Jiang wanted to be with Mei. He wanted to hug her, to hold her, to show her that he was hers forever, so he snuck down to her parents' house after sunset and waited outside as he listened to the chattering of her noisy family and then the quiet talking until finally he heard snoring and he knew everyone had gone to sleep except for Mei and her twin.

Jiang lifted up his hand and tapped once on the window frame but the girls were chattering so loudly, they didn't hear him.

"I hope Jiang marries me before he discovers I'm not pregnant."

"Don't worry, boys are stupid, besides, you can always say you had a miscarriage. Boys believe anything."

Mei laughed, "But we have to tell daddy about the wedding. Do you think tomorrow's too early?"

Jiang withdrew his hand, his face frozen in dread. I'm not going to be a father? Mei lied to me . . . but why . . . why?

"I'll invite Jiang over tomorrow," Mei giggled. "And as soon as he gets here, I'll cry, you know daddy can't stand it when I cry, and I'll tell Daddy Jiang and I are going to have a baby."

"And when you don't have a baby, what'll Daddy do? What'll Mother say?"

"I told you boys are stupid-and that includes Daddy; but Mommy will understand. She knows I love Jiang, besides, I'm fourteen, it's time I get married and start my own family, but I'll need your help if Jiang tries to back out. Tell Daddy you saw Jiang having sex with me. Tell him Jiang's a good boy, an athlete and a champion. Tell him Jiang'll make a good husband and it's time I got married"

An giggled as she hugged her sister, knowing she'd do anything to help her marry Jiang, knowing Mei would help her get Hon Chin as her husband just as stealthily.

"Remember we talked about a double wedding."

"I won't forget, but first, let's get Daddy to set a marriage date for me and Jiang; then we'll work on him."

The girls yawned blissfully and fell asleep in each other's arms.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jiang hunched over, his face touching the dirt, as he slithered away from Mei's house. I need Xiao; he'll help me decide what to do. If I tell Mei's parents that I've had sex with their daughter and I'm going to be a father, they'll make me get married, but if I tell them I didn't have sex, they'll call me a liar. Everyone knows I've been seeing Mei; I haven't seen anyone else. What can I do? I don't want to be with a liar.

Jiang raced through the village until he reached Xiao's house, knuckling three rapid double taps on the wall nearest Xiao's bed, waiting. Tap-tap, tap-tap, tap-tap. Please hear me, Xiao; I need you, hear me. Jiang waited, watching the full moon sink low on the horizon until he saw nothing but a million stars. Then, just as morning nearer and the cold had started to make his eyeballs rattle, he tapped his secret knock three more times in rapid succession, then two, then two spaced far apart. He was frantic now, not caring who heard him; he had to see Xiao. He needed to be with his friend.

Xiao woke from his sleep and stretched his right leg, then his left. He did this three times, as he always did, pointing his toes, flexing his calves, wishing he were taller, daring to be stronger. He thought he heard Jiang tapping but he knew better. Jiang hasn't tapped like that for months. Tap-tap, tap-tap, tap-tap. I must be dreaming. Besides, Jiang has a girlfriend now; he's going to be a father. Tap-tap, tap-tap, tap-tap. He doesn't need me. Xiao rolled over, yawned loudly, and fell back to sleep.

Suddenly it felt as if the entire house was shaking and for a moment Xiao thought he was back in the cavern, experiencing another earthquake; he jumped up so suddenly that he nearly awoke the rest of his family. Then he heard the soft persistent tapping code that only he and Jiang knew and realized tt came from outside and could be no one other than Jiang. It was Jiang's secret tap-tap, tap-tap, tap-tap. It was Jiang's signal that he needed Xiao. I thought Jiang didn't love me any more. I thought he had a woman with a child on the way. Why's does he want to see me now? Without hesitating, however, and now wide awake and more alert than he'd been in ages, Xiao slipped into his trousers and picked up his shoes. He crept across the room and silently opened the door. As he stepped outside, he spotted Jiang and smiled. There, at the side of his house, he saw his lover, tapping gently against the wall. Xiao slid across the grass to Jiang, letting his lover see him before touching him. Jiang must be insane to come here at this time of night. Xiao hugged Jiang, gently wiping the tears from his lover's eyes, gently touching his hand as he led him away.

