Swimming upriver from Shuoxian to the cavern was no more difficult than swimming fifty laps in the village pond. Jiang looked upon it as training for the World Games. If I can swim to the cavern every day, I'll be able to beat anyone who gets close to me.

Fifteen minutes into his swim, an innate creepiness overtook him and now he felt as if he were no longer alone. Jiang glanced over his left shoulder, quickly trying to catch a glimpse of someone, anyone, following him. He was sure he heard the sound of a man running through the forest, but he wasn't able to see anyone. No one can follow me here-the river has too many twists and the trail is merely a ledge of man-sized boulders. As long as I stay in the water no one will be able to follow me.

Jiang swam, thinking about Xiao with each long thrusting kicking motion, Xiao must be frantic and now that Sung Li has questioned me, I wonder if he'll be even more fearful. Perhaps I shouldn't tell him . . . no, we don't keep secrets from each other, it's not right.

Again Jiang heard the sound of something racing alongside the river-closer now, but higher up-almost as if someone or something had found a secret path and was following him.

Jiang swam faster, fighting the current, wishing he was with his lover, wishing he was already safely inside the cavern with Xiao.

After swimming another five hundred meters, Jiang pricked his ears more attentively, listening for the slightest sound, the merest crackle of a twig or the murmur of whispered words mumbled in the darkness of the forest. But now he heard nothing, whatever the sound was, it was gone now and Jiang felt sure he'd make it safely to Xiao. I must make sure no one follows me; I don't want to lead anyone to Xiao. I'm sure Sung Li wants Xiao on his table.

Jiang concentrated on his strokes, listening to the sounds of the river, ignoring everything around him; he did not want to consider the alternatives! Just as Jiang was certain that no one was following, just as he started to swim toward the riverbank, planning to walk along the secluded pathway to the cavern, he heard the sound of rocks falling, feet scuffling, and muted voices descending from the opposite shore. I'll have to swim the rapids now. No one's ever swum the rapids upstream but I don't want to take any chances-not when it comes to protecting Xiao's life-not when it comes to his freedom.

Jiang swam to the middle of the river. He could hear the swirling water rushing rapidly now, but just before he reached the rapids, the river deepened and Jiang sank to the bottom of a deep pit. Stroking, and then kicking his legs like giant scissors, and holding his breath until he thought he would burst, he swam to the surface.

Jiang took three massive gulps of air before the maelstrom grabbed him and flung him deep into its stomach. Using all his strength, Jiang kicked himself up and forced himself to ride around and around the inner circles, struggling with each gasp of air, each pull of his arms, each kick of his legs, to free himself. On his eighth trip around the eddying maelstrom, Jiang pushed himself free, took another gigantic gulp and fought his way against the current into the rapids, knowing he'd be crushed like a beetle against the rocks if he made the slightest mistake. Kicking and pulling with each sinew of his body, Jiang struggled to fight the rapids-knowing he must lead the men away from Feng Xiao. At the end of the first set of rapids, Jiang relaxed for a moment as he allowed the water to pull his lithe body into the widening stream. Now that the river was deeper, the current was less strong and Jiang stroked gently, knowing he still had to face two more series of rapids and thankful to Kuan Yin that the next two were minor. Then, within moments, Jiang heard the sound of the rushing waters as his body was swept from rock to rock. His feet and arms were so bruised by now that he felt as if he'd never be able to swim again. His ears filled with water, his mouth and throat filled with water, even his skin and toes oozed with water as he went under a meter, two meters, five meters below the surface, unable to see his way, stuck in the middle of the river in the middle of China at the middle of his struggle for freedom. Then, fighting with the inner strength of his ancestral gods, Jiang pushed his way upwards once more, banging his left elbow against one rock, whacking his right thigh against another. No one else in China is brave enough-or stupid enough to try this. Jiang heard the sound of the last of the rapids, the Dead Man's Rapids, as he forced his way onward-grabbing onto low lying tree limbs on the nearby river bank, kicking against each boulder in the river, hugging the shore, leaping from stone to stone as the waters flowed beneath his feet, knowing he would survive, knowing he would see Xiao again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sung Li's men, Ming and Wei, had lost Jiang, "He's fallen into the maelstrom."

