Wild Creatures

Chapter 71

Lan Zhan let go of all the nervousness he felt looking at the ordinary cardboard box. It wasn't even dusty, which meant Da Tuzi had looked after it. It was still sealed with yellowing sticky tape, dry now, and he knew that were he to try peeling it away, it would come off easily with a crackle that spoke of much time having passed.

But he wasn't scared anymore.

Opening this box didn't mean losing his mother.

His mother was always with him, perhaps not in the way he would want, but nevertheless, she was present in the part that mattered.

His hand is given one last squeeze and then Wei Ying lets go of him, only to wrap both arms around his waist.

It helps.

To feel tethered, grounded.

Wei Ying makes him feel strong, not that he has to be, but that he already is.

He can do this.

His fingers tremble as the tape is peeled back, dry glue flying from its confines, and the flaps open.

It's like opening a much anticipated birthday present, to know that people cared enough to get you something. That they were thinking about you.

He has no idea what will be inside and yet, the rush of adrenaline is too realistic.

Right on top of the pile, there are two identical, pale blue silk pouches.

Lan Zhan knows what they are immediately.

His pale fingers lift one up to his nose.

It's a perfume sache, one made by hand. Tiny stitches are almost invisible only on one side where the opening would have been.

Lan Zhan can smell dried cinnamon, sweet peas, fragrant dry rose petals, crushed to absorb the wonderful scent of sandalwood.

Straight away, he is transported to a time where his mother is lighting incense and then comes back to sit beside him. His chubby legs are too short to reach the ground, and he doesn't swing them, like other children would. He's perfectly still, because time spent with his favourite parent is precious.

"Making anything with love takes time and patience," she tells him.

He nods along, his five year old brain not understanding what she is about to do, but mother was wise and always right. Her smell is comforting, a mix of sandalwood and the pot pourri in a crystal bowl in front of them. She's already made tiny muslin bags that can be pulled closed, and he watches her pour sandalwood oil over the mixture. Her elegant fingers make sure the oil is absorbed within the dry ingredients and then she scoops some of the mix into the little bags.

He is hypnotised by her efficient actions, and like the mixture, his mind is absorbing her words. His brain has recorded this sweet moment, the memory of which he had forgotten, buried under the pressures of being an adult.

"A-Zhan," she says softly.

He looks up into her beautiful face, so pale like an angel. Her eyes are deeper than honey, and her love for him shines through every pore.

"Love is part of our souls. We should share that gift with everyone." Her voice...

Lan Zhan is amazed that he had these memories all this time.

When he tried to recall what his mother looked like, after so long, he was saddened to find that her face had faded from his mind. Like looking out from a steamy window, the blurry images of the outside scenery were frustrating to gaze upon.

But with this fragrance however faint, it opened the doors in his mind that he didn't even know existed.

He opens his eyes to find Wei Ying staring back at him with worried concern flickering in his beautiful silver eyes.