"Xiao, I need you."

Xiao sucked in a great gasp of air.

"I just left Mei's house and heard her talking to An. They've set me up. Mei isn't pregnant; she isn't going to have my baby. This whole thing was a trap. She wants to marry me. She's setting me up."

Xiao took a long slow breath, proud to be Jiang's lifelong friend . . . wishing it could be more, "Are you sure you weren't dreaming?"

"No, it wasn't a dream. I heard them talking and giggling. They were laughing about me . . . about the baby. It's all a trick. What can I do?"

"Take a deep breath, then do nothing. Mei's the one who started this, let her be the one to finish." He had always been the follower, the indecisive one, but tonight, looking into his lover's deep brown eyes, he took quiet charge by realizing that some things were best left undone. "We have our cave. We have our river. But mostly, we have time."

"Time? We have everything but time, once Mei tells her father, my life is over."

"And how well do you know Mei's father?"

Jiang paused, knowing what was coming.

"Does he know anything about you and Mei? What do you think he'd do to her if he discovers you were having sex?"

"You're right, she should know her dad as well as we do, he'll whip her senseless if he thought she was having sex." Jiang looked into Xiao's face and realized he had broken his heart-each time he mentioned Mei's name, he could sense Xiao's agony. And as Jiang grasped Xiao, clinging to him like a boy clings to the woman he loves, both blushed, but only one blushed from humiliation.

"Why is she playing this game? What does she expect from you?"

"I don't know! Mei and An were talking about marriage. Did you know An wants to marry Hon-Kee. Can you believe that?"

"That doesn't matter. What matters is how do we isolate you from Mei? Her dad can handle her but we don't want him to find you until he's finished whipping her. Can you talk the coach into sending you to Shanghai for training? Can you go back to the cave and hide there?"

"I thought your advice was to do nothing," Jiang laughed, "now you're planning my whole life."

Xiao kissed Jiang gently on the lips, praying it wouldn't be the last time, knowing it probably was. "I'm not planning your life, I'm just listing choices. Mei's Dad is possessive. Everyone knows that. I don't think he wants his daughter to marry-" Xiao started to say 'you' but changed his mind. "Considering the facts, I'll stand by my original advice: do nothing. Wait and see what Mei's father does. Later, if you have to, you can run down the Great Wall to the twin staircases and follow the river to the cave."

Jiang hugged Xiao one more time before covering him with kisses. "We have each other, Xiao, we'll always have each other-"

"Even if you get married and have a hundred sons?" Xiao giggled and for the first time that evening, Jiang laughed as well.

"Two hundred sons, three hundred, if they can be as strong as you."

"There's sticky rice dripping off your tongue," Xiao laughed, "It's time to go, get a good night's sleep and wait for Mei's Father to make his move. He has his reputation to consider if he wants to keep his position in the party. He's not going to lose it because of one stupid little girl."

Jiang touched Xiao's hand gently as he walked away, leaving his troubles behind him, knowing Xiao was right, knowing Mei's father was the most powerful man in the local Communist party. There was no way he'd ever tarnish his reputation. He'll send Mei to the mountains before he'll lose his job.

Xiao crept back inside his house, leaving his shoes at the door. He slipped under his blanket, quickly tugged off his trousers, placed them on the floor and instantly fell asleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

XiaoXiao was dreaming again. Now she was walking inside a dark tunnel, hurrying toward a luminescent blue light. She ran faster and faster down the tunnel, feeling more like a girl of fourteen than a woman of sixty. Nearing the end of the tunnel, she saw a golden door with embossed words vibrating rapidly back and forth, Herein is your daily food. Herein is your water.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mei's father couldn't fall back to sleep. He had overheard everything his daughters said. In their fourteen years of life, he had never listened to their gaggling, prattling or screaming, he did, however, listen to all their whispers; he had learned that lesson from his mother, who caught him in every lie he ever told. Shortly before her death, she told him the secret of parenting, "Never listen to your children's bickering. Listen only to their whispers. Whispers show their souls."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jiang reached home long before sunrise. He crept inside his house, slid under the covers and fell asleep before his head hit his mattress.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Early in the morning, Deng Quoc-Di approached his daughter. "Come outside with me, we need to talk privately."

