wire in his hand. He worked it inside the lock and had opened the door within a few seconds.

  ‘Where did you learn to do that?’ asked Sienna, wide-eyed. Feng just shrugged and pushed the heavy door open. They were in a dark, cramped hall.

  Sienna and Feng spotted a tap and drank thirstily before walking across the hall. They found themselves standing in front of a latticed cage.

  ‘That’s the lift that runs down to the mine,’ said Feng.

  Minka nodded. ‘They must have taken your mother and Gege down there in it.’

  Sienna suddenly felt scared. She turned to Feng. ‘If anything happens to one of us, the other one has to carry on the search for mum and Gege, right? Then we take them to the temple to meet Zou and find out what’s going on. Agreed?’

  He nodded and the two friends hugged. Then they turned to the lift.

  Beside it stood a number of torches. ‘Let’s take a few of those with us,’ said Feng. They took a torch each and got into the lift. Feng closed the door and pressed a button. The cage squeaked and creaked, and then, with a huge jolt, the lift was hurtling downwards.

  It seemed to Sienna that the journey went on for ever. It was pitch black when they finally stopped and got out. She switched on her torch, illuminating a small room. There were two tunnels leading into darkness.

  ‘Along here,’ said Minka, and the little white cat led them into the tunnel to the right. There was no discernible end, and the further they travelled, the narrower it got. Sienna could only just walk upright, and she had the feeling that the huge weight of stone and earth above could collapse on her head at any time.

  Suddenly a mountain of black rubble loomed in front of them, reaching up to the ceiling.

  ‘They’re nearby, beyond this rockfall,’ said Minka, swishing her tail in frustration. ‘We’ll have to try a different route.’

  But Sienna, desperate to reach her mother and knowing she was so close, fell to her knees and began to dig with her bare hands. ‘We’re nearly there,’ she said. ‘We can’t stop now.’

  Feng joined her, scraping away at the coarse, rocky earth.

  The friends dug and dug, until their hands started to bleed. Meanwhile, Minka and Xiaolong tried to find another way through, Minka sniffing and pawing at the walls, the little dragon shooting sparks as he flew in circles overhead.

  ‘Shine your light this way!’ called Minka after some time. ‘I’ve found something.’

  Sienna straightened up and aimed her torch at the cat. The beam fell on a small opening in the tunnel wall. ‘We might be able to crawl through there – perhaps it’d get us past the fallen stones,’ Sienna said, and quickly disappeared on all fours into the opening.

  Feng had no choice but to follow her.

  But the tunnel grew narrower and narrower …

  ‘We have to turn back, or we’ll get stuck,’ said Feng.

  ‘Wait! I think it’s opening up.’ Sienna pushed herself onwards as the tunnel widened. ‘Come on,’ she said to Feng.

  ‘I’m not sure about this!’ called Minka from behind. Her voice sounded very far away. The two invisible friends had lingered further down the tunnel. ‘I have a bad feeling. Please come back, Sienna! We will find another way, I promise.’

  Sienna knelt down on the floor to catch her breath. She couldn’t give up, with Mum so near! As she rested, her mind swimming, she noticed something odd about the tunnel walls. Although dirty, glimpses of white shone here and there under the beam of her torch. She reached out and scratched away the earth nearby with her fingernail – a small moon-like crescent revealed the stone of the tunnel beneath, sparkling white and slightly damp to the touch.

  Pure white: just like the statue. Just like the dust on Sun’s hands. Just like moonlight.

  But before Sienna could finish the thought, the tunnel began to shake and they heard a squeaking noise. ‘What’s that?’ she asked.

  ‘Sounds like the lift,’ Feng replied. Small clumps of earth began to fall from the ceiling on to their heads. ‘We have to go back!’ he yelled.

  But it was too late! Stone and gravel fell down from the ceiling and crumbled from the walls. Sienna and Feng huddled together and held their hands over their heads as more earth also hammered from the ceiling behind them.

  The whole thing was over within seconds.

  ‘Minka? Xiaolong?’ cried Sienna.

  Silence. A wall of rubble separated the children from the invisible friends.