"Then he's lost forever; no one can survive the maelstrom."

"But we won't ever be able to recover his body, how can we prove Jiang just didn't e escape? That we did not fail our task?"

"He was such a great swimmer, China's hope for the future, and you're right-the odds are Sung Li will blame us! Just pray that he would strip us and put us on his table!"

Wei hung his head lower than a starving Shuoxian alley cat, then he started climbing up the trail, walking back to Sung Li.

Ming, however, knew that he. Too, was a walking dead man-but instead of facing Sung Li's vengeance and lying on that infamous table listening to Sung Li's cackling laughter. He could smell the fear. He saw his manhood being chopped off, his name dishonored, his family destitute. Ming stood at the edge of the pathway ten meters above the rapids and prayed to his ancient gods. I must let Sung Li believe I've died in the struggle. There's no other way. Without wasting another breath, Ming jumped feet first into the river, knowing that suicide held a better fate for him than returning home.

"Don't-" Wei screamed as he saw his friend slide silently under the whirling water. "Sung Li will never understand; he needs us, he needs both of us!" Wei raced to the edge of the river, glancing into the bloody abyss, knowing his friend was lost forever, realizing now that he was alone to face Sung Li, his fate was unfathomably cruel, heartless, and more than likely would go on and on for hours, night and day, until time lost its meaning as his pain-stricken body and tormented soul and agonizing painful spirit would ebb away slowly, painfully and he would scream until he had no voice. Even his skin would ache and his mind would exist in a clutter room, fighting painful thought, each cruel past moment of his life, ever second of cruelty and evil that he had relished, come back to him for no other reason than to saturate every muscle, every bone, ever blood vessel in his body with terror, the terror only a maniac could give. The terror that Wei, himself, had relished when he tortured Sung Li's prey. And now Wei's eternal wracked and wretched soul, if he still had a soul at the end of the ordeal, would long for eternal peace, for relief, for sweet kind welcoming death. But death would linger at the door. Death would smirk at him. And the demons surrounding Death would giggle and guffaw and laugh their collective asses off and cover Wei with their excrement and Wei would linger and be doomed for days on end, praying for-

No, no matter what, I must never return to Sung Li--must hide! I must escape Sung Li's wrath. Perhaps Feng Xiao will help me; and maybe I can help him, as well. Wei slowly climbed the towering hill hovering over him, stretching 3, 4, 5 meters up, sliding 1 as he forced his way back to life itself-aware now for the first time that his life was meaningful, as he formed a plan, knowing he had both a mission and a duty. If I can reach Feng Xiao, I can warm him of Sung Li's secret plans; I may even be able to help him escape. Wei glanced at the river once more, praying his friend Ming, might still be alive-perhaps those red splotches in the river were not Wei's blood-perhaps they were the remains of an animal that had fallen into the river and been crushed to death-perhaps, if-

Wei's hope began to be restored. Yes, Ming is alive. Yes, I will reform-yes, I can be a good man.

Then all hope that of that evaporated from Wei's mind when he saw Ming's body floating face down, banging against the rocks, twirling in ever-widening circles in the maelstrom, crashing against the shore, re-emerging from side to side and, Wei, after turning his head and vomiting onto the pathway, knew he never wanted to look back again. From this moment on my name is New Song. I'll never answer as Wei again. With a heavy heart, New Song trudged up the hill, knowing he had to find Feng Xiao.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"I swam downstream and only had to fight one series of rapids, but you swam upriver and you swam them all! You're the greatest swimmer in all of China." Feng Xiao hugged Jiang so hard he almost squeezed the perspiration out of his armpits.

"I did what I needed to do. Sung Li's men were after me; I could almost feel them breathing down my neck."