Mei was frightened. She had only heard her father say those dreadful words three times in her entire life, and each time she'd been whipped until her legs bled. She had no idea why her father wanted to take her outside now or even if he would beat her, but she was terrified, praying her wildest fears would never come true. Mei dressed hurriedly and slipped out of bed without disturbing her sister.

Quoc-Di walked several kilometers away from the village, leading his daughter deeper and deeper into the forest.

I've never come this far before, Mei thought.

"Stop! Take this knife and cut a switch."

"Daddy, what are you talking about?"

"It's too late for talking. You need to learn the lesson of silence. But first you need to learn a few lessons in screaming. Cut me three good canes. Now!"

Mei started crying instantly, all of her fears flashing before her eyes. Her father must have overheard her talking about Jiang. What must he think of me? What can I tell him?

"You will never talk to that boy again," Quoc-Di screamed as he struck his daughter's legs repeatedly. "You will not look at him; you will not refer to him. If I hear you utter his name, I'll ship you off to the mountains. Have you forgotten your place? You have put your entire family in jeopardy"

Mei didn't answer. She had learned her lesson the first time her father beat her. Then she had tried to reason with him, to tell him her side of the story, but now that she knew his anger, she did nothing except cry.

"You haven't begun to cry," Quoc-Di said, "and if you think your tears will make me stop, then cry louder and see what happens." Quoc-Di was an animal now, a growling bear in the forest. "There's no place for stupidity, there's no reason for children to engage in sex. And as far as marriage . . . you will marry who and when I tell you. Do you understand?"

Mei whimpered, "Yes," still unsure of her status-wondering if she should cry or whimper or answer her father's question.

"Don't talk, don't breathe, don't even think!" Quoc-Di was more vicious now than he had been with the most perverted villager he had ever tortured and he was enjoying it. All of his anger had erupted and now that he had worn out the first switch, he reached for the second, watching the blood trickle down Mei's legs, admiring her welts "There'll be a beating for your sister tonight, and you'll be there, too; you'll have a chance to share her beating. And when I'm done with both of you, I'll beat you again every night for the rest of the week. You will never see Jiang again. Do you understand me?" Quoc-Di whipped Mei with each syllable, striking harder and harder until Mei was unable to cry or scream or think or pray. She wanted to pass out, but she knew if she did, her father would leave her there for the wild animals to tear apart.

Quoc-Di had worked for the party for twenty years; he knew how to make a victim talk and he knew how to force a victim to remain silent; he was sure he could keep Mei quiet until the time each stone in the Great Wall had crumbled to dust

Quoc-Di dragged his daughter back home long after the sun had set. An waited, crying and sniveling in the corner, aware that she, too, would suffer whatever fate her father had bestowed upon Mei, but Soo-Ting met her husband at the door. "An is never going to mention this to anyone. She's been thoroughly punished, but you, you're tired, you shouldn't put yourself through any more of this. Save their discipline for me. I can take care of the children," she stressed the world, children, praying to Kuan Yin that her husband would have mercy. "An confessed everything. I've convinced her that she and her sister had a horrible dream. Nothing will ever come of this. No one will ever know."

Quoc-Di sat at the table as Soo-Ting poured tea. Quoc-Di drank as Soo-Ting brought out the herbal medicines and treated Mei's wounds. "We will not do this again," Soo-Ting said, "we are family; we stick together." She paused for a moment to make sure everyone in her household understood, "No one will ever find out that Mei got lost in the woods! No one will ever learn that Mei fell down a ravine and was attacked by wild animals. No one will ever discover that An searched for her and fell into the same pit. Is that understood?"

Quoc-Di nodded as he finished his tea. He stood up slowly and walked to his bed. It's been a long day. There have been too many long days. We must put this behind us; we must never think about this again. Quoc-Di tried to put the thoughts out of his mind as he lay on his bed, but he knew there would be many more evil days to come-days he'd have to torture the village perverts and, perhaps, a day when he would have to kill.