  Feng glanced at her anxiously. ‘What is it? What’s wrong now?’

  ‘We’re alone,’ Sienna said simply, her voice hollow. She flicked the switch of her torch but it was dead, broken in the impact. They were alone in the dark and, worst of all, they were separated from Minka and Xiaolong. Now they had no way of knowing how to reach her mum and Gege or how to get out of the old mine.

  Trying to swallow her feelings of panic, Sienna felt her way along the passage in the other direction, only to find it blocked in front of them too. ‘We’re trapped!’ she said. She tried to think, her heart pounding in her ears. There was nobody to help them, and they were deep in a mine, a rockfall at either end of the tunnel. Although … what if … ?

  A vague plan started to form in Sienna’s mind. Would it work? Could it work … ? Turning to Feng, she started to speak. ‘We are in real danger,’ she said, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice. ‘We only have one chance to get out of here. You have to call Xiaolong: make him use his flames to blast through the rockfall and get to us.’

  ‘But he’s so small!’ Feng sounded doubtful.

  ‘He’s getting stronger each day. You have to believe in him. I know he has the power to do this. I can see him, but I can’t summon him. Only you can do that.’

  Feng hesitated. Then he gave a small nod and closed his eyes. After a few moments of silence, Feng opened his eyes. ‘It’s not working!’ he cried in frustration.

  ‘You can do it, Feng! Believe in him.’ Sienna closed her eyes too and pictured the little dragon breathing a huge fireball, blasting through the rubble. She realized that it was getting harder to breathe: the air was running out!

  Suddenly they heard a faint noise. It sounded like roaring. ‘I can hear that,’ murmured Feng. ‘But what is it?’

  There was another roar and then a cloud of black dust fell over the children. ‘Oh no, not another collapse,’ whispered Sienna.

  Then there was a flash of light and fresh air filled the small space where Feng and Sienna crouched. More soot fell. When it cleared, Sienna opened her eyes and saw that the rockfall had been destroyed, clearing space for them to make their way back down the tunnel. And there was Xiaolong, hovering in front of Feng. He seemed bigger, and much stronger.

  To Sienna’s amazement and delight, Feng reached out his hand and stroked the little dragon. ‘I can see you!’ whispered Feng, touching Xiaolong’s snout tenderly. ‘My friend, my little dragon.’

  A noise from above caused Sienna to look up. As she did, she saw a large rock coming loose from the ceiling. ‘Look out!’ she shouted at Feng – but it was too late. She felt a sharp pain in her head and felt warmth sp
atter against her cheek.

  Then there was nothing but darkness.

  14 Jiejiude – Rescued

  When Sienna opened her eyes she was lying on a bed. She turned her head to the side, aware that her head ached and was covered in a large bandage. There, sitting by her side, was a familiar figure. Dad!

  Seeing that she was awake, her dad enveloped her in an enormous hug. She felt safe in his warm arms. ‘Dad!’ she croaked. ‘You’re really here. Am I really here? Where is here?!’

  ‘You’re in hospital,’ Dad said softly. ‘You’re fine, but you had a nasty knock on your head and you were very dehydrated.’

  ‘But … but how did you find me?’ asked Sienna. ‘I was in the mine … the roof fell in … then I don’t remember.’

  ‘A huge part of the mine collapsed,’ said Dad, speaking in a low, soothing voice.

  Sienna’s heart clenched. Mum and Gege were in the mine – what if they’d been trapped, or worse?

  Dad continued. ‘A security guard heard the explosion and found you unconscious outside. He called for an ambulance. I had reported you missing after a call from Ling, so the hospital contacted me right away. I was already on my way here as the last sighting of you was of you boarding a night train to Pingdingshan.’ Dad stroked her face softly. ‘What on earth have you been doing, my darling girl?’

  ‘I had to come here, Dad. Because of Mum.’ Sienna sat up in bed. Her head throbbed. ‘Dad, Mum was in the mine! Did they find her? Was Feng there?’

  Dad frowned. ‘Who is Feng? You were all by yourself, my darling.’ His frown deepened, his eyes sad. ‘When are you going to accept that your mother is gone?’

