Okay, finished the first story. Not as much a "children's book" as a "children's novel" but gah.
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Peaceful Conquering
Years before the old venerable died, a small pack? ahh, no; a small streak of tigers from the plains of the north came to the forest. Streak is the correct collective noun for tigers. Their presence was thoroughly asserted, a phrase which here means ?they roared all day and night, and bullied the other animals of the forest.? They picked on the pandas, roared at the rabbits, and harangued the horses. They chased out the bats in the cave they found by a cluster of maples, and made it their home.
After a while, the tigers elected a leader. That leader had to be the best of the streak-- at hunting, at training the young cubs, and at keeping the other animals scared of them. Not too long after he was elected, he had a son. He was confident that his son would be a leader, just like him, so he named his son Ye Humao, as the light guiding the future of the streak, and having the sharpness of a spear.
But alas, little Humao did not like fighting. He tried to befriend a hare he met by a lake. The hare taught Humao how to run faster, and raced him to the other side of the forest. In his excitement, Humao had neglected (a word which here means ?forgotten?) to ask for the rabbit?s name, and on the way back to the lake, his new friend was soon attacked by another tiger of his age.
How Humao cried! The other cub called his friends and laughed at him, telling him how he was not fit to be leader. They were going to tell Humao?s father about what happened, so he pleaded, ?Please don?t tell my father! He?ll be mad at me, and he might throw me away!?
The cub that attacked first decided to try making fun of him even more. ?How about we have a duel? The first one to give up loses,? he sneered. He thought Humao would just back away like a coward. He could not have been more wrong. Humao, in his indignation (which is a fancy word that adults use for anger) pounced on the surprised cub. Humao bit the cub?s ears and clawed at his tail, and seeing that he had no chance to attack, the poor cub that killed the rabbit ran away.
Humao briefly mourned for his friend, and returned to his home in the cave. The news did not escape his father?s notice, as word spreads fast even among tigers. ?Friendship is a bond stronger than the hardest of rock. But if you keep doing this, you won?t survive. Remember, we only have each other. You can?t turn on the family like that. Do not disappoint me again. Tomorrow, we shall have a hunting trip.?
Indeed, they did just that the next day. They killed a deer, and to hold back his own tears was all Humao could do. But he could not disappoint his father, and said nothing.
These hunting trips went on for almost a week, until one day, a fire ravaged through the forest, and many of the animals had to run away. Unfortunately, Humao was very small and was easily pushed around by others. In a panic now, he sprinted toward the mouth of the cave, only to be dashed against a very large rock, by his own father, no less. He heard his hind legs crack, and a sharp pain shot through his body. He called and called for help, but not one of the tigers heard his cries. He could only crawl back into the cave where it was safer.
After a day, the fires had died down. Humao was starving, and then he remembered that there were no longer any animals in the forest, and all the nearby plants had been burnt to a crisp. No longer did the short maple that he had first climbed but months ago stand watchfully by the cave. The small patch of osmanthus had only the acrid smell of smoke to replace the sweet fragrance that once hung above it.
A few hours passed, and Humao could not stand his hunger or his tears any longer. Using his front paws to drag himself ever forward, desperately did he seek something to fill his empty stomach.
During this time, I had awaited the arrival of my messenger mouse, Nanshu, from Ju Dengmei?s temple by the sea. She had finally worked out Mount Penglai?s exact coordinates (a word which here means ?a land?s position on a map,?) and she had paid the Messenger Mouse Association to spread the news all over China.
Nanshu happened to find Humao crawling along the forest floor, looking for anything to eat. Though she knew better than to approach a hungry carnivore (a word which means ?an animal that usually eats meat,?) she could not leave a dying animal be.
Humao took one look at Nanshu, and his mouth started watering. Maybe he could make an exception today. Maybe he could eat this little mouse, if only to stop the pain. But he remembered how the other cubs had viciously attacked his rabbit friend, and how his father had encouraged it, and he was suddenly sick. He could not bring himself to sink to their level, not once more.
Somehow, without thinking, he?d swiped at her, and he soon had her trapped under his strong paws. ?Aiee! Please don?t eat me yet,? Nanshu pleaded. ?I have a scroll to deliver!?
Humao would have no more of this, but the words came out without him meaning to say them. ?I can?t let you go. I must have something to eat, and you, little creature, are food!?
?Let me go,? the now desperate Nanshu cried, ?I?ve nothing to offer you now, but I?ll come back with something, anything, as soon as possible!?
Humao mused for a beat, trying to decide whether it was true or not. Finally, he let her go, and said, ?I never really wanted to eat you, so I?m glad you gave me a choice.? Nanshu looked back one last time, but in wonder and not fear. She ran faster than ever, easily making up for lost time, and she soon made it to the temple.
She, huffing and puffing, came to me as I was preparing hollow cookies with dharma words stuffed inside. ?Shifu, omitofo. I?ve brought you Shifu Ju?s notes!? She laid the scroll on a short table made specifically for deliveries such as these.
