The Book of Dreams

by O. R. Melling

“Till we meet again on the battlefield,” Daisy Greenleaf said, kissing her on the forehead.

  “See you next week,” was Dana’s response.

  As she left the camp, guided through the forest by Alf and Christy, she heard them singing behind her.

  She’s like the swallow that flies so high.

  “Is our garçon a bad-boy truant, or what?”

  Georgia plunked herself down at Dana’s lunch table and took out her chopsticks. The first thing she noticed was her friend’s untouched sandwich. Then she saw the look in her eyes.

  “Omigod, what’s wrong!”

  Though she had managed to avoid her friend all morning, Dana was beyond dodging the question. Coming to school had only worsened the nightmare. Jean wasn’t waiting for her in the hall. His desk sat empty, an agonizing reminder of what she had lost before the battle even began. She knew it was crazy, but she wanted him there to talk about the situation, to help her figure out how to save him. Her grief kept rising up in waves, threatening to engulf her. She struggled to stay calm. To be strong. His only hope rested in her opening the portal. Surely the Land of Dreams could return him to humanity?

  “Something awful has happened,” she mumbled.

  “Not again,” said Georgia, dismayed. “Another mugging?”

  “Worse.”

  Her friend frowned. With a quick look around them, she leaned forward to whisper. “What about your magic? Will it help?”

  “I … I can’t … I’m sorry …”

  Dana stood up to leave.

  Georgia pulled her back down again. Her voice was low and insistent. “Look, I’ve kept your secret and I haven’t bugged you about it, but something’s come up. We need to talk, and I mean talk.” Again Georgia took a quick look around and leaned even closer. “It’s my great-granny. She’s special. The way I figure you are too? She talks to dragons. She says they’re all over the place, but no one can see them because we’re too modern and scientific. She’s been telling me stories about them since I was a little girl. I believe her, and I don’t care what anyone else thinks. She’s the smartest person I’ve ever known.”

  Dana heard the tremor in Georgia’s voice. It was obvious that her friend had never spoken about this to anyone else. Distracted from her own woes, Dana felt honored. She knew what a risk it was to admit such things.

  “Your great-grandmother’s right,” she said softly. “There are dragons here. I’ve seen them.”

  Tears welled in Georgia’s eyes. Her voice rang with gladness. “I knew there was a reason I wanted to be your friend! It felt so right! Here’s the thing. The dragons told my great-granny about a girl from Ireland who’s facing a big battle. They’ve been asked to fly to Creemore to help her. As soon as Granny told me the story, I knew it was you. It is, isn’t it?”

  There was no use lying or hiding the truth. They were well past that point. Dana was surprised and deeply happy. She no longer felt so alone.

  Georgia was waiting for her answer.

  Overcome with emotion, Dana simply nodded. She expected an immediate barrage of questions. There was only one.

  “Will you be all right?”

  “I don’t know,” she answered truthfully. “Did the dragons say they would come?”

  “They’re still debating the matter. They asked my great-granny for advice. Seems something happened a while ago? Between the Chinese and the Irish …” There was an awkward pause. Dana sensed that Georgia was being diplomatic. “Dragons have long lives and long memories. Do you know much about them?”

  “Not a lot,” Dana admitted. “I never met one. The dragons in Faerie live in the sun with their cousins, the salamanders. They don’t come out that often. From what I can tell from fairy tales, it’s just as well. They can be wild and destructive, breathing fire and burning towns and villages.”

  “Eastern dragons aren’t like that at all,” Georgia told her. “For one thing, they’re water spirits. Only a few of them breathe fire. In our stories, they’re always noble and friendly, peaceful and wise. And they bring good luck. In China and Japan, they’ve got their own temples.”

  “They sound wonderful! I hope they’ll join us.”

  That was apparently all Georgia wanted to hear. “You’ve got to come and meet my great-granny. If she likes you, I’m sure she’ll put in a good word with the dragons. They respect her opinion.”

  Dana felt a stab of anxiety. “What if she doesn’t like me?”

  “Hey, no sweat. You’ll pass. You’re good people.”

  Dana was feeling better already. As she started on her lunch, she gave Georgia a quick summary of the quest.