  Sienna shook her head. ‘Dad, you have to listen to me. Ling’s a crook – she pinched Mum’s jewellery. And Mum, she’s—’

  Dad interrupted her, his shoulders stiffening. Sienna could tell he was angry, even though he didn’t raise his voice. ‘Sienna, you need to calm down.’

  ‘Dad!’ Sienna cried, ‘Listen! Ling knew Mum. She’s connected with her disappearance. But Mum isn’t dead. She’s alive—’ Sienna broke off. ‘At least, she was still alive this morning. It’s all connected with the statue and the tem—’

  Dad’s voice was harsh as he cut her off. ‘Listen to me, Sienna. Your overactive imagination is putting you in danger. What on earth were you doing in a derelict mine? You’ve injured yourself and ended up in hospital – and it could’ve been so much worse!’

  Sienna’s eyes filled with tears. She hated being told off by her dad – but it wasn’t her imagination. ‘I’m telling the truth!’

  All of a sudden, his anger crumpled. He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. ‘For God’s sake,’ he said, his voice barely more than a whisper, ‘please stop this nonsense. I can’t lose you too.’

  Sienna held her tongue. It was no use: he would never believe her. ‘Sorry, Dad,’ she said quietly.

  ‘I’m sorry too,’ he sighed. ‘Get some rest, Sienna. I’ll come back soon with some supper.’

  Kissing Sienna on the forehead again, Dad left the room. As soon as he did, Sienna swung her legs out of the bed and then stood up shakily. What had happened to everyone? Feng must have carried her out of the mine, she supposed. She hoped he was all right. She longed to know if he had found her mum and Gege.

  Looking out of her window she saw that it was late afternoon. From the hospital, she could just glimpse the curved pagoda roof of the temple on the hill. Suddenly she remembered: it was the Moon Festival tonight! Everything was coming together, and there was no time to lose – she had to go to the temple and find out what had happened. Sorry, Dad, she thought. But I have to go. I have to find Mum.

  As she put her shoes on and grabbed her clothes, still unsteady on her feet, a familiar voice exclaimed, ‘Dearie me, don’t you look a state! You could at least have brushed your hair.’

  Rufus!

  Gathering the little dog in her arms and inhaling his familiar scent, Sienna hugged him until he squeaked. ‘Where have you been? Is everyone all right?’ she demanded.

  ‘Enough!’ protested Rufus, struggling out of her grip. ‘We’ll meet Zou at the Moon Festival, as planned. I don’t know about anyone else, but no doubt they’ll meet us there too. Now hurry up. Hmm, I think I know the way …’

  Feeling better already, despite the bandage round her head, Sienna followed Rufus out into the corridor and the lift. Now she had Rufus by her side, she knew she could make it through the town and back to the temple.

  She just hoped she wouldn’t be too late to save her mum.

  15 Yishujia – Artist

  At dusk on the Moon Festival, the Fragrant Mountain Temple was busy with monks and visitors, preparing for the celebrations. Many of the monks were carrying fruit, flowers and other offerings in their arms. Their voices rose towards the moon, already a ghostly white disc against the deepening blue of the sky.

  Sienna and Rufus blended with the gaggle of visitors at the temple gates, and hurried into the courtyard that had the well at its centre. A group of monks were finishing decorating the small pagoda over the well with flowers and strings of lanterns. Sienna turned away. She was terrified of spotting the fat, blue-eyed man a second time. The first time she had seen him, he had been wearing a suit. Then she had seen him in monk’s robes. Was he really a monk? What would he do if he saw her? She couldn’t forget that sight of the glinting knife clenched in his fist.

  As Sienna passed the tree at the side of the courtyard, she heard a cry and glimpsed movement in the corner of her eye. She gasped and started backwards, heart in her mouth, her fists clenched, only to recognize Feng leaping out of the bushes. He almost knocked her over with the strength of his hug. ‘Sienna! Are you OK?’

  ‘Fine,’ she said, laughing breathlessly, her pulse racing. ‘Apart from the heart attack you just gave me.’

  ‘Sorry.’ He smiled sheepishly.