The boys kissed each other for several long moments, as each wondered about the future in his own way.

"We have to get out of China together," Jiang said.

"I love you and I know we'll both survive," both boys spoke of their desire to escape at exactly the same moment in exactly the same words, the same inflection, the same nuances. And then they looked at each other and laughed. "At least we have each other."

"And we know we will escape or die as one." The moment Jiang uttered his prophecy, he regretted it. His face turned ashen white and his palms sweat, which was something they almost never did. "I didn't mean it that way; we're in this together, we will persevere together."

"I know. It can't be any other way. We've done everything together since we were four. You're my friend and my lover." Xiao giggled and Jiang kissed him gently on the lips, then with the most passionate kisses he'd ever given anyone.

"The championship is in November. I'll give that up if I can be with you."

"Never!" Xiao exploded. "I won't have you sacrifice your career for me-not like that-not for such a senseless reason."

"You're the man I love," Jiang said, "I'd never do anything senseless for you."

Again, the boys kissed, knowing their lives were over, knowing their lives were just beginning.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

New Song wandered up and down the narrow pathway that hugged the river. He had lost sight of his prey and of his dead compatriot long before and now he ran on nothing but reserve. I must find Xiao. If I find him, I can help him; I'll be able to warn him of the chief's plans . . . but if I don't find him, Xiao will die and-the chief will capture him, put him on the table and play with him, and torture him and ultimately slice him in pieces bit by bit.

New Song walked along the steep path, passing the second set of rapids, fully aware that he had passed the point of no return. Sung Li will discover Ming's body soon and I'll be a suspect-that's the way Sung Li operates. If you're not there with him, if you let yourself out of his sight, you become the prime suspect. Now New Song was beginning to wonder if he had made the right decision.

Then terror struck New Song. If I don't find Xiao, Sung Li will find me and strap me to the table. What have I done? Paralyzed with fear, New Song made a one-eighty and ran like hell back to Shuoxian. He stumbled and tripped, tearing a gashing wound deep into his left leg, but he kept running, racing frantically, ceaselessly running. He knew there was no hope unless he made it back to the village. There, he would tell the truth. Ming had fallen into the river, and he had tried to rescue him and, in the attempt, Jiang had escaped. He'd tell Sung Li he'd tried his hardest-and even cut himself in the process. Again, New Song tripped and bashed his ankle against a jagged rock. The blood oozed out of his leg and left a bloody trail as he hobbled back to the village. I have to make it home. I have to make it to Shuoxian.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mountain lions were extraordinarily rare in Northern China, yet two had been sighted in the past ten months and only one of them was a killer, but the lioness was a merciless hunter and, with pair of new cubs in her den, she was apt to hunt anything less ferocious than she, including the occasional dog, cat, boy, girl or even a grown man. Now she smelled blood and crept stealthily, shortening the distance between her prey and herself with each paw pad print on the moist earth. Soon she would feed her cubs. Soon she would be strong enough to move deeper into the great forest-soon she would be free enough to roam where she pleased.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Why can't we just stand up as men and be free souls?" Feng Xiao asked.

"Jiang replied, "China hasn't had a free soul since Meng Jiangnu and that was only because of her belief and trust in the great goddess Kuan Yin."

"But don't we believe in Kuan Yin, as well? And are we not as brave as Meng Jiangnu?"

"Perhaps, but for now, we have only one concern."

"Getting me out of here . . . I know," Xiao said. "If I ever get out of China-"

"When you get out of China, not if, then you'll know if you're a free soul or not, but until then, don't worry about ifs, just worry about getting out, okay?"

Xiao held Jiang securely in his arms knowing it might be the last time he'd be this close to the boy he'd loved all his life. "When I'm free, we'll be together," Xiao said. "And when we're free, we'll be able to go anywhere and be anything we want to be, okay?"

"Let's just get out of here first, okay?"