  “What a fabulous story!” Her friend was enthralled. “It’s like the Hsi Yu Chi! That’s a legend my great-granny’s been telling me since I was small. It’s all about Hsuan Chuang and his pilgrimage to the Western Paradise to find the Buddhist scriptures for the Emperor of China. It’s a long chronicle about demons, ghosts, and fairies.”

  A shiver ran through Dana, a thrill of recognition. She caught a glimpse of a truth so profound it left her breathless. She was only one of the People of the Great Journey. There were so many of them, in so many stories.

  “What about our missing buddy?” Georgia prodded her. “I notice you left him out of the story, but I have a feeling he’s in it? I could tell he was special too, you know. You’ve both got the same thing around you that my great-granny has. Some kind of aura, I guess, without getting too weird about it. What happened to him?”

  Dana hesitated. She really wanted to tell her. After all, Jean was Georgia’s friend as well. They could comfort each other about him.

  “I … I can’t say,” she said, at last. “That’s his stuff. His secret. I’m sure he’ll tell you himself if—when—we get through this. But I can’t do it for him. I’m sorry, I really am.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Georgia said, shrugging. “I’m not pushing you. I’m just glad you could tell me your side. I’d like to help if I can in my own little way.”

  “You’ve helped me already,” Dana said, fervently.

  “Well, maybe I can do a bit more. I’ll call you tonight about my great-granny.”

  • • •

  That night, Georgia rang Dana with the news.

  “It’s all set. We’re to meet her on Wednesday first thing after school. We’re going to yum cha in her favorite restaurant.”

  “To what?”

  “Yum cha. Drink tea. You’ll love it. If we hurry, we’ll be in time for dim sum. Have you had that before?”

  “No.”

  “You’ll love it!”

  • • •

  On Wednesday, Dana and Georgia left school together and headed for the old Chinatown on Spadina Avenue. They hurried through the bustling streets past outdoor stands of exotic fruits and vegetables; small shops cluttered with porcelain statues, paper parasols, and ironware woks; clothing stores with their wares displayed on sidewalk rails; and butchers with barbecued pork and duck hanging from hooks in the windows. The air was pungent with the scents of incense, raw fish, cooked meats, and spices.

  “This is it,” said Georgia, stopping in front of a large restaurant.

  The Dragon Palace was a grand old establishment near an Asian mall. Two stone lions guarded the doorway. A silken banner above the lintel displayed a golden dragon with Chinese lettering.

  “Lung tik chuan ren.” Georgia read out loud. “Children of the dragon. That’s what Chinese people call themselves.”

  A wide stairway covered with a red carpet led upward into a cavernous dining room decorated with tasseled lanterns and delicately painted screens. The music of a two-stringed lute, baa-u, flute, and hand bell chimed behind the tumult of voices. The restaurant was packed to the brim. Round tables seated entire families. In among the diners, waitresses wearing embroidered cheongsam dresses pushed handcarts of food. From bamboo steamers and kettles of boiling water, they served the small delicacies that made up dim sum. Moving between the tables, the waitresses
called out the dishes in Chinese and English. Ha gao! Shrimp dumpling! Nor mai gai! Sticky rice in lotus leaf! Sui mail Pork dumpling! Wu gok! Taro cake!

  Georgia and Dana hovered in the entranceway till a beautiful hostess glided toward them. When Georgia spoke to her in Chinese, Dana noticed the change in the young woman’s expression. The gracious smile faltered. Was there a trace of fear in her eyes?

  She led them down a corridor lined with paintings of dragons.

  “I should warn you,” Georgia whispered to Dana, “if you see anything strange, it isn’t your imagination. There’s two of her.”

  “What!”

  “You’ll see. Maybe. Just remember I told you and don’t freak out. Oh, and she doesn’t speak English, so I’ll be your interpreter.”

  At the end of the hall was a doorway draped with a heavy red curtain. The hostess drew the curtain aside and ushered them in, then hurried away with visible relief.