  ‘Are you all right?’ She remembered how he’d been too scared to visit the temple the previous day. ‘It must’ve taken a lot of courage to come back here.’

  ‘It’s strange, but I feel braver now – I’ve been trapped in a mine, so I think I can deal with a temple.’ He grinned. ‘And Rufus!’ He caught sight of the little black spaniel and patted him on the head. ‘I can finally see you!’

  ‘We meet at last,’ said Rufus, bored. ‘Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m exceedingly hot after that mad dash across town.’ And with a yawn he settled himself in the shade of the tree and shut his eyes, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

  ‘Where’s Xiaolong?’ asked Sienna, searching the air above Feng’s head.

  ‘He and Minka stayed at the mine to search for Gege and your mother,’ Feng explained, some of the light falling from his eyes. ‘I haven’t seen him since.’

  Sienna bit her lip. ‘What happened? Are Mum and Gege alive?’

  ‘I think so. At least, Minka could still feel your mother after the rockfall. I managed to drag you out – I was so worried! But then the guard arrived and I hid in one of the outbuildings – I wanted to go with you in the ambulance, but I didn’t want to leave Gege.’ He looked ashamed.

  ‘Never mind about that!’ said Sienna, squeezing his shoulder. ‘We promised each other to carry on searching, remember? What happened next?’

  ‘I couldn’t go back inside, after all,’ said Feng. ‘There were just too many guards around. But Minka and Xiaolong continued the search. So I came here to wait for Zou alone.’ He shuffled on his feet. Sienna could tell he was worried about his little dragon. After all, he’d only just seen him for the first time in years, and now they were separated again.

  ‘Don’t be afraid for Xiaolong – invisible friends can look after themselves,’ said Sienna, squeezing her friend’s shoulder. It’s Mum and Gege I’m worried about, she thought. ‘Right now we need to find out more about that statue. I think I saw the stone it’s made from in the mine – it was pure white, like marble, but almost glittery. It reminded me of something: last time I was here,
I met a monk with a similar sort of white dust on his hands. I’d like to speak to him again.’

  Suddenly Rufus sat up, his ears pricked.

  ‘What is it?’ asked Feng.

  ‘That sound,’ said Rufus in surprise. ‘I know that sound …’

  Tip tip tip tip.

  Cautiously, Feng and Sienna retreated behind the tree and peered out into the courtyard. A woman wearing a pair of red shoes with sky-high heels was walking across the uneven cobblestones.

  Ling.

  ‘The curler-monster! She’s here in the temple!’ Rufus hissed.

  ‘Let’s follow her,’ said Sienna.

  Feng glanced at her and nodded.

  ‘Have you both lost your minds?’ Rufus objected. ‘She can see me! That woman and I have history! And her horrible crocodile can’t be far behind.’

  ‘Ssh! Just stay close to us,’ whispered Sienna, and she hurried after Ling.

  Ling didn’t notice them amongst the monks and visitors running back and forth among the temple halls, but she was looking around her and seemed to be waiting for someone.

  Presently one of the monks went up to her. It was him: the plump man with the shiny face and bright blue eyes, in monk’s robes once again! Sienna flushed in anger at the sight. Ling greeted him with a fake smile and addressed him as ‘Fa Yi’.

  The two walked across the yard towards where the three friends were standing. Sienna and Feng glanced at each other in terror, and quickly joined a group of European tourists snapping pictures on their phones, backs turned to Ling and the monk. The pair passed by without a glance. After a few seconds, Sienna and Feng followed, Rufus trotting along at their feet. They didn’t even need to stay within view, but hurried after the clacking of Ling’s shoes.

  They reached a quieter part of the temple. Ling and Fa Yi disappeared behind a wooden door. They heard the sound of a lock turning. Rufus pressed himself up against the door, trying to hear what was being said within. He shook his head in frustration.

  ‘Most annoying,’ said Rufus. ‘I can’t make out a word.’

  But Sienna’s attention had been caught elsewhere. Her eyes followed the long hallway to the right of the wooden door, at whose end was another door, a sprinkling of white dust on the handle.