"Okay," Xiao said, "okay."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The lioness was within sight of her prey now-only a few more minutes and her stomach would be full again. She had seen a body floating in the river as she approached the warmer scent of living blood but decided to continue her quest. She knew she could come back later for the body in the river, she also knew she'd have plenty of food with two carcasses instead of one. She trotted now, homing in on her bleeding prey, knowing her empty stomach would soon be full.

The sun set rapidly and other than the opaque illumination from the main cavern, the only bright light came from the special glow of the boys' eyes, and as they looked deeply into each other, Jiang knew he couldn't afford to linger any longer. "I have to get back to Shuoxian before morning. I can only be away a few hours at a time, otherwise they'll come-.

Xiao wanted Jiang to stay with him forever, but he also knew his chances were greater if the boys separated. And even though they ate from the never-ending bowls of food and drank from the never-ending bowl of water, they knew they had a zero per cent chance of escaping without another miracle.

"Kuan Yin has blessed us with the bowls of life; we must rely on her help once again; we must pray for help."

The boys prayed in their special way and when they finished, they held hands once more.

Reluctantly, Feng Xiao walked Jiang to the cavern's mouth. From years of practice, both boys knew how to approach the upper part of the tunnel, how to look left, right, up and down to make sure no one was lurking nearby. Xiao had cut a peephole through the shrubs to provide a view of the river, the rapids, and the forest, but he had left enough vegetation around the entrance to hide it from prying eyes. Unless a man knew precisely what he was looking for, he would never find its entrance.

"On three," Xiao said as he gently released his lover's hand. "One, two, three." Jiang dashed from the cavern looking in all directions at the same time, wondering if just this once he might have made a mistake, wondering if just this once, some watchful eye had spotted the cavern's entrance as he raced back toward the river.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The moon was full and the sky was clear, so Jiang was able to see everywhere in the otherwise gloomy dank night. He quickly crossed the shallows to the other side of the river and began walking toward the forest. In a few hours I'll be home and if anyone asks me where I've been, I'll tell them I was practicing a few new strokes; everyone will believe that, even Sung Li.

Suddenly, the skies blacked, the stars disappeared, and the moon became blood as the winds erupted, the rain began pelting, and Jiang was tossed from tree to tree. I should have stayed with Xiao; I would have been safe there, but now I'm halfway home and it's impossible to go back. The wind whipped around him. I must find shelter if I'm going to survive.

By fate, the will of the gods or just plain luck, Jiang stumbled toward a small hut. Feebly, he banged on the door praying that those inside would hear him above the howling winds.

Within moments, an gnarled ancient with chiseled features that appeared to have hacked onto her face by a blind sculptor, with long scraggly white hair that went down to the small of her back, opened the door. Her almond-shaped eyes were black, she appeared to have once been tall, but now she was stooped over so far that her breasts dangled in front of her. Her feet were tiny, her hands nothing but bone, her nose large, and her mouth wide, as if she had been laughing at something moments before Jiang knocked. She took one look at Jiang and dragged him inside. "Sit by the fire, boy, unless you want to die of pneumonia. For all the gods' sake, sit!" Quickly she hurried to her teapot, poured a cup and handed it to Jiang. "Drink this slowly; sip it or you'll get sick. Slow down! You'll choke to death drinking it like that."

Jiang was cold and shivering so fiercely that he didn't waste time sipping. He gulped the full cupful, but as soon as he swallowed it, he was sorry because his stomach felt as if it had swallowed an anvil and he retched, throwing up all over the floor, filling the ancient woman's house with the stench of sickness and fear.

"My late husband was sick all the time," the gnarly hag-like elderly woman whispered-but now in was a very different voice-a young goddess's voice-"This is nothing! If you want to be sick: be sick my precious daughter and never worry-I am here-I have always been here for you!" With that, she opened her now Goddess hands and out slipped a handkerchief made of the purest silk and wiped up Jiang (who had been transformed into Meng Jiangnnu)'s vomit. Kuan Yin then handed the mesmerized former boy: Jiang-but now Meng, yet one more magically holy cup of heaven's tea. "Drink this slowly, this time. You don't grow into the woman you are meant to be by being stupid. If you want to live long, this time, you must listen to your body and, to goddesses like me." She stressed the words "this time" as if she had spoken them a thousand times before.