  In contrast to the noisy restaurant, the private compartment was dim and hushed. The rich furnishings were of mahogany inlaid with ivory. A thick red-and-gold carpet covered the floor. Dragon images were everywhere, in carved red wood, bright ceramics, green jade, and pale porcelain. Against the back wall was an altar with joss sticks in brass holders. A musky incense smoked the air. In the center of the room was a lone dining table with high-backed chairs. Seated at the table was a tiny, wizened woman.

  Dana was surprised. After the edginess of the hostess and Georgia’s warnings, she was expecting someone fierce. The little old lady with wrinkled eyes and beaming smile was the picture of a beloved great-granny. She wore a high-collared trouser suit of a flowered pattern, with buttons and toggles. Her wispy gray hair was pulled back into a bun. Except for the tiny golden dragons that dangled from her ears, she wore no jewelry. When Georgia ran to hug her, she cackled with delight.

  Georgia waved Dana over to be introduced. Relaxed and smiling, Dana put out her hand. In that moment, she became aware of the other.

  As the shock ran through her, Dana was glad of Georgia’s warning. It stopped her from crying out. For there behind the little great-granny, like a ghostly shadow, stood an imperious figure. Her features were haughty, her gaze cold and stern. She was formally dressed in the sumptuous robes of a Chinese noblewoman, padded silk and brocade finely worked with gold-wrapped thread. Her shining black hair was bound up with jeweled combs. Her throat and ears dripped with pearls.

  Instinctively, Dana bowed toward her.

  Georgia’s great-granny responded quickly in Chinese.

  “Good move there, girl,” Georgia said to Dana. “She says you have good manners. But you needn’t address the Dragon Lady again. Don’t worry, you’re not being disrespectful. She’s the secret part of great-granny. No one else can see her, but I figured you might. I can only see her when Great-granny sleeps. No one else can, but they sense her sometimes. That’s what scares them, eh?”

  The two girls sat down as various waitresses arrived, wheeling carts. Dana could see how nervous they were and how they avoided coming too close. Yet none looked directly at the Dragon Lady.

  The little great-granny herself bantered away in Chinese as she chose different foods, while Georgia did her best to guide Dana.

  Before she had even looked at the dishes of food on the carts, Dana was stumped by the plethora of small bowls, cups, chopsticks, and china spoons laid out in front of her.

  “There’s actually a method to dim sum,” Georgia explained. “It means ‘light heart’ or ‘touch the heart.’ You start with the steamed stuff, then you move on to the more exotic, like the chicken feet—no?—then the deep-fried, and finally the dessert.”

  Dana’s heart sank as she studied the portions of chicken, pork, shrimp, and beef.

  “I’m vegetarian.”

  “No sweat,” Georgia assured her, “there’s lots of things you can eat.”

  Soon Dana was tasting turnip croquettes, red bean cake, water chestnut and taro root dumplings, sesame seed balls, and crispy egg tartlets. All went down happily with tiny cups of tea.

  “This is delicious!”

  As they ate, Georgia kept up a stream of conversation and translation between her great-granny and her friend. Like the little dishes of food, the talk was light and varied, and seemed to center for the most part on Dana’s family and background. Mindful of the Dragon Lady’s ever-watchful eye, Dana did her best to be truthful. Neither Georgia nor her great-granny showed any surprise when she spoke of her fairy mother.

  “Great-granny’s like you,” Georgia said. “She’s the daughter of a human woman and a Dragon King. That’s how come she’s the way she is and why she’s able to talk to dragons. She said everyone in the olden days could, but things are different now.”

  By the time they had finished their dessert of almond pudding, Georgia’s great-granny was looking sleepy. Her eyes kept closing, then fluttering open again, till finally they stayed shut. Her breath came in low whistles.

  Georgia sat up straighter. There was an expectant look on her face, mingled with awe. Now she bowed her head toward the Dragon Lady.

  Dana knew immediately it was time for the other to speak.

  The Dragon Lady didn’t move from behind the chair, yet it seemed as if she had stepped out of the shadows. Her silken robes rustled. Small white hands appeared from inside her wide sleeves. Dana stared at the long red fingernails. When the Dragon Lady spoke, her voice was cool and aloof. Her language sounded different from the little great-granny’s, more formal.