?Thank you, Nanshu.? I walked over to her and gave her a cookie to eat. She eagerly nibbled on it, savoring its decidedly fruity flavor. Picking up the scroll, I turned toward the large library, but Nanshu suddenly squeaked in alarm, ?There?s something I forgot to tell you!?
?I ran into a tiger on the way here, and he needs our help! Nothing is left of the forest, so he has nothing to eat. He could have eaten me, but I told him about the delivery and promised to return to him. Do you still have some of that cheese you used to feed me??
I rushed to the pantry, and without me really thinking about it, my hand lashed out into a shelf, and it came out holding a yellow glob of creamy cheese. I handed it to Nanshu, and hurried her on. Her toes made clacking sounds on the stone floors, echoing off the walls. It was just now that I noticed that the temple was mostly empty; the forest was where the main roads from other cities led to, so no one could get to our village just yet.
Then it hit me; a tiger who would willingly let his prey go? The tigers around here were known for being very mean, so this one must have been special. I brought along a few seeds from the cherry blossoms that grew in the temple gardens, and I walked to the forest.
Nanshu was right; there really was nothing left of the forest but ashes. Some of the smoke still lingered, and I had to cover my nose. Not long after, I found both my mouse and the tiger. They had finished off the last bits of the cheese, and Humao was thanking Nanshu profusely (a word which here means ?again and again until Nanshu could bear no more.?)
Humao?s legs were bent at an awkward angle, but he didn?t seem to be in much pain. I was right after all; he really was special. Only one other tiger like this had ever been born, and that one had become Pishamen Tian?s servant.
I spoke now to Humao. ?I heard about your deed, and for that, I would like to offer you a reward.?
He looked puzzled, so I told him more about my offer. ?Would you like to serve Buddha as an avatar of Pishamen Tian? You will never have to worry about hurting your friends, for you will have reign over the earth spirits, to whom you may task their protection.?
Humao?s ears perked up at the thought. ?You mean my family won?t have to force me to eat any more of my friends??
?Absolutely,? I smiled. ?All you have to do is say yes.? He answered by nodding his head furiously.
So it was settled. I planted the cherry seeds, digging small holes and dropping them in. It wasn?t very long until the ground where I had planted the seeds began to glow, and out of the hole made by the light popped a golden mongoose.
It had a beautiful jade sphere in its mouth, which it placed on the ground before Humao. When the mongoose spoke, its voice boomed through the forest. ?Lord Pishamen approves of your kind deed. He requests an audience.? As quickly as it had popped out of the ground, it had burrowed back in, and a cherry tree shot out of the hole, in full bloom.
I picked up the sphere, and looked at Humao. ?Your deeds have been recognized. Now, focus your gaze on this sphere.?
Humao did just that. A small ray of light pulsed from the sphere, shining on his head. Slowly, the ray expanded into a large beam, and then a flash of light blinded us all. When my vision returned, I saw that Humao was no longer a tiger. Instead, he had the form of a dashing, well-muscled young man, dressed in light colored robes. His hair stood out, colored orange with black stripes, like a tiger?s fur. He carried a tall spear and a lantern that looked very much like a pagoda.
Nanshu was the first to speak. ?You look great!? Humao blinked in surprise when he looked down; he had grown taller in the transformation. In fact, he was now taller than I. ?What should I do,? Humao asked, ?now that I?m Pishamen Tian?s avatar??
Nanshu put forth the suggestion. ?Maybe you could help rebuild the forest! You can command the yakshas to grow trees, right??
As if in response, many saplings sprouted in our immediate area. Humao looked at a certain patch some steps away, and in a few seconds, a patch of osmanthus had magically appeared. A tree nymph, clad in red silk, appeared before Humao.
?Let us take care of the restoration of the forest. Lord Pishamen is expecting you,? she said. She took his hand and they faded into Pishamen Tian?s realm together.
Sure enough, weeks later, the forest was what it once was, but better. Trees and flowers grew at a rapid pace, and the animals returned. The fireflies shone brighter, the birds? songs were clearer, and even Humao?s family had stopped terrorizing everything they came across. The lone cherry tree in the forest became a popular spot for flower-viewing picnics. Humao came to me once, and told me that he was perfectly content with his new job. The yaksha patrolled the forest, and, while playing minor pranks (such as adding spicy sauce to various dishes that picnickers brought along), never caused trouble.
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Sorry if it's a huge bump, but eh. Here's a preview of the next story while you're at it:
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There is a famous restaurant in our village called The Dragon?s Peach, where most of the tourists who visit the temple end up eating their meals. The tofu is, as the locals say, smoother than silk, and the noodles were delicious and very, very long, a symbol of long life. This restaurant is owned by none other than Chen Jibang, a descendant of a long line of Han palace cooks.========================================================
e:
Research fail, Chen surname came after Han dynasty.oh wait no the name's been around longer nvm