In his trance, Meng Jiangnnu finished her cup of tea and instantly fell asleep, collapsing on the floor, as the old hag finished transforming herself into the Goddess Kuan Yin, the young, vibrant and powerful goddess. Then, she covered Meng Jiangnu with a blanket and tucked her safely in bed, which afforded the most glorious, restful, beautiful sleep she'd ever had as Kuan Yin gently rubbed Jiangnu's forehead and whispered, "Welcome home, my long-lost, beloved daughter Meng Jiangnu-I knew you'd reappear about now-I've ached for you-no! My sweet loving child, I've longed for you and am delighted that you and your boyfriend, Fan Xiliang, have not only never forgotten me but that you grew up together and that I can now help you both on the most glorious and dangerous journey you shall ever take."

With that the goddess Kuan Yin kissed Jiangnu's forehead as the former Meng Jiang snored quietly with the goddess sitting in her chair, remembering the days when Qin Shi Huangdi was Emperor, remembering the foundation of-and the beginning of the construction of the Great Wall of China, remembering the millions of men who died . . . but mostly merely remembering her favorite worshiper: Meng Jiangnu who had come back today to be with her. And now you're back with me again-as Jiangnu Meng and Fan Xilang-my adoring blessed human children and someday soon, you, too, shall be re-married, but this time-your marriage will last for all of eternity.

"Xiao, Xiao, Xiao," Jiangnu-whispered in her sleep, "Remember I love you, I love you forever."

"So, your lover's a boy. How sweet! What wonders this world has in store for a goddess as ancient as I am. Every time I see your new incarnation I wonder if you've learned anything; I wonder if you've fought the battle; I wonder if you've been victorious. But now I see that you've struggled and overcome, my little Meng Jiangnu. You've won, and I'll help you no matter who your counterpart is but; I'll make sure you remain together forever in this world-or in the next." The goddess smiled broadly for the first time in three thousand earth years, "I'll make sure you and your boyfriend are united for all eternity!" It seems like only yesterday that I gave you those blessed bowls and now you've come back. Gently the living goddess stroked Jiang's hair. Your secret's safe with me, Meng Jiangnu; all your secrets are safe with me. The goddess remembered what Jiang had hidden so deeply in his memory: Jiang, the reincarnated spirit of Meng Jiangnu, first visited me 2,300 years ago. I helped Meng then and even though she had a chance to thank me for my help, she never learned my identity. The goddess smiled. She knew that time would work to their advantage. She wasn't worried about receiving any praise now, but the irony was that as Jiang's reincarnated soul stood before his savior, he was totally oblivious to everything around him. Then Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy and Healing, slept for the first time in three hundred and fifty-seven years. She slept with the conviction that she'd be able to help the reincarnated Meng Jiangnu and so Kuan Yin slumbered with the joy that soon Meng and Fan Xiliang would be reunited and happily wed as man and wife.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Xiao heard the storm and worried that his lover had drowned. For a brief moment he started out cavern, but each time he tried to struggle free and jump into the darkness, a gigantic hand shoved him back. It was almost as if the gods were protecting him, fighting to keep him in the cave. On the fifth attempt, Xiao turned, pricking his ears and listened to the sounds in the tunnels far below. Slowly he walked toward the solid gold door and placed his hands on the etchings, feeling them tremble slightly under his fingers. Then he heard the hum and felt it tingle, as the sound reverberated throughout the cave.


On to Chapter Twenty-One
Coming Soon!
Back to Chapter Nineteen
Follow the Leader
Complete Chapter List

The Scot Walker Story Page

Tarheel Writer Home Page

I'd love to hear what you think!  Leave me a comment on our contact us page.