  “She’s speaking Mandarin,” Georgia told Dana. “We were using Cantonese before. She has only one question for you. It’s not a trick or anything, so just answer as honestly as you can.”

  “Work away,” said Dana, as her stomach tightened.

  “She wants to know,” Georgia said, enunciating each word carefully, “do you respect your ancestors?”

  Though Dana found the question odd, it wasn’t difficult to answer. She thought immediately of Thomas Gowan, the story of his life, and the Book of Dreams. She liked what she had read, what he had written, how he had thought, and she was proud to be descended from him. She thought also of his “beloved Harriet” and their children from whom Gran Gowan had come. On the other side of her family was her mother, Edane, the Light-Bearer, a spéirbhean and a queen in Faerie. Behind her was the fairy ancestress of whom Edane had spoken, the White Lady of the Waters.

  “I’m very proud of my people,” Dana said. “I hope to do them honor when I face my destiny.”

  Georgia looked delighted and quickly translated the answer.

  The Dragon Lady nodded curtly but gave no other response. From deep in her sleeve, she produced three bronze coins. They had square holes in the center and were inscribed on one side.

  She handed them to Dana.

  “Keep throwing them on the table till she tells you to stop,” Georgia said.

  As Dana obeyed, the Dragon Lady watched the falling coins with keen eyes. After the sixth throw, she raised her hand to stop Dana. Retrieving the coins, the Lady went to the altar and stayed there awhile, writing on sheets of gold paper.

  “Have you heard of the I Ching?” Georgia asked Dana, who shook her head. “The Book of Changes. It’s so old, some people say it was the First Book. They also say it has a soul of its own and when you throw the coins, you’re asking questions of that soul.”

  “A book with a soul!” Dana breathed. “But how can you talk to it?”

  “It’s kind of complicated. Do you believe in coincidence?”

  “There’s no such thing as coincidence,” Dana said automatically. Then she added, “That’s what they say in Faerie.”

  Georgia nodded. “That’s what the I Ching says too. When you throw the coins, there are patterns in the way they fall. The heads and tails are lines of yin and yang. You throw six times to make a hexagram. The book describes the sixty-four hexagrams that three coins can make. The patterns you throw mean something specific to you. Not a fluke or coincidence, but
something true and important.”

  “I should have asked a question!” Dana said, disappointed.

  “The Dragon Lady already did.” Georgia said in a low voice.

  “What did she ask?” whispered Dana.

  Before Georgia could answer, the Dragon Lady returned to them. She handed Georgia a piece of paper and went on at some length.

  Now Georgia interpreted for Dana.

  “The reading’s good! You get two with the moving lines. They’re the changes. I’ll explain that later if you want the details. The first pattern is Hexagram Ten, called Lu, meaning ‘Treading.’ The small and cheerful Tui here—that’s the Lake—treads upon the large and strong Ch’ien—that’s Heaven. It shows a very difficult situation ahead, but the message says For the weak to take a stand against the strong is not dangerous here because it happens in good humor.”

  Dana looked skeptical. “I can’t imagine there’ll be anything to laugh at in this battle.”

  Georgia caught her mood and wavered uncertainly.

  “You said there’s another one?” Dana prompted, not wanting to discourage her friend.

  “Yes, the first one changed to this, Hexagram Sixty-four. Wei Chi. ‘Before Completion.’ Now, this is amazing,” Georgia insisted, as if hoping to convince her friend. “It’s the last pattern, the one that ends The Book of Changes. That’s auspicious in itself. But see how the two parts mirror each other? Fire and water. K’an over Li. The message says there is order inside chaos regardless of how bad things look. That’s the step ‘Before Completion’—get it?”

  “The darkest hour is before the dawn?”

  “Yeah, kind of. The Book of Changes ends with the promise of new beginnings and that’s the message it’s giving to you.”

  “I like it.” Dana nodded. “Sounds more probable than the first one. So, do you think the readings will affect what she says to the dragons?”

  Georgia glanced askance at the Dragon Lady, who had resumed her position behind the great-granny’s chair.

  “You want to ask her?”

  “Nope,” said Dana. “You?”

  “No way.”