Children, like perverts, must be taught the truth, Soo-Ting thought, most perverts learn easily, I hope to the great gods that Mei has learned, as well. Soo-Ting sent the girls to bed as she collapsed next to her husband. Seconds later, the only sounds from the little hut were the whimpers of the girls, the snores of Quoc-Di, and the shallow breathing of Soo-Ting.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jiang awoke with a smile on his face. He had dreamt about the tunnel, the door, and the blue light, and he awoke with an inner sense of calm. Everything's going to be okay. Xiao's right. I must not worry. Everything will be fine.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Saturday May 4

Jiang met Xiao at the cave. Neither boy ever learned the truth about the twins, but they had seen their blood-stained legs, their black eyes, their vacuous faces, and Xiao noticed the way Mei hobbled now-forever scared, terrorized. He sensed they'd never become women in the real sense of the word; he realized they'd remain worthless girls forever now, forced to do exactly as they were told-living out their lives as dutiful obliging mutilated females. "They'll be good mules, but they will never think on their own. Quoc-Di broke their spirit-they'll never speak out again."

"Hon-Kee will love that. He's not dominant, he'll love it."

Jiang kissed Xiao gently on the lips, "I'm glad I followed your advice and did nothing."

Xiao started to unbutton Jiang's shirt as Jiang undressed Xiao. Soon both boys were naked from the waist up, kissing each other's nipples, rubbing each other's chests, romancing each other, realizing they existed solely for the other.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sung Li had been taking care of the homosexuals in his village for three years and today he received a communiqué from Beijing ordering him to eliminate them entirely. This is better than anything that's ever happened, Sung Li thought, as he called in the first of the town's three known homosexuals.

Ming and Wei dragged gaunt forty-five-year-old, Mi-Ge, before Sung Li as the chief-of-police wondered how long he could play with him. Mi-Ge was far too old to offer any fun; his emaciated body, big feet, pock-marked face and assy smell were all reasons for Sung Li to dispense his own personal judgment quickly. It's time to move on to younger boys, Sung Li thought, I don't have time to play with useless old farts.

"Mi-Ge, you're an old man, we have elders younger than you, and yet you have been corrupting our youth."

"I never corrupted anyone!"

"And you have a mouth bigger than your foot. It's obvious that the ways of the West have corrupted you; you've adopted the homosexual ways of the decedent Americans," Sung Li smirked as his men shoved Mi-Ge's face to his shoes. "Dog, you like to lick! Lick these clean from top to bottom."

Mi-Ge had already wasted his last ounce of strength when he tried to speak to Sung Li; he'd been tortured before and now he was ready to do anything to end the pain. He was more than willing to name everyone in China as his bedmates. He was even willing to kill his own parents for birthing him.

"You're nothing more than a degenerate pervert; you deserve to die."

Mi-Ge continued licking Sung Li's shoes, but Sung Li had already finished with the old fag; he wanted to have fun with the young boys. "Use my cane and beat this old pervert out of here. Aim for his legs and perhaps he won't be as spry in the future." Sung Li's laughter filled the police station and trickled outside. Already the villagers were waiting to see what would happen. Mi-Ge was the first faggot captured in months, and he would be the first to be driven out of the village.

As soon as his men left, Sung Li dragged twenty-two-year-old Say-Hao out of his cell, stripped him and tied him front-side up onto his infamous table.

"One crank of this handle will make you cry. Two twists will make you scream and three is when the fun begins."

Sung Li quickly turned the handle twice, relishing the sounds and smells of the young man tied to his table, giggling as the boy's piss ran down the table legs. "You're very strong; I bet you were a regular bull in bed when you chased the little village boys."

Say-Hao was unable to answer; his eyes were glassy, the sweat sprinted down his arms, he tried to hold his feces.

Sung Li turned the wheel again and again and again. The hard snap of Say-Hao's backbone finally calmed him. I'll save Houng-Jay for dessert. He'll be the price for my afternoon tea. Sung Li looked at his collection of knives, wondering how long it would take him to sever the penises and testicles of Say-Hao and Houng-Jay. Worthless little boys, he thought worthless boys must never become men.


On to Chapter Fifteen
The River is Wide, The River is Deep
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Alone
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